# Flatten PDF forms and annotations

Make filled-in form fields and annotations (highlights, notes, text boxes, stamps, images) part of the page, so they can't be edited any more and look the same in every PDF reader and printer. SumatraPDF calls this *baking*.

**Available in [pre-release 3.7](https://www.sumatrapdfreader.org/prerelease)**

**Right-click the page → Document → Bake PDF, and click Bake PDF.** At a glance:

- **In SumatraPDF:** **Bake PDF File...** (`CmdPdfBake`) — bakes forms and annotations into a new PDF and opens it.
- **Command line:** `sumatrapdf-tool bake form.pdf flat.pdf`
- **Keep one kind interactive:** `bake -A` keeps annotations, `bake -F` keeps form fields.

After baking:

- Form fields are gone: the values you typed, ticked or picked are printed on the page. The PDF is no longer a fillable form.
- Annotations are gone as annotations: they are drawn on the page and can't be selected, moved or deleted.
- Text from form fields and text boxes can still be selected and searched.

## Bake a PDF in SumatraPDF

1. Open the PDF. Fill in the form or add annotations first; see [Fill a PDF form](Fill-PDF-forms.md) and [Editing annotations](Editing-annotations.md).
2. Start **Bake PDF** in any of these ways:
   - Right-click the page → **Document → Bake PDF**
   - `Ctrl + K`, then `Bake PDF File` in [Command Palette](Command-Palette.md)
3. The **Bake PDF** dialog shows the source path and a destination:
   - The default is the same folder and name, made unique: `form.pdf` becomes `form.1.pdf`.
   - Edit the path, or click **...** to browse.
4. Click **Bake PDF**. The baked PDF is written and opened in SumatraPDF. The original is not changed.

Unsaved changes (form values, annotations) are included: you don't have to save before baking. `Esc` or **Cancel** closes the dialog.

The app always bakes both form fields and annotations. To keep one of them interactive, use the command line.

## Bake from the command line

Use `sumatrapdf-tool.exe bake`, or [SumatraPDF.exe bake](Tools.md) with the same arguments.

Bake form fields and annotations:

```
sumatrapdf-tool bake form.pdf flat.pdf
```

Without an output file name, the result is written to `out.pdf`.

Bake only the form fields; annotations stay editable:

```
sumatrapdf-tool bake -A form.pdf flat.pdf
```

Bake only the annotations; form fields stay fillable:

```
sumatrapdf-tool bake -F form.pdf flat.pdf
```

More: [sumatrapdf-tool bake](Tool-bake.md).

## Bake before you sign

Baking rewrites the PDF. Baking a digitally signed PDF removes the signature (with `-F` the signature field stays, but the signature is no longer valid). Fill in and bake first, then [sign](Sign-a-PDF.md) the baked copy.

## Tips

- Bake a filled form before you email it, so the recipient sees your answers in any viewer and can't change them.
- Keep the unbaked PDF if you may need to change the answers later; baking can't be undone.
- Bake after [adding a signature image](Add-an-image-to-a-PDF.md) so it can't be moved or deleted.
- Use `bake -F` to fix annotations in place but leave a form fillable.
- To remove confidential content, use [Redact a PDF](Redact-a-PDF.md), not baking: baking draws annotations on top of the page but removes nothing under them.

## See also

- [Fill a PDF form](Fill-PDF-forms.md)
- [Editing annotations](Editing-annotations.md)
- [Sign a PDF](Sign-a-PDF.md)
- [sumatrapdf-tool bake](Tool-bake.md)
- [All cmd-line tools](Tools.md)