Annotating Documents

Mark up your PDFs with highlights, notes, drawings, and more. All annotation tools are available in the free version.

Getting Started with Annotations

To start annotating:

  1. Click the Annotate button in the toolbar, or
  2. Press H to quickly activate the highlight tool

The annotation toolbar will appear, showing all available tools.

Text Markup

Highlight

  • Select text and it will be highlighted automatically
  • Shortcut: H or ⌘H
  • Change color in the right panel or use the color menu
  • Double-click a highlight to add a note

Underline

  • Select text to underline it
  • Shortcut: ⇧⌘U
  • Useful for emphasizing without obscuring text

Strikethrough

  • Select text to strike through it
  • Shortcut: ⌘K
  • Commonly used to indicate deletions

Notes & Text

Sticky Notes

  • Click to place a note icon on the page
  • Shortcut: N
  • Click the icon to expand and edit the note
  • Notes appear in the Annotations panel

Text Box

  • Add free-form text anywhere on the page
  • Shortcut: T
  • Adjust font, size, and color in the right panel
  • Drag corners to resize

Typewriter

  • Type text directly on the page
  • No visible border (unlike text box)
  • Perfect for filling in blanks or adding labels

Drawing Tools

Pen Tool

  • Freehand drawing with your mouse or trackpad
  • Supports pressure sensitivity on Magic Trackpad
  • Adjust stroke width and color
  • Use the Eraser to remove strokes

Shapes

Available shapes:

  • Rectangle (R): Draw rectangles and squares (hold Shift for square)
  • Oval: Draw ovals and circles (hold Shift for circle)
  • Line: Draw straight lines (hold Shift for horizontal/vertical)
  • Arrow: Lines with arrow heads
  • Double Arrow: Lines with arrows on both ends

Shape Options

  • Stroke color: Outline color
  • Fill color: Interior color (can be transparent)
  • Stroke width: Line thickness
  • Opacity: Transparency level

Stamps

Add pre-made or custom stamps:

  • Standard stamps: Approved, Draft, Confidential, etc.
  • Date stamps with current date
  • Custom stamps from images

Signatures

Add your signature to documents:

  • Draw with trackpad or mouse
  • Type your name in a signature font
  • Import an image of your signature
  • Shortcut: S

Saved signatures can be reused across documents.

Editing Annotations

Select & Move

  • Press V or click the selection tool
  • Click an annotation to select it
  • Drag to move, corners to resize
  • Hold Shift to maintain aspect ratio

Change Properties

  • Select an annotation to show its properties
  • Adjust color, opacity, thickness in the right panel
  • Right-click for additional options

Delete Annotations

  • Select and press Delete or Backspace
  • Right-click and choose Delete
  • Edit → Remove All Annotations (removes all)

Copy & Paste

  • Select annotation, then ⌘C to copy
  • ⌘V to paste on same or different page
  • Works across documents

Annotation Colors

Quick color selection:

  • Yellow, Red, Green, Blue, Orange, Purple in menu
  • Custom colors via color picker
  • Recent colors are remembered

Tips

  • Use single-key shortcuts (H, N, R) for fast tool switching
  • Press Escape to deselect tool and return to reading
  • Use the Annotations panel to navigate to all annotations
  • Export annotation summary for study notes