How do I add comments to a PDF document in Acrobat?

Open your PDF in Acrobat. Go to the 'Comment' tools. Choose a tool like 'sticky note' or 'highlight'. Click on the document where you want to add the comment or mark. Type your note or apply the highlight. This helps you point out specific areas for review.

What is the difference between highlighting text and adding a sticky note in Acrobat?

Feature Purpose Visibility. Highlight Text To mark specific text as important or needing review. Changes the background color of the text, making it stand out. Sticky Note To add a longer comment or question at a specific point. Appears as a small icon; clicking it opens a text box with your note.

Identify Deviations in Adobe Acrobat — How-to & AI prompts

AI prompts

2 ways to ask · copy any one

AExecute — “help me do it”Compare the contractor shop drawing PDF to the approved design set, generate a comparison…+

Compare the contractor shop drawing PDF to the approved design set, generate a comparison report highlighting differences, add comments on critical deviations, and save the annotated file for the review meeting with the contractor.

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

BImprove — “do it better”Before the review meeting, run a page-by-page compare, extract a summary of all deviations…+

Before the review meeting, run a page-by-page compare, extract a summary of all deviations sorted by severity, annotate proposed remedial actions against each deviation, and prepare a cover memo that tells the contractor exactly which drawings they must revise to avoid rework on site.

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

SanitizeTo remove sensitive or private information from a document before sharing it.ExampleRemember to sanitize the document by redacting personal details before sharing it publicly.

Who does this

3 roles

EditorTeacherProject Manager

FAQ

about this task

Open your PDF in Acrobat.
Go to the 'Comment' tools.
Choose a tool like 'sticky note' or 'highlight'.
Click on the document where you want to add the comment or mark.
Type your note or apply the highlight.
This helps you point out specific areas for review.

Comments and Annotations are features in Acrobat that let you add notes, highlights, and drawings to a PDF. They are like digital sticky notes or a marker on a paper document. This helps you give feedback or mark important parts of a file without changing the original text.

Yes, if you share a PDF that still has comments and annotations, others will likely see them. Comments are a separate layer of data. To prevent this, you must 'flatten' or 'sanitize' the PDF before sharing. Flattening merges the comments into the document, while sanitizing removes them completely. Always check under 'Protect > Sanitize' to make sure your review notes do not leak.

It is important to sanitize comments to protect your privacy and the document's final appearance. Comments often contain review notes, questions, or internal discussions that are not meant for the final audience. Sanitizing removes this hidden data, ensuring that only the intended content is shared and preventing any sensitive information from leaking.

Feature	Purpose	Visibility
Highlight Text	To mark specific text as important or needing review.	Changes the background color of the text, making it stand out.
Sticky Note	To add a longer comment or question at a specific point.	Appears as a small icon; clicking it opens a text box with your note.

Identify Deviations

When to use it

AI prompts

How to do it

Glossary

The real tasks

Who does this

FAQ

Sources

Adobe help