PDF Form Field Inspector guide
List standard AcroForm field names, types, current values, and basic flags without changing the PDF.
What this tool does
The PDF Form Field Inspector reads the standard AcroForm structure exposed by a PDF. It reports text fields, checkboxes, dropdowns, option lists, radio groups, signatures, buttons, and unknown supported field objects. For each field it displays the internal field name, recognized type, current value where available, and whether the field is marked required or read-only.
The inspection is read-only. It does not fill, flatten, sign, unlock, validate, repair, or save the document. You can copy a tab-separated text report for inventory work. Current values may contain personal or confidential information, so review the report before pasting it into email, chat, or a ticketing system.
PDF forms are not all built the same way. Some documents merely draw blank lines or boxes and have no interactive fields. Others use XFA, scripts, calculated values, custom appearances, or unsupported structures. A field may exist internally while its visible appearance is missing or positioned unexpectedly. Finding a signature field does not verify that a valid cryptographic signature is present.
How to use it
- Choose one PDF up to 50 MB.
- Wait while the browser reads its page count and AcroForm field collection.
- Review every row’s name, type, value, and flags.
- Use Copy report only if the displayed values are safe to share.
- Open the original in a trusted PDF viewer to confirm visual field placement.
Internal field names can be technical and may use dotted parent-child notation. Duplicate-looking labels on a page can still refer to one shared field value, while similarly named fields can be separate objects.
Benefits
- Inspects a form without modifying or exporting it
- Identifies several common AcroForm field classes
- Exposes required and read-only flags
- Displays current values rather than only field names
- Creates a copyable plain-text inventory
- Reads the document locally on the device
Interpretation and privacy limits
The report is an engineering aid, not a security, accessibility, legal, or signature-validity audit. JavaScript actions, validation rules, widget coordinates, appearance streams, permissions, and certificate trust are not evaluated. Password-protected files and XFA-only behavior may be unavailable. Sensitive values remain local unless you copy and share them yourself.