How do I add a sticky note comment to a PDF document?

Open your PDF in Acrobat. Go to the 'Comment' tools. Select the 'Sticky Note' icon. Click on the page where you want the note. Type your comment in the note box that appears.

What is the difference between highlighting text and adding a text box comment in Acrobat?

Feature Purpose Visibility. Highlight Marks specific text for emphasis or reference. Text is colored, but no extra box appears. Text Box Adds a separate box for detailed comments or explanations. A visible box with text appears on the page.

What kinds of drawing markups can I add to a PDF using Acrobat?

Lines to point things out. Arrows to show direction. Circles or rectangles to highlight areas. Freehand drawings for custom marks. Stamps like 'Approved' or 'Draft'.

◆ Acrobat · convert

Annotations Drive Strategy

Competitor analyses often sit unread or produce vague takeaways. Propose an annotated analysis format that forces a re…

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When to use it

real situations

A team member needs to suggest changes to a report.
A student wants to highlight important parts of a study guide.
A designer needs to mark up corrections on a proof.

AI prompts

1 way to ask · copy any one

DBecome — “help me grow”Competitor analyses often sit unread or produce vague takeaways. Propose an annotated analysis…+

Competitor analyses often sit unread or produce vague takeaways. Propose an annotated analysis format that forces a recommendation: which signals to prioritise, a method to map signals to product levers, and a short executive summary template that leads with recommended moves and risks. Recommend one habit so product treats these as decision inputs, not just information.

when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed.

How to do it

the tool · the steps · what to avoid

1
Open your PDF file in Adobe Acrobat.
2
Click the Comment button in the toolbar to display the commenting tools.
3
Select the annotation tool you want to use, such as Note, Highlight, Text Box, or Draw.
4
Click on the PDF page where you want to add your comment or annotation.
5
Type your comment or draw your annotation as needed.
6
Click away from the annotation or press Escape to save your comment or annotation.

In the appWith the API

You can use multiple annotation types in one session, such as highlighting text and adding sticky notes for detailed feedback.

This runs in the Acrobat app - there is no separate API for this task.

Glossary

words on this page

FlattenTo combine all comments and layers into the main document so they cannot be easily changed or removed.ExampleAfter review, you flatten the document to make all comments a permanent part of the text.

Who does this

3 roles

EditorTeacherProject Manager

FAQ

about this task

Open your PDF in Acrobat.
Go to the 'Comment' tools.
Select the 'Sticky Note' icon.
Click on the page where you want the note.
Type your comment in the note box that appears.

Feature	Purpose	Visibility
Highlight	Marks specific text for emphasis or reference.	Text is colored, but no extra box appears.
Text Box	Adds a separate box for detailed comments or explanations.	A visible box with text appears on the page.

Comments and annotations stay separate to allow for easy review and collaboration without changing the original document. This 'layer' can be hidden, shown, or even removed later. This design helps keep the original content clean while allowing multiple people to add their feedback. It also means you can choose to share the document with or without the comments.

Yes, if you share a PDF that still has comments and markups, others will be able to see them. These are not private by default. If you want to share a 'final' version without your review notes, you must 'sanitize' or 'flatten' the PDF first. This removes the comment layer, making sure your notes do not leak.

Lines to point things out.
Arrows to show direction.
Circles or rectangles to highlight areas.
Freehand drawings for custom marks.
Stamps like 'Approved' or 'Draft'.