Add Notes to PDF

Runs in browser PDF Editing & Annotation

Review a document the way Acrobat does: place a comment icon, write the note, and every PDF reader will show it in the comments panel with your name and the date. Combine with highlights for a full review.

Privacy: Processed locally in your browser. Your file is not uploaded.

What is a PDF annotation, and why does whiting-out text not remove it?

An annotation is an object attached to a page on top of its content: highlights, underlines, strike-throughs, sticky notes, free text, ink drawings, shapes, stamps and signature fields are all annotation types defined in ISO 32000, stored in the page's /Annots array and editable or removable later. Flattening draws them permanently into the page content. The PDF editor on this site keeps only highlights, underlines, strike-throughs (unless you choose to flatten them) and sticky notes as annotations; the text, drawings, shapes, stamps and signature images it adds are written straight into the page content and are permanent. A white rectangle drawn over text is exactly that — a shape on top — so the text beneath still exists, copies and searches; only redaction, which deletes the underlying content, removes it.

Security note: Covering text with a shape is not redaction: the hidden text remains in the file and can be selected, extracted or found by search. Use a redaction tool that removes content, then check the result by searching for the removed text.

Read the guide: How to Edit a PDF Without Uploading It

How to use Add Notes to PDF

  1. Drop a PDF.
  2. Click where the note should sit and type the comment.
  3. Optionally type your name in the author field.
  4. Click "Save PDF" and download.

Add Notes to PDF features

  • Click to place a comment icon
  • Comment text and author
  • Standard Text annotations with an appearance every reader shows
  • Highlight and text on the same toolbar
  • Move or delete notes
  • Local processing

Add Notes to PDF example

Review comments for a colleague

Input:

Four notes on pages 1–3, author "Sara"

Output:

proposal-notes.pdf — four /Text annotations (Comment icon) listed in the reader’s comments panel

Frequently asked questions about Add Notes to PDF

Will the notes show in Acrobat, Preview and Chrome?

Yes. They are written as standard Text annotations with an appearance, an author and a timestamp, which is exactly what those readers list as comments.

Can the recipient reply to or delete a note?

Yes — that is the point of an annotation. If the note must be permanent, add it as text with Add Text to PDF instead.

Is my name stored in the file?

Only if you type it in the author field; otherwise the note is attributed to "Mutqan Tools". Nothing else about you is written into the file.

Is my PDF uploaded to a server?

No. The file is opened and processed by your browser with WebAssembly and JavaScript; nothing is sent to Mutqan Soft or anyone else. Close the tab and the file is gone. Downloading the result needs a free account — no subscription, no payment.

Can I use it on a password-protected PDF?

Yes, if you know the password: the file list asks for it once and every operation then works on the decrypted pages. The output is saved without a password unless you protect it again.

Technical notes

Each note is a /Text annotation with /Name /Comment, /Contents, /T (author), /M (date), /CA and a small drawn appearance stream, so the icon looks the same in every viewer.

References