How do I add a sticky note to a PDF page?

Open your PDF in Acrobat. Go to the 'Comment' tools. Select the 'sticky note' icon. Click on the page where you want the note to appear. Type your comment into the note box that opens.

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

Feature Description Typical Use. Text Box A simple rectangular box where you can type text directly onto the page. Adding general notes or information in a specific area. Callout A text box with an arrow or line pointing from the text to a specific part of the document. Pointing to a small detail or specific word to explain it.

Annotate PDF Pages in Adobe Acrobat — How-to & AI prompts

AI prompts

3 ways to ask · copy any one

AExecute — “help me do it”This [pages=4] inspection [report] needs quick notes for the facilities team. Add brief…+

This [pages=4] inspection [report] needs quick notes for the facilities team. Add brief comments on pages 2 and 4 highlighting the two safety violations and suggest remediation steps, then save and return the annotated PDF by [deadline=this afternoon].

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

BImprove — “do it better”The facilities manager skims and responds only to clear, actionable items. Add concise comments…+

The facilities manager skims and responds only to clear, actionable items. Add concise comments on pages 2 and 4 pointing to the two safety violations, state the proposed remedial action with an owner and [deadline], and set comment status to open so the manager can accept or resolve them without re-reading the whole report.

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

CDecide — “help me choose”The field inspector left a [pages=4] [report] noting two safety violations but the facilities…+

The field inspector left a [pages=4] [report] noting two safety violations but the facilities team argues about priority. I need to annotate the report so the manager understands severity and can act without more meetings. Help me decide which violations to mark critical versus advisory, suggest precise wording for comments that assign responsibility and a [deadline=10-business-days] target, and explain how to make the comments easy to track in a handoff email.

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

AnnotateTo add notes or comments to a document.ExampleShe will annotate the draft report with her suggestions before the team meeting.

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.
Select the 'sticky note' icon.
Click on the page where you want the note to appear.
Type your comment into the note box that opens.

Comments and markups are important because they let you give feedback or make notes without changing the original text of a PDF. This is useful for reviewing documents, collaborating with others, or just remembering your own thoughts. They create a separate layer of information that can be turned on or off, making document review clear and organized.

Yes, if you highlight text in your PDF and then save and share the file, others will be able to see your highlights. Highlights are a type of markup. They are part of the 'comments and annotations' layer. If you don't want others to see them, you need to 'flatten' or 'sanitize' the PDF before sharing. This removes the comment layer.

Feature	Description	Typical Use
Text Box	A simple rectangular box where you can type text directly onto the page.	Adding general notes or information in a specific area.
Callout	A text box with an arrow or line pointing from the text to a specific part of the document.	Pointing to a small detail or specific word to explain it.

You should sanitize a PDF to protect your privacy and ensure that only the final content is shared. When you add comments or markups, they are stored as recoverable data. If you don't sanitize the file, others can see your internal review notes, draft thoughts, or even hidden data. Sanitizing removes this extra layer of information, making sure no private details accidentally leak out in your 'final' document.

Annotate PDF Pages

When to use it

AI prompts

How to do it

Glossary

The real tasks

FAQ

Sources

Adobe help