Flatten annotations in a PDF

Useful before sending a reviewed document to clients, printers or archives when editable notes and layers should no longer move.

Bake PDF annotations and interactive layers into a fixed result, so comments and visual additions stay in place when shared or printed.

How to use

Prepare the PDF that contains annotations, comments or interactive layers to freeze before sharing.
On the tool page, choose the PDF file from your device.
Start the flattening action with the main button and let the process build a fixed version.
Download the resulting PDF, then open it to check that annotations still appear in the right places.
Compare the output with the original if the document will be printed or approved by someone else.

Example

A designer sends an annotated layout to a client. After flattening, the comments remain visible in the final file, but they can no longer be moved or edited as separate annotations. The client sees exactly the reviewed version.

Limits and formats

The tool does not keep annotations as separate editable objects; they become part of the page rendering.
A protected or damaged PDF may not process correctly, so always inspect the output file.
Flattening does not guarantee that every metadata field is removed or that the file size will shrink.
Some interactive layers may look different depending on the software used to display them before processing.

Where processing happens

The file is uploaded to the YOORfree compute server. It is processed in memory without disk writing on the gateway, then deleted when the operation ends. The source file and the result are kept for at most 15 minutes by default on the web server before removal. Neither the name nor the content is logged, and no third party is involved.

Frequently asked questions

When should I flatten annotations in a PDF?

Use it before sending a reviewed document, printing it or archiving it when you want comments to stay visible but no longer behave like movable, editable annotation objects.

Will the comments still be readable after flattening?

Yes. Flattening bakes the annotations into the page rendering, so they remain visible on screen and in print, but they stop acting as interactive items that can be repositioned.

What if my PDF is protected?

A protected or damaged file may fail. Remove the protection first only if you are allowed to do so, then run the flattening again and inspect the downloaded result carefully.