A standard PDF is a document built for one thing: reading. You open it, you scroll, you close it. An interactive PDF is different. It turns that same flat file into something a reader can actually use. They come with clickable links, fillable forms, embedded video, and buttons that jump them straight to the section they need.
Businesses are moving toward interactive PDFs because they keep readers engaged long enough to convey their intended message. Instead of sending someone off to a separate web page to watch a product demo or fill in an enquiry form, you can build that experience directly into the file, and it still works offline once it’s downloaded.
If you’re wondering how to create an interactive PDF document for your business, the process comes down to three major stages that we’ll cover in this simple guide.
Key Takeaways:
- What you’ll need: Design software and roughly 2–4 hours for a first attempt, depending on how many interactive elements you’re adding.
- Beginner-friendly tools: Canva, thanks to its drag-and-drop editor. Best tool for full control over forms and buttons: Adobe Acrobat Pro or InDesign.
- Add interactive elements such as clickable links, buttons, form fields, and embedded videos.
- Do NOT export your files as a standard “print” PDF, which strips out every interactive element you’ve just spent hours building.
- Test your files before sending them to your clients. Some minor issues can be the breaking point.
What Software Do You Need to Create an Interactive PDF?
The right tool depends on how complex your document needs to be and how much design experience you’re starting with.
Adobe InDesign (professional publishing)
This is the industry standard when you want full control over page transitions, multi-state buttons, and precise form placement. It’s the tool most businesses use if they need a polished interactive PDF that shows their brand guidelines exactly.
Canva (visual layouts)
Canva’s drag-and-drop tools make it the fastest option for interactive documents, especially if you don’t have a design background. It may lack the features in more complicated tools such as InDesign, but for a simple lead magnet like an eBook or an event program, it does the job well.
If you’re designing the eBook itself, our guide to designing compelling eBook graphics is a good read.
Microsoft Word or Google Docs (text-heavy documents)
These handle the basics fine. Bookmarks, a hyperlinked table of contents, and simple form controls all export cleanly to PDF. They’re not built for rich media, though, so anything beyond text and links won’t be catered for.
Adobe Acrobat Pro (post-processing and editing)
Even if you build your layout with a different tool, you’ll likely finish the job in Adobe Acrobat Pro. It’s what most people mean when they ask how to create interactive PDFs after the design work is already done.
This is because it lets you add interactive elements like digital signatures and form fields to a file.
Did You Know?
Readers spend 73% longer engaging with interactive content than they do with static PDFs, according to eye-tracking research conducted by Lumen Research. If your document gives people nothing to click, scroll, or interact with, there’s a good chance they’re skimming the first page and moving on.
Official Source:
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Turtl’s interactive content format is 73% more engaging than the PDF – B2B Marketing, reporting on the Lumen Research eye-tracking study.
Not sure your PDF is set up to hold attention? Call our team on +61 7 5600 0989
How to Add Interactive Elements to Your PDF
Once your layout is ready, you can now start adding interactive elements using Acrobat Pro or InDesign’s interactive panel. Here are some of the features that you’d most likely use:
Links and Navigation
Add clickable links to send readers to your website, a booking page, or a specific product. Pair these with internal bookmarks so readers can jump between sections of a longer document without their fingers getting sore.
In Acrobat, go to:
Edit PDF > Link > Add/Edit Web or Document Link.
Buttons
Clickable buttons can trigger a specific action: clearing a form, printing the current page, or opening a URL. They’re perfect as CTAs if you want a reader to take one clear next step, like “Download Our Catalogue” or “Book a Call.”
Form Fields
This is where interactive elements earn their keep for businesses collecting information. Structured form fields, text boxes, drop-down menus, and checkboxes turn a basic form into something a client can actually fill out and return.
Video and Rich Media
When you add video directly into the file, readers can engage with your content without leaving the document. A short product demo or a founder introduction tends to work far better as embedded videos than as a wall of text.
The same logic applies to data: our piece on turning data into visual stories with infographics covers why a visual usually beats written content for your purposes.
Important Note: Keep your layers organised as you go. A cluttered file with overlapping interactive elements can cause non-functioning buttons, or links that won’t open, once the PDF has been sent.
Exporting and Saving Your Interactive PDF Correctly
This step is where most interactive PDFs fail. If you forget to do this correctly, you’ll end up with a file that got stripped of all the interactive elements you added. Hours of work down the drain.
