Make in Bulk

Fill a PDF form from CSV or Excel

Have a fillable PDF (an application, registration or order form) and a spreadsheet of answers? The tool reads the form’s fields, matches them to your columns and fills a copy for every row. This page opens with a sample registration form and five example learners.

  • Text, checkbox, dropdown and radio fields
  • Optional flattening
  • Nothing is uploaded
Loading the form filler…

How batch form filling works

A fillable PDF contains named form fields: boxes you can type into, tick or pick from. When you add one as your template, the tool lists every field with its type and tries to match it to a column in your data. Matching ignores capital letters, spaces and punctuation, so a field called full_name is paired with a column called “Full Name” automatically. Anything it can’t match is left for you to fill in.

Each field’s box accepts the same patterns as text boxes. Type {{First Name}} {{Last Name}} to combine two columns, add fixed text such as Ref: {{Order ID}}, or type plain text to put the same value in every copy. Leave a box empty to keep whatever the form already contains.

Field names inside PDFs are often cryptic, such as Text1 or topmostSubform[0].Page1[0].f1_01[0]. Click an outlined field on the page preview to jump to its setting, or click into a setting to highlight its field on the page.

How each field type is filled

  • Text fields get the text from your pattern. Multi-line fields keep line breaks; single-line fields turn them into spaces. If a field has a character limit, the tool lists any rows that are too long before you generate.
  • Checkboxes are ticked when the value is yes, y, true, 1, x or ✓ (any capitalisation) and left unticked otherwise.
  • Dropdowns and list boxes are set to the matching choice, ignoring capital letters. For a dropdown, a value that isn’t one of the choices is typed in as custom text, and the tool warns you first.
  • Radio buttons must match one of their options; the tool lists the options and any rows that don’t match.
  • Signature fields and buttons are left as they are.

Flatten, or keep the fields editable?

Flattening turns the filled-in answers into part of the page. They look the same in every PDF reader and can’t be changed accidentally, which is what you want for records, printing and forms you send out as final documents. A combined PDF is always flattened, because separate copies of the same form can’t share field names inside one file.

Keeping fields editable (untick “Flatten form fields” and choose Separate PDFs) is useful when each person still needs to check their details, fill in the rest of the form or sign it.

Where the data often comes from

A popular use is turning online form responses into a standard paper-style document. Export the responses from Google Forms, Microsoft Forms, Typeform or your booking system as CSV, add the official PDF form as the template, and you get one completed form per response. HR teams use the same approach for onboarding paperwork, and schools for trip consent forms pre-filled with each pupil’s details.

If your PDF isn’t a normal fillable form

  • No fields found: the form may just look fillable. Place text boxes on it instead, as you would on a certificate. This also works for scanned forms.
  • XFA forms: some government and enterprise forms are built with Adobe LiveCycle (XFA), which browsers can’t fill. The tool tells you when it sees one; you can still place text boxes on it.
  • Password-protected or secured forms: remove the protection first, if you are entitled to, for example by printing to a new PDF.
  • Accents and other alphabets: form fields use Helvetica by default. If your data contains letters it can’t show, add a font in the Fonts panel and choose it under “Font for filled-in fields”.

Questions about PDF forms

The tool says my PDF has no form fields, but I can type into it in my PDF reader. Why?

Some readers let you type anywhere on a page with a comment or Fill & Sign tool; that isn’t a real form field. Place text boxes instead, which works on any PDF.

Can I combine several columns into one field?

Yes. Type the pattern you want, such as {{First Name}} {{Last Name}} or {{Street}}, {{City}}, into the field’s box.

Will the filled forms still work in Adobe Acrobat?

Yes. Unflattened copies keep standard form fields, and flattened copies are ordinary PDF pages that open anywhere.

Designing something from scratch instead? Try the certificate generator or personalised letters, or start from the main PDF mail merge tool.