I have a competitor's proposal from last week and need to annotate margin risks before the pricing call this afternoon…
Open your PDF file in Adobe Acrobat.
Click the Comment button in the toolbar to display the commenting tools.
Select the annotation tool you want to use, such as Note, Highlight, Text Box, or Draw.
Click on the PDF page where you want to add your comment or annotation.
Type your comment or draw your annotation as needed.
Click away from the annotation or press Escape to save your comment or annotation.
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.
Highlighting text simply changes the background color of existing text, making it stand out. It's good for drawing attention to specific words or phrases. A text box, however, lets you add new text anywhere on the page, separate from the original document content. Use it for longer explanations or questions that don't fit as a simple highlight.
It's important because comments and markups are saved as a separate layer in the PDF. If you don't flatten or sanitize, others can still see your review notes, which might contain sensitive information or internal discussions. Sanitizing removes these layers completely, ensuring that only the final, clean document is shared and preventing any accidental information leaks.
Yes, even on a scanned document, you can use annotation tools like drawing markup in Adobe Acrobat. These tools work by adding a new layer on top of the visible content, whether it's selectable text or a scanned image. You can draw circles, arrows, or other shapes to highlight areas on the scanned image, just like you would on a regular PDF.