How do I add a sticky note comment to a PDF in Acrobat?

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

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

Feature Purpose Visibility. Highlighting Marks specific text with color to draw attention to it. It's quick for emphasizing key phrases. Changes the background color of the text, making it directly visible on the page. Text Box Comment Adds a separate box with custom text, useful for longer explanations or questions about a section. Appears as a box on the page, often with an arrow pointing to the relevant area, separate from the main text.

What types of drawing markup tools are available in Acrobat for annotations?

Lines and arrows: To point to specific areas or connect ideas. Shapes (rectangles, circles): To highlight sections or objects. Freehand drawing: To draw custom shapes or signatures. Cloud tool: To draw attention to complex areas or changes.

Annotate And Clean Up in Adobe Acrobat — How-to & AI prompts

AI prompts

2 ways to ask · copy any one

BImprove — “do it better”The [stakeholder] will only read the executive summary and pricing. Create a single binder with…+

The [stakeholder] will only read the executive summary and pricing. Create a single binder with the executive summary front and center, a clear table of contents, price pages immediately after, and appendices as separate attachments. Ensure all internal revision marks are flattened and note any missing pages before finalizing.

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

CDecide — “help me choose”The [steering committee] will reject anything that hides pricing or inconsistent versions.…+

The [steering committee] will reject anything that hides pricing or inconsistent versions. Review the ten [PDFs] I uploaded, reconcile duplicate sections, recommend a final order that surfaces the summary and pricing first, separate appendices into individual files, and produce the merged binder plus the separate appendix files. Identify any content gaps or conflicting versions and advise whether to delay distribution until they’re resolved.

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

AnnotationAn annotation is a note or mark added to a document, like a highlight or a stamp, without changing the original text.ExampleHe added an annotation to the PDF, circling a key sentence and adding a question mark.

MarkupHighlighting, underlining, or drawing on a PDF to show what is important.ExampleYou use the markup tool to highlight key sentences in the report.

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.

FAQ

about this task

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

Feature	Purpose	Visibility
Highlighting	Marks specific text with color to draw attention to it. It's quick for emphasizing key phrases.	Changes the background color of the text, making it directly visible on the page.
Text Box Comment	Adds a separate box with custom text, useful for longer explanations or questions about a section.	Appears as a box on the page, often with an arrow pointing to the relevant area, separate from the main text.

It is important to flatten or sanitize comments because they are stored on a separate layer in the PDF. This means that even if they appear hidden, the original review notes and feedback can still be recovered. Sanitizing removes this hidden data, preventing sensitive or unwanted comments from being accidentally seen by others when you share the 'final' file, ensuring your document is clean and professional.

When many people are reviewing a document together, reaction emojis can help a lot. They let you give quick feedback without writing a full comment. For example, you can use a 'thumbs up' emoji to agree with a point or a 'question mark' emoji if you are confused. This makes shared reviews faster and clearer for everyone involved, helping to quickly see general agreement or areas needing more discussion.

Lines and arrows: To point to specific areas or connect ideas.
Shapes (rectangles, circles): To highlight sections or objects.
Freehand drawing: To draw custom shapes or signatures.
Cloud tool: To draw attention to complex areas or changes.

Annotate And Clean Up

When to use it

AI prompts

How to do it

Glossary

The real tasks

FAQ

Sources

Adobe help