What PDF Annotator does
PDF Annotator is for marking up a document the way you would with pens on paper. Highlight a passage, draw a box around a figure, sketch freehand or drop a short text note on the page. When you save, the marks are drawn onto the pages, so they appear in every PDF viewer and on every print-out.
How to annotate a PDF
- Add your PDF. The first page opens in the workspace.
- Choose a tool: Highlight, Box, Freehand pen or Text note.
- Pick a colour and, for boxes, pen and text, a size.
- Drag on the page to highlight, draw a box or sketch. For a text note, type the text first and then click where it should go.
- Use the page buttons to move through the document, Undo to remove the last mark and Clear page to start a page again.
- Press Save annotated PDF and download.
The four tools
| Tool | How to use it | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Highlight | Drag across the text | Marking key sentences while studying or reviewing |
| Box | Drag a rectangle | Drawing attention to a figure, clause or total |
| Freehand pen | Draw with mouse or finger | Arrows, ticks, underlines and corrections |
| Text note | Type, then click on the page | Short comments such as “Check this” or “Approved” |
Use cases
- Reviewing a draft and marking the changes you want.
- Studying: highlighting definitions and adding notes in the margin.
- Marking a student's assignment.
- Pointing out an error on a bill or statement before sending it back.
- Ticking items on a checklist.
Good to know
- Annotations become part of the page. They cannot be removed from the saved file, so keep your original if you may need a clean copy.
- Text notes are drawn as images, which means they can be written in any script your device can display, including Hindi.
- The original text of the document stays selectable and searchable.
- A highlight is semi-transparent and blends with the page, so the words underneath remain readable.
Annotator, editor or redactor?
- For typed content, page numbers and page changes, use PDF Editor.
- For a signature, use Sign PDF.
- To hide information, do not draw a box over it here — the text underneath would remain in the file. Use PDF Redactor.
Tips
- On a phone, turn the device sideways for more room to draw.
- Choose a darker colour for the pen and boxes; yellow is best kept for highlights.
- Annotate one page at a time and check the counter under the page, which shows how many marks you have added.
- For precise highlighting, zoom the browser in before dragging.
Privacy
Annotations are added in your browser. Your PDF is not uploaded to our server.