Highlight and annotate a PDF
Highlight text and add boxes, arrows and notes to a PDF. Runs in your browser, free, no upload.
Drop a PDF here or choose a file.
PDF up to 50MB and 200 pages ยท Password-protected PDFs must be unlocked first
Upload a PDF and the highlighter is already selected. Drag over what you want to mark, add boxes, circles, arrows and notes, then click Download.
What to do next
How it works
Drag over the area you want to highlight. Drag to size rectangles and circles, and drag from start to end for lines and arrows. Pick Note and click the page for a yellow note box, then type the content in the field at the top. Checkmarks go where you click.
If you make a mistake, click Undo, or select the item and remove it with the trash button or the Delete key.
Things to know
Highlights and shapes are drawn as vector lines in the PDF, so they stay sharp when zoomed. Note text is stored as an image and cannot be searched. The marked-up file is saved under a different name than the original, so keep both.
Frequently asked questions
Does the highlighter hide the text?
No. It uses a translucent color with multiply blending, so the text underneath stays readable. Colors: yellow, green, pink and light blue.
Do notes show up as PDF viewer comments?
No. Instead of comment annotations, which look different in every viewer, a yellow note box is drawn on the page. It looks the same in any program, but it does not appear in a comments list.
Can I select or search the text I add later?
No. To keep the file small, text is added as a high-resolution image instead of an embedded font. It looks sharp on screen and in print, but it cannot be selected or searched.
Does my file get uploaded to a server?
No. Opening, editing and saving all happen inside this browser. The file is never sent over the network, and it is gone when you close the page, so click Download to keep it.