How to Remove Colored Form Field Boxes from a Submitted PDF
Question details
The user wants to hide or permanently remove the colored highlight boxes that appear around form fields on a completed PDF copy.
- Product
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Viewing or processing a submitted PDF form where completed fields are still enclosed in colored boxes.
- Observed behavior
- The submitted PDF form displays colored boxes around the form fields, interfering with the clean presentation of the completed document.
Determine whether you simply want to hide the colored highlights while viewing the document on your screen, or if you need to permanently remove the interactive boxes for sharing or printing.
Disable Form Field Highlighting in Preferences
Use this method if you only want to turn off the visual highlighting on your own screen while keeping the form fields interactive.
PDF viewers often use a light-colored background to highlight fillable form fields so users can easily spot them. This is a local viewer setting and does not actually alter the PDF file.
Open your PDF application. Go to 'Edit' > 'Preferences' in the top menu bar. If you are using a Mac, click the application name (e.g., 'Acrobat') in the menu bar and select 'Preferences'.
In the Preferences window, look at the left-hand sidebar and select the 'Forms' category.
Locate the Highlight Color section. Uncheck the option for 'Show border hover color for fields' and toggle off 'Field highlighting'. Click 'OK' to apply the changes.
Flatten the PDF to Remove Form Fields
Use this method to merge the form fields into the document, making the text permanent and entirely removing the interactive boxes for everyone.
Edit and Flatten PDF Forms Easily with WPS Office
WPS Office provides a powerful, user-friendly PDF editor that makes managing forms a breeze. You can easily fill out forms, control field highlighting, or flatten documents in just a few clicks to create professional, clean PDFs without unwanted colored boxes.
- 1. Open the PDF Form: Launch WPS Office and open your filled PDF document.
- 2. Manage Highlights: Navigate to the 'Form' tab on the top ribbon, where you can easily toggle the 'Highlight Fields' button to hide the colored boxes.
- 3. Flatten the PDF: To permanently remove the boxes, go to 'Menu' > 'Print' and select 'WPS PDF' as the printer to save a flattened, clean copy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will the colored form boxes show up when I print the PDF?
Usually, form field highlights are designed only for on-screen viewing and will not appear on paper when printed. However, if the field's actual background color was set to a specific color by the creator, it will print. Flattening the PDF before printing ensures only the text is printed.
Why do the colored boxes reappear when I send the PDF to someone else?
Field highlighting is a preference setting specific to the PDF viewer application on a user's device. If you disabled highlighting on your computer, the recipient's computer might still have it enabled. To ensure they don't see the boxes, you must flatten the PDF before sending it.
Can I change the highlight color instead of removing it?
Yes. In most PDF editors, including Adobe Acrobat, you can go to Edit > Preferences > Forms, and choose a different color under the 'Highlight Color' section to better suit your document's aesthetics.
