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Participating Frequently
April 22, 2025
Answered

Fillable pdfs

  • April 22, 2025
  • 3 replies
  • 2262 views

Do fillable forms work on mobiles or is there some special way of msking them mobile friendly.

 

David

Correct answer ls_rbls

Thank you for taking the trouble to lok at this.

It would appear that Adobe fillable forms are not particularly useful for posting on a website when multiple users are likely to use different devices and app to download these. They would seem to have a very limited application.

 


Yes, you are absolutely correct, but PDF fillable forms can be designed with any PDF editor, not just Adobe's.

 

The current workflow of the website makes it hard for users that are not tech savvy to find their way around on what to do next.

 

In which case, it would be beneficial if the website produce an online application form without the need to download anything.

 

In fact, it would look similar to their contact form. The user just input their data on provided blank fields and click on a submit button directly from their web browsers and with a few clicks.

 

Is not that very difficult to do that.

 

However, collecting money via electronic transactions online can be complicated and expensive to develop for charitable organizations.

3 replies

try67
Community Expert
Community Expert
April 22, 2025

The fields themselves are likely to work, but (almost all) scripts associated with them will not.

Participating Frequently
April 23, 2025

Thank you for your response.

Fields appear on PC but not on mobile. Same with drop down boxes.

try67
Community Expert
Community Expert
April 23, 2025

The term "mobile" is extremely vague. What exact mobile device, and what application is being used on it to view the PDF files? At any rate, there's nothing much you can do about it, except instruct the users to use better software, like Adobe Acrobat Reader.

MikelKlink
Participating Frequently
April 22, 2025

What exactly do you consider "fillable forms"?

An what do you mean by "work on mobiles"?

 

Concerning "fillable forms": Do you mean PDFs you can fill with the "fill and sign" tool of Adobe Acrobat? Or do you mean PDFs with an AcroForm form definition? Or even with a XFA form definition?

 

Concerning "work on mobiles": Do you mean whether you can fill-in the PDFs in a web browser on arbitrary mobiles? Or in the general Adobe Acrobat Reader App on an applicable mobile? Or in the special Adobe Fill & Sign App on Apple mobiles?

Participating Frequently
April 23, 2025

Thank you - I am not a techie, so sorry about layman's language.

I mean fillable pdfs. Downloaded from a PC they are 'fillable'. But the 'fillable' content does not appear on a mobile or tablet, just the pdf.

These are entry forms for use of competitors, posted on our website as a downloadable pdf for completion by the entrant and submission to the event.

MikelKlink
Participating Frequently
April 23, 2025

Can you share an example file to analyze?

AnandSri
Legend
April 22, 2025

 Hi David!

 

I hope you are doing well, and thanks for reaching out.

 

Yes, fillable PDFs can work on mobile devices, but there are a few important considerations to ensure a smooth experience: 

Use Compatible PDF Viewers: Ensure that users open the fillable PDF with a PDF viewer that supports form filling, such as Adobe Acrobat Reader for mobile.

Optimize for Mobile: Design the form with mobile users in mind. Use larger fonts, single-column layouts, and avoid small or densely packed fields. See this article for more information: Create fillable PDF forms on Android step-by-step | Adobe Acrobat

Enable Some form functionalities rely on JavaScript, so ensure it is enabled in the PDF viewer. 

 

For more details, see these articles: https://helpx.adobe.com/in/acrobat/using/creating-distributing-pdf-forms.html

https://helpx.adobe.com/in/acrobat/using/fill-and-sign.html

 

I hope this helps.

Thanks,

Anand Sri.

[edited response]

Participating Frequently
April 23, 2025

Thank you for response.

 

The fillable pdfs have been posted on our website as a downloadable file. These work fine on a PC but 'fillable' element does not display on a moble (android) or a tablet. I presume the reader on the mobile is as you describe.