Annotate PDF online
Highlight text, draw freehand, add sticky notes, shapes, arrows and stamps, then save the marked-up file.
or drop it anywhere on this page
Your PDF is opened on your device. It is never uploaded.
Other PDF tools
Annotate PDF online, in your browser, without uploading the file. Highlight or underline text, draw freehand, add sticky notes, text boxes, shapes, arrows and stamps, then download a marked-up PDF that other readers understand.
How to annotate PDF online
- Choose PDF file, or drop the PDF on this page. The Highlight tool is active when the file opens.
- Select text to highlight, underline or strike it through; switch to Draw, Rectangle, Arrow, Text box, Sticky note or Stamp on the tool rail.
- Select an annotation to change its colour, opacity, line width or text in the Properties panel; drag it to move it.
- Press Export: PDF with all edits keeps the annotations editable, Flattened PDF bakes them into the page.
Why it is private
Annotations are created and written into the PDF by PDFium running as WebAssembly in your browser. The document and your notes stay on your device; nothing is uploaded, and the working copy in your browser's storage can be deleted in Settings.
What you can do
Included
- Highlight, underline and strikethrough from a text selection
- Freehand drawing, rectangles, ellipses, lines, arrows, text boxes, sticky notes, standard and image stamps
- Multi-select, copy and paste, keyboard nudging, undo and redo
- Standard PDF annotations with appearance streams, so Acrobat, Preview and browsers show them
Limits
- Sticky notes and text boxes hold plain text; rich text formatting is not supported
- Annotations are visual marks; they are not cryptographically signed
Frequently asked questions
Is it free?
- Yes. The PDF tools are free to use. There is no account, no payment and no watermark.
Are my files uploaded?
- No. Annotations are added inside your browser. The only network requests are for the tool's own files, and the optional cloud conversion is off by default and shows the destination before anything is sent.
Will other people see my annotations?
- Yes. They are saved as standard PDF annotations, so they show up in Acrobat, Preview, browsers and other readers. Choose Flattened PDF on export if you want them permanently drawn into the page.
Can I remove or change an annotation later?
- Yes, unless you flattened the file. Open it again, select the annotation and edit or delete it.
Does it work offline after loading?
- Yes. Once a tool has loaded with a connection, the site keeps it cached and you can use it again without one. The site can also be installed as a web app from your browser.
Does it work on a phone?
- The tool loads in mobile browsers, but the editing workspace is laid out for tablet and desktop screens. On a phone it is cramped; a screen at least 1024 px wide works best.