How to Create Fillable PDF Forms Offline for Free – 4 Desktop Tools Compared

You need a fillable PDF form. Maybe it’s a client intake form, an employee onboarding checklist, or a survey for your customers.

You open Adobe Acrobat. It wants $19.99/month.

You search Google. The top results are all online converters that require uploading your PDF to someone else’s server — for a form that probably contains sensitive client data.

There’s a better way: free desktop software that creates fillable PDF forms entirely offline, no uploads required, no subscription fees. This article tests four options and shows you exactly how to use the best one.

The 4 Tools We Tested

For creating fillable PDF forms on Windows without spending money, these are the credible contenders:

Our recommendation: PDFgear for most users, LibreOffice Writer if you already use it. Here’s why for each.

If you need to edit an existing PDF’s content before adding form fields, see our best free offline PDF editor for PC. For adding annotations to a read-only form you received, check the best free PDF annotator offline.

Method 1: PDFgear – The Easiest Route (Recommended)

PDFgear is a completely free desktop PDF editor with a modern, Microsoft Office-style ribbon interface. Unlike online tools, everything happens on your computer.

Step 1: Install PDFgear

Download from the official site: https://www.pdfgear.com/. The installation is straightforward — no bundled toolbars, no adware. The software is free with no time limits or watermarks.

Step 2: Open your PDF or create from scratch

• If you have an existing flat PDF you want to make fillable: drag it into PDFgear.
• If you’re starting from scratch: create your form layout in Word or Google Docs first, export as PDF, then open it in PDFgear.

Step 3: Add form fields

Click the “Form” tab in the ribbon. You’ll see these field types:

• Text Field – for name, address, email, phone number, etc.
• Check Box – for yes/no, multi-select options
• Radio Button – for single-select choices (pick one of several)
• Dropdown List – for a menu of preset options
• List Box – scrollable multi-choice
• Signature Field – digital signature placeholder
• Date Field – auto-formatted date picker

Select a field type, then click and drag on the PDF where you want it placed. Resize by dragging the corners. Double-click any field to set its properties (name, default value, required/optional, tooltip text).

Step 4: Test your form

Click “Preview” in the Form tab. This switches to fill mode — you can type into fields, check boxes, and test dropdowns exactly as the end user would. Click “Edit” to go back to form design mode.

Step 5: Save

File → Save As. PDFgear preserves all form fields in standard PDF format, meaning your form works with any PDF reader including Adobe Acrobat Reader, browser PDF viewers, and Preview on Mac.

Why PDFgear wins: It’s the only free tool in this list that supports signature fields natively. It also has the cleanest UI for precisely positioning and resizing fields — something LibreOffice struggles with when the PDF comes from an external source.

💡 Received a PDF that’s already fillable but locked? Check how to check PDF security permissions offline. Need to unlock editing restrictions? See offline PDF password remover desktop.

Method 2: LibreOffice Writer – Best for Power Users

If you already use LibreOffice (or OpenOffice), you don’t need additional software. Writer’s form designer is built-in and produces clean results — especially when you’re designing the form layout yourself.

Step 1: Design your form in Writer

Open LibreOffice Writer. Design your entire form layout using tables, text, and formatting. This is your form’s visual base.

Step 2: Enable form controls

View → Toolbars → Form Controls. This opens a floating toolbar with all form field types.

Step 3: Add fields

Click a field type on the toolbar, then click where you want it on the page:

• Text Box — for single-line text
• Check Box — for binary options
• Option Button — radio buttons (group them by giving the same “Group Name” in properties)
• Combo Box — dropdown selection
• List Box — scrollable list

Double-click any field to configure properties. The key settings:

• Name: Give every field a unique, meaningful name (e.g., “client_email” not “Field1”)
• Default value: Pre-fill common answers
• Dropdown entries: List each option on a new line in the “List entries” property

Step 4: Export as fillable PDF

File → Export As → Export as PDF. In the export dialog, check these two critical boxes:

• ✅ “Create PDF form” (this is what makes it fillable)
• ✅ “Submit format” → “PDF” (keeps fields editable in any PDF reader)

Click Export. Done. Your PDF now has working fillable fields.

LibreOffice caveats: It sometimes misaligns fields when you open an external PDF (one not created in Writer). Form creation from existing PDFs works better in PDFgear. Also, LibreOffice doesn’t support digital signature fields.

Method 3: PDF24 Creator – Quick Text Field Hack

PDF24 Creator is primarily a virtual PDF printer and basic editor, not a form design tool. But it has a workaround for simple forms.

