If you are using Adobe Acrobat to merge multiple PDFs together and you find that form field values are being overridden, or if you receive the following warning message:
then this guide will help you successfully merge the PDFs into one file without having the field values overridden. The problem is caused by fields on different forms having the same name as each other, so Acrobat can only accept one value when the files are merged. This guide will show you how to “flatten” the PDF to solve the issue and save settings to make that process easier in the future.
1. In Adobe Acrobat, open the document you wish to append to another.
2. With the document open, go to the Optimize PDF tool.
If the Optimize PDF tool is not located in your sidebar, you can access it by going to Tools at the top of the page, scrolling down to Protect & Standardize, then clicking Open under Optimize PDF.
3. Once the Optimize PDF tool is open, click Advanced Optimization. A new window will open.
4. In the side bar, click Discard Objects and make sure the box next to it is checked. Then under the Discard Objects Settings, make sure the Flatten form fields box is checked. This will keep all the text you see on the page, but remove the field name which is causing the conflict.
5. Now you have the option to save these settings so that you do not have to manually edit this preference each time you need to optimize a PDF. Click the Save button at the top of the window.
Type a name for your custom settings and press OK.
6. Press OK again to optimize your document. Acrobat will open up a Save As window prompting you to save this new optimized version of your PDF. Saving the file with the original filename will override the original, or you can choose a new filename to make a copy and keep the original, unoptimized version of your PDF.
7. Now if you wish to merge this PDF with another, you can do so as usual using either the Combine PDF tool or by using File > Insert Pages.
When you optimize a PDF in the future, simply open the Optimize PDF tool and click Advanced Optimization, then make sure your custom settings are selected when you go to the Advanced Optimization window and click OK.