Annotate PDF Online Free
Annotate PDF online free, without installing anything. Highlight what matters, draw on it, point at it with an arrow, or leave a note for whoever reads it next. The marks are saved as real PDF notes, so anyone opening the file can click them, reply to them or take them off. Everything happens in your browser, so your file is never uploaded.
- Free, no sign-up
- Files never leave your device
- Up to 100 MB per file
Drop a PDF file here
or
Up to 100 MB per file. Your files stay on your device.
Your file stays on your device. Nothing is uploaded.
What next
- Sending the file back for changes? Say in your message how many notes you left, so none is missed.
- When the revised version comes back, Compare two PDFs shows what changed since the file you marked up.
How to annotate a PDF online
- 1
Click “Choose a PDF file” or drag your PDF into the box.
- 2
Pick a marking tool and a colour.
- 3
Drag on the page to make your mark, and move between pages as you go.
- 4
Press “Save marked PDF”, then download your file.
When you would use it
Reviewing a colleague’s draft: highlight what matters, question a sentence, suggest the change in a note.
Marking up a plan or a drawing with arrows and boxes before sending it back to whoever drew it.
Studying from a textbook chapter: highlights for the important parts, notes for what to revise.
Pointing out what needs fixing on a scanned document, where the text itself cannot be edited.
What to expect
Marks are saved as real PDF annotations, so whoever opens the file can click a note, read it, move it or take it off — they are not painted into the page.
The highlighter draws over the page so the words stay readable underneath. On a scan it highlights an area rather than words, because there are no words to select.
To make sure nobody moves or removes your marks, press them into the page with Flatten PDF.
Arabic text in a note is stored so that readers show it correctly, joined and in the right direction.
This is marking up, not a review system: there are no reply threads, no versions and no record of who wrote what across a team.
Frequently asked questions
Can I highlight a PDF online for free?
Yes. No sign-up, no daily limit, and no watermark on your file.
Is my file uploaded?
No. The marks are added inside your browser, on your device. Your PDF is never sent to us or anyone else.
Can the marks be removed afterwards?
Yes, unless you make them permanent. They are saved as ordinary PDF notes, so any reader can select one and delete it, or reply to it. That is the point of marking up rather than drawing on.
Will the marks show in every PDF reader?
Yes. Each mark carries a drawing of its own, so readers show the same thing rather than each drawing its own idea of a highlight. They print, too.
Does the highlighter hide the text?
No. It is mixed into the page the way a marker pen works on paper, so the words stay readable through the colour.
Do notes work in Arabic?
Yes. A note is stored as text rather than as a picture, so Arabic is kept exactly as you typed it and your reader shows it properly, joined and from the right.
Can I mark several pages?
Yes. Move between pages with the arrows under the page, and everything you have marked is listed underneath with the page it is on.
What does “make the marks permanent” do?
It draws the marks into the page itself, so nobody can move or remove them. Use it when you are sending the file out and the marks matter. It cannot be undone, so keep your own copy.
Can I highlight by selecting words, like in a reader?
Not yet. You draw the highlight over the words instead, which works on scanned pages too, where there is no text to select.
Why can’t I open my password-protected PDF?
Protected files are encrypted, so nothing can be added to them. Remove the password first, then open the file again.