1. Open your PDF
Drag a PDF into the box above or pick one from your device. It opens page by page, right in your browser.
Annotate a PDF Online,
Free and Private
Just looking?
Select text to highlight it. Use two fingers to zoom or scroll.
This page has no selectable text. Use the pen, arrow, box or text tool to mark it up.
Text selected
Only nearby pages are rendered.
Annotations on this page 0
✓ No upload✓ Original text preserved✓ No watermark
Annotate a PDF without uploading it
Contracts, invoices and internal reports should stay where you put them. Open your file, add your notes and download it — free, with no account and no file sent to a server.
How to annotate a PDF
2. Add your annotations
Highlight text, draw an arrow, add a comment or place a signature. Zoom in when you need to mark a small detail.
3. Download the annotated PDF
Save your marked-up file. The original pages and text layer stay intact, so the text is still selectable and searchable.
What you can add to a PDF
Highlight and strikethrough
Select a passage to highlight it or strike it through. The original words stay in the document.
Comments and notes
Leave a note beside a clause, figure or question. Comments travel with the downloaded PDF.
Freehand drawing and arrows
Point to the detail that matters. Pen marks, arrows and boxes also work on scanned pages without a text layer.
Text boxes and stamps
Add a short label or mark a page DRAFT, REVIEW or APPROVED. Your additions sit on top of the original page.
Signatures
Draw your signature and place it on a page. This adds a handwritten mark, not a digital certificate.
Your PDF keeps its text
Highlights and drawings are added to the original pages. The downloaded PDF keeps its existing text layer, links and form fields. You can still select, copy and search the original words. A scanned PDF stays a scanned PDF; this tool does not add a text layer to a scan.
Annotate in Chrome, without an extension
Open this page in Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari. There is no app to install, no extension to grant access to your files, and no daily quota. Large files are limited by your device: up to 30 MB and 200 pages on phones, or 100 MB and 1,000 pages on desktop.
More annotation tools
Working with a picture? Annotate an image. Need just a pointer? Add an arrow to an image. For screen grabs, see annotate a screenshot.
FAQ
What does it mean to annotate a PDF?
To add notes, highlights, drawings or comments on top of the pages without changing the original text. The annotations travel with the file.
Can I annotate a PDF for free?
Yes. Opening, annotating and downloading are free, with no watermark, no sign-up and no daily limit. Device memory limits apply to very large files.
Is my PDF uploaded to a server?
No. It opens in your browser tab and stays on your device. No file bytes are sent to a server, including when you annotate and download.
Does annotating a PDF change the original text?
No. The text layer is left alone — highlights and drawings are added on top, and the text stays selectable and searchable after download.
Can I annotate a scanned PDF?
Yes. A scanned PDF has no text layer, so text highlighting will not work, but the freehand pen, shapes, arrows and text boxes work on any page.
Can I annotate a PDF in Chrome?
Yes — this page runs in Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari, with no extension and no desktop app.
What if my PDF is password protected?
You will be asked for the password before it opens. Files with restrictions that block annotation cannot be annotated here. An opening password is kept on the downloaded copy.
Can I annotate a PDF on my phone?
Yes, in mobile Safari and Chrome. Pinch to zoom in for small text, then draw with one finger. On phones, choose a file up to 30 MB and 200 pages.
Can I convert an annotated PDF page to an image?
Yes. Use Open page as image to send the current page to the image annotator locally, then export a PNG. You can also download the current page as a PNG here.
How is annotation different from changing a PDF?
Annotation adds notes and marks on top of the existing pages. This page leaves the original content, page order, links and form fields intact.