Mark up a PDF and share your feedback
Add notes and color highlights exactly where they matter — click to place, pick color and size, and export a marked-up PDF in seconds. Free to start, no watermark.
Drop a PDF here — get it back with your notes and highlights baked in
PDF · click pages to add annotations
What you can do with Annotate PDF
Everything this tool helps you accomplish — no learning curve, no setup.
- Add text notes anywhere on a PDF
- Highlight key passages in color
- Place ready-made stamps like Approved or Draft
- Mark up contracts and documents for review
- Adjust text size and color as you go
- Export your annotated PDF with no watermark
- Edit or reposition notes after placing them
Settings information
10 settings
Every control in Annotate PDF, explained — what it does and when to use it.
Tool
- ToolPresets
- Switches the annotation type you place next: Text adds a written note, Highlight drops a translucent marker bar, and Stamp adds a bold bordered label such as APPROVED.Options: TextHighlightStamp
- TextText input
- The wording of the note to place on the page; type your comment here, then click a spot on the page or press Add to page.
- SizeSliderRange: 6–72pt · Default: 14pt
- Font size of the text note in points — keep it small for margin comments or raise it for headline-style remarks; placed notes can also be resized by dragging their handle or pinching.
- ColorColor picker
- Sets the ink color for text notes and stamps, or the marker tint when the Highlight tool is active; choose a preset swatch or open the picker for any custom shade.
- PresetsPresets
- One-tap color swatches shown while the Text tool is active — red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, indigo, purple, pink and near-black — setting the shared ink color that stamps also use.Options: #ef4444#f97316#eab308#22c55e#06b6d4#6366f1#a855f7#ec4899#111827
- Highlighter presetsPresets
- Soft marker tints suited to highlighting — yellow, green, blue, rose, periwinkle and orange — shown while the Highlight tool is active.Options: #fde047#86efac#7dd3fc#fda4af#a4b1ff#fdba74
- StampPresets
- Ready-made stamp wordings; tap one to load it, then place it on the page as a bold, bordered label in your chosen color.Options: APPROVEDCONFIDENTIALDRAFTREVIEWEDPAIDURGENTVOID
- Custom textText input
- Type your own stamp wording instead of a preset; it is automatically uppercased and rendered as a bordered stamp label on the page.
- Add to pageOne-click
- Drops the current text note, highlight or stamp onto the visible page; you can also click any spot on a page to place it exactly there, then drag to reposition.
- Edit selectedText input
- After tapping a placed annotation, rewrite a text note's wording and type an exact font size from 6 to 72 pt, or change the color of a selected stamp or highlight, without deleting and re-adding it.
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Try it nowFrequently Asked Questions
Upload your PDF and use the toolbar to highlight text, underline passages, add sticky notes, draw freehand, insert text boxes, stamps and arrows. Everything renders directly in your browser — no Adobe Acrobat licence, no desktop install — and your annotated PDF stays a real PDF that opens cleanly in Preview, Acrobat Reader and Foxit.
usageYes. Annotations are saved using the standard PDF annotation layer, so reviewers, lawyers and clients see the exact same highlights and comments in Acrobat Reader, macOS Preview and every modern browser. They are not flattened images either — recipients can hide them, reply to them or remove them with their own PDF tool.
technicalYes. Drop a signature image, type a stylised signature or use the draw tool to ink your name with a mouse or touch device. Add Approved, Confidential and Draft stamps for fast contract markup, and place initials in the margins where your counterparty expects them.
featuresToggle the "Flatten on download" option before saving and every highlight, comment and signature is baked into the page bitmap. Flattened PDFs are perfect for final delivery — recipients can read them but cannot accidentally move or delete your notes.
featuresPartly. Placing and editing annotations happens live in your browser, but exporting sends your PDF to our secure server over HTTPS to bake the annotations into the file — it is auto-deleted within 24 hours — unless you explicitly share a result, which keeps it at a public link anyone who has it can open for up to 30 days — and we never share or sell it. If your workflow requires the file to never leave your device, use a desktop PDF editor instead.
privacyYes. Navigate every page in the side panel, annotate scanned reports, and add searchable text boxes on top of image-only PDFs. Scanned PDFs keep their original layout while your annotations sit on a transparent overlay so the underlying scan stays sharp.
compatibilityPick the Text tool, type your note and choose a color and size, then click the exact spot on the page to drop it (or tap 'Add to page'). Drag it to reposition, or tap it to edit later. The note is written into the PDF as real, selectable text, so it stays crisp and searchable in the download.
