How to Fill out a PDF Form and Email it for Free

For a PDF form received via an email, you’ll need to first save the PDF form in an easy-to-find folder, fill out the form, and send it as an email attachment.

Now let’s find out the detailed steps on iPhone, Android, or a computer.

How to Fill Out and Email PDF Forms on iPhone

A dedicated PDF form filler app allows you to fill out and sign the form in a precise way. For this, the PDFgear app for iOS is the choice.

PDFgear is a PDF editor & form filler app that works on iPhone and iPad. It’s free to use, and there’s no watermark.

Step 1. Open the Email app on your iPhone and go to Inbox.

Step 2. In Inbox, open the email that contains the PDF form attachment.

Step 3. Press and hold the PDF attachment preview, and tap Save to Files in the pop-up menu.

Step 4. Open the PDFgear app on your iPhone, tap the lower-right Plus icon, and select Files.

Step 5. Select the PDF you just saved in Files on iPhone.

Step 6. From a list of imported Files, select the PDF form to open it.

Step 7. Tap on the upper-right Edit button, and use the switcher button at the top to go to the Fill & Sign mode.

Step 8. Tap on the |Ab button and tap on the PDF to insert a textbox. Then type into the textbox to fill in the area.

*For more detailed steps regarding form filling, refer to our exhaustive guide on how to fill out a PDF on iPhone.

Step 9. When you’re done filling out the form, tap the upper-right triple dots ⋯ button to save the filled PDF.

Step 10. Now it’s time to send back the filled form! Open the Mail app, and compose a new message.

Tap the body of the email, and tap on the more button < on the virtual keyboard below.

Step 11. Tap on the File button to attach the PDF file we just filled.

Step 12. Lastly, complete the rest of the necessary sections like the recipient, subject line, etc., and tap the upper-right send button to send the email with PDF attachment.

How to Fill Out and Email PDF Forms on Android

The steps to fill out a PDF form that is emailed to you on Android are similar to those on iPhone.

The main difference lies in the distinctive file storage structures, which only affect where you download and save the PDF form.

To get started, get the PDFgear app for Android, a PDF form filler app freely available in the Google Play Store.

Step 1. Open Gmail app on your Android phone, and open the email that contains the PDF form.

Step 2. Tap the Download button on the attachment to download the PDF form on your device.

Step 3. Open the PDFgear app, tap on the lower-right Plus icon to add the PDF form to PDFgear’s Files list. Then tap on the PDF in the Files list to open it in PDFgear.

By default, you’ll find the downloaded PDF in the “Download” folder on your Android device, e.g.: /storage/emulated/0/Download or /sdcard/Download.

Step 4. Tap the upper Edit button and use the top switcher button (that says Annotate) to go to the Fill & Sign mode.

Step 5. Tap the textbox (|Ab) button on the upper menubar, tap on a form filling area, and type into the textbox to fill in the PDF form.

Repeat the steps to fill out the entire PDF form.

Step 6. When you’re done filling out the form, tap the triple dots button in the upper-right corner to save the filled PDF form.

Step 7. Open the Gmail app once again, and compose an email. Finish all necessary sections like recipients, subject line, and email body, and tap the upper right Clip button.

Step 8. Tap Attach file, and select the filled PDF form on your Android device.

Step 9. Wait until the PDF form is uploaded, and tap the Send button ➤ to send the email.

Fill Out and Email PDF Forms Online for Free (On Computers)

If you’re working on a computer, then PDFgear online PDF form filler is a free and convenient way to fill out and sign on PDF forms before emailing them, without software installation.

It’s free, easy to use, and there’s no sign-up.

Step 1. Navigate to PDFgear’s Online Form Filler and click Upload PDF file to upload the PDF form.

Step 2. When the form is loaded, click on the form fields and type in to fill it when the text cursor appears.

You can also click to interact with other form elements like dropdowns and checkboxes.

Step 3. If you find the form fields not clickable, you can also fill the form by inserting text boxes.

Click on the Add or Edit annotations button in the top-right corner.

Step 4. Click on the Free Text button from the pop-up menubar, drag and drop it to where is needed to be filled, and type in to fill the area.

Step 5. When you’re done filling out all necessary areas, click the upper Add Signature button to sign on the PDF form using drawing, typing, or images.

Step 6. Then it’s time to save and send the PDF form.

To make sure the form is non-editable by the recipients, click the upper-right Print file button. Customize the printer settings in the virtual printer window, and click Print.

Step 7. After you’ve filled out and saved the PDF form, here’s how you send it via email to other people.

The process is simple; open your email app, create a new email, attach the filled PDF, and hit send.

Using Inbuilt Features on Your Mobile Phone

The Files app on iPhone has a built-in markup feature that allows you to fill out PDF forms, while it’s not as feature-rich as PDFgear mobile app, it should meet basic form filling needs.

*On Android, there’s no inbuilt PDF editing feature, you’ll need a dedicated PDF editor app. Learn more from our guide on how to fill out a PDF on Android.

1. Go to the Email on the web or the email app, and open the PDF in the attachment.

2. Click the Share button and tap Print to print and save the form in the Files app locally.

3. Go to the Files app, find and tap on the PDF file, and tap the top-right Pencil icon to access the markup tool. Then insert textboxes to fill the PDF form (Learn more).

FAQs

What should I do if the PDF form is not fillable?

If the PDF form is not fillable, you can use PDFgear’s mobile app to manually insert textboxes, and type into the added textboxes to fill in the form fields. Alternatively, you can print the form, fill it out by hand, and then scan it back into your computer as a new PDF.

How do I email a filled-out PDF form?

To email a filled-out PDF form, first save the form on your computer. Then, create a new email in your email client, attach the PDF file, add the recipient’s email address, and send it.

Is it secure to email PDF forms containing sensitive information?

Emailing PDFs with sensitive information can be risky as email is not always secure. To protect your data, consider encrypting the PDF and the email. Use secure email services and share the password for the encrypted PDF through a different communication channel.

Can I sign on the PDF form?

Yes, PDFgear’s online PDF form filler and mobile app allow you to electronically sign the filled PDF forms before sending it to other people.