Across my last [N=12] technical-file reviews, where does feedback fragmentation cost us the most time and errors? Show…
Open your PDF file in Adobe Acrobat.
Select the Comment tool from the right pane or toolbar.
Choose a comment tool, such as Sticky Note, Highlight, Underline, or Strikethrough.
Click or drag on the PDF where you want to add your annotation.
Type your comment or adjust the markup as needed.
To edit or delete a comment, select it in the right sidebar and use the available options.
Best practiceYou can quickly access all your comments in the right sidebar to review or modify them.
You can use keyboard shortcuts to speed up adding highlights or sticky notes while reviewing a PDF.
This runs in the Acrobat app - there is no separate API for this task.
In Acrobat, 'comments' is a general term for all feedback. 'Annotations' are a type of comment that directly marks or changes the appearance of the document, like highlighting text or drawing shapes. Other comments, like sticky notes, are separate boxes. Both help you give feedback without changing the original content of the PDF.
Comments are usually saved as a separate layer in the PDF. If the recipient's PDF viewer does not support this layer, or if the PDF was 'flattened' or 'sanitized' before sending, the comments might not be visible. Always save the PDF with comments enabled and tell recipients to use a full PDF viewer like Adobe Acrobat Reader.
If you want to suggest a change to specific text, it's best to use a highlight or strikethrough tool first to mark the text. Then, you can add a text box comment linked to that highlight. This makes it clear exactly which text you are referring to and what your suggestion is, making it easier for the reviewer to understand.
Yes, you can use drawing tools like lines, arrows, or shapes to add comments. You would do this to point to specific areas in an image, diagram, or complex layout where text comments might not be clear. For example, you can draw a circle around a part of a photo and then add a text comment explaining what needs to change in that circled area. This helps make your feedback very visual and precise.