๐๏ธ PDF Annotate
PDF Annotate adds highlights, underlines and text notes to a PDF in your browser: drag across text to mark it, click to place a note, and pick your highlight color. The marks are drawn into the output file, so any PDF viewer shows them. Password-protected PDFs must be unlocked first. The document never leaves your device.
- PriceFree, no signup
- MarksHighlight, underline, note
- UploadNever โ local
- OutputAnnotated PDF
Choosing the right mark
| Review need | Mark to use | Behavior |
|---|---|---|
| Key passage in a contract | Highlight (pick a color) | Drawn onto the page |
| Clause to revisit later | Underline | Lighter than a highlight |
| Question for a co-author | Text note | Your words appear where you click |
| Marking several pages | Page navigation | Annotate page by page |
| Encrypted bank-statement PDF | Tool refuses it | Unlock first, then annotate |
| Editable comments in Acrobat | Not what this does | Marks are flattened into pages |
Detailed User Guide
Add text, highlights, and drawings
The annotate tool lets you overlay text notes, highlights, and freehand marks onto PDF pages. It is designed for quick feedback and review rather than full document editing.
Annotations are baked into the output
Your marks are rendered onto the page when you export, so they appear in any viewer. Keep the original if you want the option to remove them later.
Great for review cycles and approvals
Circle a clause, add a note, or highlight a figure before sending a document back to a colleague โ all without leaving the browser.
Works locally on your own files
The PDF is processed in-browser, so confidential contracts and drafts never leave your machine.
Password-protected files need unlocking
Encrypted PDFs cannot be annotated here; unlock them first with the dedicated tool.
Choose the right mark for the job
Highlights suit long passages you want to flag for later reading, while underlines work better for a single key clause or figure you need to point out. Text notes carry the most context, so reserve them for explanations a mark alone cannot convey โ for example, why a number in a contract draft should change or what a reviewer should double-check before approving.
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Frequently Asked Questions
PDF Annotate: Add highlights, underlines, and notes
PDF Annotate lets you add highlights, underlines, and notes. Upload a PDF and get an annotated PDF โ all processed locally in your browser, with no uploads and no sign-up.
Highlight key passages in study material
Highlight key passages in study material. This is one of the most common reasons people reach for PDF Annotate โ and it handles the job in seconds, entirely in your browser.
Underline important contract clauses
Underline important contract clauses. This is one of the most common reasons people reach for PDF Annotate โ and it handles the job in seconds, entirely in your browser.
Add review notes to documents
Add review notes to documents. This is one of the most common reasons people reach for PDF Annotate โ and it handles the job in seconds, entirely in your browser.
Everything You Need in a PDF Annotate
Powerful features that make PDF Annotate fast, private, and free.
Instant Processing
PDFs are processed in your browser the moment you upload.
100% Private
Your PDFs never leave your device โ no server uploads.
Text-Based Output
Conversions produce real, searchable, selectable text.
All-in-One PDF Suite
Merge, split, edit, annotate, convert โ 25+ PDF tools.
Free Forever
No sign-up, no watermarks, no page limits.
Cross-Platform
Works on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android.
How to Use
Upload the PDF
Add the document you want to mark up.
Add your annotations
Overlay text notes, highlights, and freehand marks onto the pages. Circle a clause or highlight a figure as needed.
Review the annotations
Check that each mark is placed where you intend before exporting.
Download the annotated PDF
Save the output โ your annotations are baked onto the pages so they appear in any viewer.