The trick: Use PDF24’s “Add Text” annotation tool to place text labels where fields should go, then tell recipients to use their PDF reader’s built-in “Fill & Sign” or “Add Text” feature.

This is more of a guided form template than a truly fillable form — the fields won’t tab between each other, and there’s no validation. But for simple things like a one-page information sheet, it works.

PDF24’s real strength is elsewhere: compress PDF for email offline, extract pages from PDF offline free, and offline PDF compressor for Windows.

Method 4: OpenOffice Draw – LibreOffice’s Older Cousin

OpenOffice Draw works almost identically to LibreOffice Writer for form creation — same interface, same form control toolbar, same export process. The visual form designer is slightly more flexible than Writer because Draw treats form elements as independent objects on a canvas rather than inline text objects.

The main reason to use OpenOffice Draw over LibreOffice Writer: when your form layout is complex (lots of boxes, lines, and irregular field placement), the canvas-based approach is easier than Writer’s text-flow model.

Open-source alternatives to commercial PDF tools are covered in our open source PDF desktop software comparison.

One More Step: Protect the Non-Fillable Parts

After creating your fillable form, you probably don’t want recipients editing the question text or the layout. Protect the static content:

1. Open the fillable PDF in PDFgear (or PDF24)
2. Go to Protect / Security settings
3. Set a permissions password with these restrictions:
   • ❌ Disable “Modify document”
   • ❌ Disable “Page extraction”
   • ✅ Keep “Fill form fields” allowed
   • ✅ Keep “Sign document” allowed

Now recipients can fill in the fields and sign, but can’t alter your form’s layout or questions.

For a detailed walkthrough, see lock PDF editing offline and offline PDF password protector desktop free.

Comparison: Fillable PDF vs. Web Form (Google/Microsoft)

A question that comes up often: why not just use a Google Form or Microsoft Form?

Use fillable PDFs when: privacy matters, recipient doesn’t have reliable internet, you need physical/digital signatures, or the form is part of a larger document workflow (contracts, intake forms, government paperwork).

Use web forms when: you need to collect and aggregate responses from many people, need automatic data entry into a spreadsheet, or require conditional logic (if user picks A, show question B).

Conclusion: Which Tool Should You Pick?

⚠️ Disclaimer: This article is an independent third-party tutorial. PDFgear is a product of PDFgear Technologies. LibreOffice is an open-source project by The Document Foundation. PDF24 Creator is a product of PDF24 GmbH. OpenOffice is an open-source project by the Apache Software Foundation. We are not affiliated with any of these companies or projects. Feature descriptions and pricing are accurate as of July 2026 and may change. Always download software from official sources to avoid malware.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I create a fillable PDF form completely free and offline?

Yes. Both PDFgear and LibreOffice Writer let you create fully functional fillable PDF forms without internet access and without payment. PDFgear handles existing PDF imports better; LibreOffice is better for forms you design from scratch.

Q: Will my fillable PDF work in Adobe Acrobat Reader?

Yes, if created correctly. All four tools in this article export standard-compliant PDF forms that work in Acrobat Reader, browser PDF viewers, and Preview on Mac. The key is checking the “Create PDF form” box during export (in LibreOffice) or using the Form tab (in PDFgear).

Q: How do I add a signature field to a fillable PDF?

PDFgear is the only free desktop tool tested that supports native digital signature fields. In the Form tab, select “Signature Field,” drag it onto the PDF where you want the signature. The recipient can click it to sign with their mouse, touch screen, or upload a signature image.

Q: Can I make fields mandatory (required) before submission?

Yes. In PDFgear, double-click any field → check “Required.” In LibreOffice Writer, right-click the field → Control Properties → set “Input required” to “Yes.” The PDF reader will prevent submission/form saving until all required fields are completed.

Q: How do I create a fillable PDF from a scanned paper form?

You have two options. Option 1: Use OCR to convert the scan into selectable text, then add form fields on top. See offline PDF OCR software free. Option 2: Place form fields directly over the scanned image — both PDFgear and LibreOffice can do this without OCR first.

Q: What’s the difference between a “fillable” PDF and an “editable” PDF?

A fillable PDF lets users type into designated form fields but not change the surrounding text, images, or layout. An editable PDF lets users modify everything — text, images, page order, etc. Fillable PDFs use AcroForm or XFA technology to define fixed input zones. Full editing requires a full PDF editor like the ones covered in free offline PDF editor for PC.

Q: Does PDFgear or LibreOffice leave watermarks on the PDF?

No. PDFgear is completely free with no watermarks. LibreOffice Writer is open-source and never adds watermarks. Some online tools add watermarks to free-tier exports — which is another reason to use desktop software.