The best way to put a fillable PDF on your website is to turn it into an online form and embed it with a short code snippet. Visitors fill it in and submit it on your page, and you receive their answers and a completed PDF. Linking to the PDF file or showing it in an iframe only displays the document: the answers stay on the visitor’s computer.
What we’ll cover:
Three ways to put a fillable PDF on your website
| Link to the PDF file | Show the PDF in an iframe | Embed an online form | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What visitors see | A download, or the PDF in their browser’s viewer | The PDF inside your page, in the browser’s PDF viewer | A form inside your page |
| Can they fill it in on your site? | Only if the PDF has form fields and their PDF viewer supports them | Same as a link, and it depends on the browser | Yes |
| How answers reach you | They save the file and send it back to you by email or upload | Same as a link | Submitted to you directly, with a completed PDF |
| On phones | Usually needs zooming | Often hard to use in a small frame | Depends on the form type, see below |
If you only need people to read or print a document, a link or an iframe is enough. If you need their answers back, embed an online form.
Choose the type of online form
Pick the type that matches the document you start with. You can embed any of them.
| Form type | What people fill in | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| PDF Fillable Form | Your original PDF pages, in the browser. The layout stays exactly as designed, so small screens may need zooming | Official, regulated or branded documents such as contracts and applications |
| Web PDF Form | A mobile-friendly web form built from your PDF. On submission, PlatoForms fills the answers into the completed PDF | Forms that many people fill in on phones |
| Master Form | One form whose answers fill several PDFs at once | Packets such as onboarding documents or multi-part applications |
| Web Form | A web form built from scratch, with a PDF output only if you add one | Contact, registration and survey forms that do not start from a PDF |
When you upload a PDF, AI field detection adds the fields for you to review. Form types compares the options in more detail.
How to embed a PlatoForms form on your website
- Sign up for PlatoForms. Every new account starts with a 15-day free trial of paid features.
- Click Start to build, choose PDF → Online Form, then PDF Fillable Form or Web PDF Form, and upload your PDF. Master Forms and web forms built from scratch are set up differently; see the Master Form guide and Form types.
- Review the fields, then click Publish.
- On the Share page, open Embed Script, choose an embed mode and copy the code.
- Paste the code into your website where the form should appear, then check the page on a computer and a phone.
You can also share the form by its public URL or a QR code. See Publish and share for every option.
Choose an embed mode
| Embed mode | What it does | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | Places the form directly on your web page | Contact forms, registration forms, or any form that should be fully visible on the page |
| Modal | Opens the form in a popup window when visitors click a button. You can adjust the popup’s width and the button text | Actions such as “Get a Quote” or “Sign Up” that should take little space on the page |
| Popup | Shows a floating button; clicking it opens the form in a small window. You can adjust the button’s size and style and the corner radius | Feedback or subscription forms that should be available but not in the way |
| Full Page | Makes the form take up an entire section of the page | Surveys, detailed questionnaires, or standalone forms that need the visitor’s full attention |
Modal embed:
Popup embed:
You can preview each mode in the Embed Script tab before adding it to your site. See the difference between the four embed script options.
If a long form feels like too much on one screen, a Conversational Form shows one question at a time, which can make it easier to complete.
Before you publish the page
- Test on a phone. If most visitors use phones, consider a Web PDF Form rather than a PDF Fillable Form.
- Mark the required fields so a document cannot be submitted incomplete. See field status.
- Decide where submissions go. Set up notifications so you receive each completed PDF by email.
- Submit a test entry and check the completed PDF in Submissions before you share the page.
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