How to add notes, comments and remarks to a PDF

▶ 1. Sticky note, comment or fixed text?

Before annotating it is worth deciding what should become of your addition: that is the difference between a temporary remark and a permanent change to the document.

• ✓ Sticky note — a clickable icon that opens a box with your text: it takes up no room on the page and can be removed when no longer needed.
• ✓ Comment — like a note, but built for reviewing: it carries an author, a subject and a status.
• ✓ Fixed text — a proper text box that becomes part of the document and is printed like everything else.

The first two are what you need for re-reading and flagging corrections; the third is for adding information that has to stay in the document.

📝 2. Adding a sticky note

This is the quickest way to leave a reminder without altering the layout of the page.

1. Install the extension from the download page and open the PDF with Choose a PDF.
2. Go into Annotations and comments.
3. As Annotation type choose Sticky note.
4. Click the spot on the page the remark refers to and write your text.
5. Adjust the colour to tell different kinds of note apart, and click Download PDF when you are done.

💬 3. Comments for multi-hand reviews

When a document passes between several people, an unsigned comment only creates confusion: who wrote it? has it already been dealt with?

1. Fill in the author field: whoever reads after you will know who to ask.
2. Use the subject as a short title for the remark, so the topic is clear without opening everything.
3. Write in the comment what is wrong and what you suggest: a remark that also points to the solution saves a round of review.
4. Once a remark has been handled, mark it as resolved rather than deleting it: the record of the decision stays.

▣ 4. Shapes and marks

Some remarks are explained better with a graphic mark than with a sentence.

1. Rectangle and circle to enclose an area, a table or an image.
2. Check and cross to approve or reject a point immediately.
3. Highlighter to mark portions of text: the topic is covered in depth in the guide on how to highlight a PDF.
4. Adjust colour and Opacity % so the mark stays readable without covering the content.

＋ 5. Notes that stay in the document

If the addition has to be read by anyone who opens the file, printouts included, it is not an annotation: it is text.

1. From the Insert bar choose Add text.
2. Draw the box in the right spot and write your content.
3. Set font, size and colour; a background colour helps tell the addition from the original text.
4. For more detail, see the guide on how to edit the text of a PDF.

📤 6. Sharing the annotated document

Before sending the file, two checks prevent misunderstandings.

1. Check the Print annotation option: it decides whether the notes also appear on the paper copy.
2. Read your comments again and remove the ones that were only reminders for yourself.
3. If the document contains confidential remarks, consider Password protection or clear the comments from Privacy cleanup before sharing it outside.
4. If the file is heavy, make it lighter following the guide on how to compress a PDF.

? 7. Frequently asked questions

The questions that come up most often on this topic.