usageYes. Switch to the Highlight tool, pick a highlighter color (yellow, green, blue, pink and more presets, or any custom color), then drag a translucent band across the text. Add as many highlights as you like and resize each one — handy for flagging clauses in a contract or key passages in a paper.
featuresThis tool layers your own text and highlights on top of the page; it doesn't rewrite the document's existing words. To edit the original content, use the PDF Editor tool, which lets you modify the text and elements already in the file.
tipsThe Stamp tool includes seven ready-made presets — APPROVED, CONFIDENTIAL, DRAFT, REVIEWED, PAID, URGENT and VOID — or you can type your own custom stamp text in the field below the presets. Pick any color for the stamp, click a spot on the page to place it, and it renders as a bold, bordered label baked into the exported PDF.
featuresSelect the annotation, then drag its corner handle to resize it — text and stamps scale their font size, while highlights stretch their width and height. On a touchscreen you can also pinch with two fingers directly on the annotation to scale it up or down.
usageHighlight the clauses that need attention using a bright preset color, add Text notes with your comments next to each one, then drop an APPROVED or REVIEWED stamp near the signature line before exporting. Combining all three tools on the same page gives reviewers a clear, at-a-glance markup.
tipsYes — the Pages panel shows an Annotations list with every text note, highlight and stamp you've placed, labelled by type and page number. Tap any entry to jump straight to that page with the annotation selected, which is handy once a long document has dozens of highlights and comments scattered across many pages.
featuresYes — select any text note, highlight or stamp on the page, then press Delete or Backspace to remove it instantly instead of reaching for the trash-can icon. This only works when an annotation is selected and you're not typing in a text field, so it won't accidentally delete something while you're editing a note.
tipsA placed stamp's text can't be edited directly — the Edit selected panel only lets you change its color once it's on the page. To fix the wording, delete the stamp with the trash icon or Delete key, then pick the correct preset or type new custom text in the Stamp panel before adding it to the page again.
featuresClick anywhere on the page to place a text note, pick its color and size, and repeat on any page — you can mix notes with highlights and stamps in the same pass. When you download, the annotations are flattened into the file so your comments stay visible in every PDF viewer your reviewers use. No Acrobat or signup is needed.
usageHow Annotate PDF helps you get it done
Real problems it solves every day — for businesses, creators, and everyday tasks. Find the use case that fits you and start in seconds.
Contract Review for Lawyers & Legal Teams
Highlight risky clauses, sticky-note redline comments and stamp Approved on negotiated agreements without buying an Acrobat Pro licence for every paralegal on the team
Manuscript & Editorial Markup
Editors and authors mark up novel manuscripts, magazine drafts and academic papers with highlights, comments and proposed rewrites that survive the round-trip back to the writer
Student Study Notes & Textbook Highlights
University students highlight key passages in textbooks, add margin notes for exam revision and share annotated PDFs with study groups in Notion, Google Drive and email
Architect & Engineering Drawing Markup
Architects redline construction drawings, engineers stamp Revision 2 on technical schematics and contractors annotate floor plans before sending PDFs back to the design team
Medical Chart Notes & Imaging Reports
Doctors annotate diagnostic imaging PDFs, highlight lab result anomalies and add sticky notes to patient records, with the entire workflow staying inside the browser for HIPAA-friendly review
Resume & Cover Letter Feedback
Career coaches, mentors and hiring managers annotate candidate resumes with suggestions, stamp Recommend Interview and return the PDF without bouncing through DocuSign or email rewrites
Teacher Grading & Assignment Feedback
Highlight the sections of a submitted assignment PDF that need attention, add margin text notes explaining the grade, and drop a custom 'Needs Revision' or 'Great Work' stamp before returning it to students.
Real Estate Closing Document Markup
Highlight key clauses and figures in purchase agreements and disclosures, add text notes flagging what still needs a signature, and stamp pages REVIEWED or DRAFT before sending them on to buyers, sellers or a title company.
Insurance Claim & Expense Report Review
Highlight discrepancies in a submitted claim or expense report PDF, leave text notes explaining what's missing, and use a custom stamp for internal routing status before forwarding it to the next reviewer.
Freelance Proposal & Invoice Sign-off
Freelancers and clients highlight the line items they're confirming on a proposal or invoice PDF and drop a custom PAID or APPROVED stamp near the total, creating a clear paper trail without a separate e-signature tool.