If you’re using InDesign…
Export using Adobe PDF (Interactive), NOT Adobe PDF (Print). The print export strips out every button, link, and media script you’ve added, leaving you with a beautifully designed but completely static file.
If you’re using Word…
Choose Save As > PDF with heading bookmarks enabled. This preserves your internal jump navigation so readers can still click through a table of contents.
If you’re using Canva…
Download your file as PDF Standard rather than PDF Print, and double-check that all your hyperlinks are still present. Canva has fixed this error, but it’s still worth a manual check before you send the file anywhere.
Doing all these will help maintain full functionality even with offline access. This means your client can fill out forms and click through the document even without an Internet connection.
Important Step: Test Your Interactive PDF Across Multiple Devices
Never treat your interactive PDF as finished after exporting. Open it using different device types and test it until you’re sure everything works. Here are some tips from our team:
Use a dedicated PDF reader
Open the file in Adobe Acrobat Reader rather than a browser tab. Some interactive scripts don’t execute properly inside browser-based PDF viewers, which can make a perfectly functional file look broken to anyone previewing it that way.
Check the tab order
If your document includes a form, tab through every field in sequence to confirm it moves logically from top to bottom. This avoids getting people confused and increases the chance they read it all the way.
Test on mobile devices and tablets
Confirm your layout scales properly and that every button is large enough to tap. A touch target under about 44 pixels is hard to hit on a phone screen, and that’s exactly where a lot of interactive PDFs lose people, the same problem we cover in why mobile optimisation improves your search presence.
Don’t Forget Accessibility
Many Australian businesses now need to meet WCAG standards for anything published online.
A few things make a real difference here:
- Add meaningful alt text to every image and chart, rather than leaving it blank or generic.
- Set the document’s language correctly so screen readers interpret it properly. Keep body text at 12pt or larger, lean on solid typography fundamentals.
- Use a genuine document structure with proper headings instead of just bolding text to make it look like one.
The good thing is, Adobe Acrobat’s built-in accessibility checker will flag most of the obvious issues before you publish.
Should You Hire A Designer?
DIY tools have come a long way, and plenty of businesses build a perfectly functional interactive PDF themselves using Canva or Word.
However, creating documents that actually reflect your brand properly, work flawlessly across every device, and include more advanced elements like adding embedded forms feeding into your CRM can be tricky.
What’s more, these elements, when they work properly, could be the reason why your interactive document works.
At VMA Graphic Design & Print, we build interactive PDFs as part of our broader branding and marketing collateral work.
Plenty of the documents we’re asked to make interactive started life as a simple business brochure design, then grew into something that needed forms, video, and click-through navigation. If you’ve got a proposal, catalogue, or client-facing document that needs to do more than sit flat on a page, get in touch and we’ll talk you through what’s possible.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I create an interactive PDF document without design software?
Microsoft Word or Google Docs will get you a basic interactive PDF with bookmarks, a hyperlinked contents page, and simple form fields. It won’t support video or advanced buttons, so for anything beyond text and links, you’ll need Canva, Acrobat Pro, or InDesign.
What’s the difference between an interactive PDF and a regular PDF?
A regular PDF is static. It’s designed to be read, printed, or downloaded, and that’s about it. An interactive PDF adds functional elements, clickable links, buttons, forms, and embedded video, so readers can act on the content directly inside the file.
Can I add interactive elements to a PDF I’ve already created?
Yes. Adobe Acrobat Pro is built specifically for this. Open your existing flat PDF, then add links, buttons, form fields, and video without needing to rebuild the document from scratch in InDesign or Canva.
Do interactive PDFs still work without an internet connection?
Most interactive elements do, provided the file was exported correctly. Forms, buttons, and internal navigation all function offline. Anything relying on an external link naturally needs a connection to actually load that destination.
Why did my interactive PDF lose its buttons and links after exporting?
This almost always comes down to the export settings. In InDesign specifically, selecting Adobe PDF (Print) instead of Adobe PDF (Interactive) strips out every interactive element. Always double-check your export path before sending the file anywhere.
Convert More With Your Interactive PDF
An interactive PDF is one of the easiest ways to make a proposal, catalogue, or client document work harder for your business, provided it’s built and exported the first time correctly. If you’d rather hand the design and technical setup to a team who does this daily, book a free strategy call with VMA Graphic Design & Print and we’ll help you get it right.
