How to Annotate a PDF for Free (2026 Guide)

Need to mark up a PDF? Annotations let you highlight important text, add notes, and draw attention to key areas without altering the original content. Here's how to annotate any PDF for free.

Types of PDF Annotations

PDF annotation tools typically include:

• Highlighting — Mark important text with color
• Underlining — Emphasize key phrases
• Strikethrough — Indicate text to be removed
• Text notes — Add comments and explanations
• Drawing — Freehand marks, arrows, and shapes
• Stamps — Add "Approved," "Draft," or custom stamps

Why Annotate PDFs?

• Document review — Provide feedback on drafts
• Study and research — Highlight key findings
• Collaboration — Share marked-up documents with teams
• Legal review — Mark sections that need attention
• Teaching — Annotate materials for students
• Personal reference — Mark important sections for later

How to Annotate a PDF: Step-by-Step

Step 1: Upload Your PDF

Go to EditPDFs.app and upload the PDF you want to annotate.

Step 2: Choose Your Annotation Tool

Select the tool you need — highlighter, drawing tool, text tool, etc. — from the toolbar.

Step 3: Apply Annotations

Click or drag on the document to add your annotations. Use different colors to categorize different types of notes.

Step 4: Download Annotated PDF

Save your annotated document. All annotations are embedded in the PDF and will be visible in any PDF reader.

Annotation Best Practices

Use Colors Consistently

Create a system: yellow for important points, red for concerns, green for approvals. Consistent color coding makes annotations easier to understand.

Be Specific with Notes

When adding text notes, be clear and specific. Instead of "fix this," write "update the date to 2026."

Don't Over-Annotate

If everything is highlighted, nothing stands out. Be selective about what you mark to keep annotations meaningful.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it free to annotate PDFs?

Yes, completely free with no limits.

Will others see my annotations?

Annotations are embedded in the PDF you download. Anyone you share the file with will see them in their PDF viewer.

Can I remove annotations later?

Before downloading, yes. After downloading, you can re-upload and edit, but some annotations become permanent layers.

Can I annotate scanned documents?

Yes! You can add annotations on top of any PDF, including scanned documents.