How to annotate a PDF online and collect feedback from others

There are two quite different reasons to annotate a PDF. Sometimes you just want to mark something up yourself, such as circling a figure or highlighting a sentence, and send it on. Other times you need feedback from several people on the same document, and the hard part isn’t drawing, it’s keeping everyone’s comments together. This guide covers both.

If you just need to mark it up yourself

For a quick one-off, the PDF viewer you already have may be enough. Many desktop PDF apps, and the preview apps built into operating systems, include basic tools to highlight text, draw shapes and add notes. Save the file, and the annotations travel with it.

If you need to share a single page as an image, for example in a chat or a ticket, convert it first. Our free PDF to PNG and PDF to JPG tools turn every page into an image in your browser, and the image annotator lets you add arrows, boxes and numbered pins before you send it.

Illustration of a PDF being turned into one PNG image per page — Turn PDF pages into images in your browser when you only need to share one page.

If you need feedback from other people

This is where most PDF reviews go wrong. You email the file to three people, each one annotates their own copy, and you get three PDFs back with overlapping and sometimes contradictory notes. Then someone has to merge them.

A better approach is to put one copy online and have everyone comment on it:

Upload the PDF once. In edits.io, drag it onto your dashboard.
Share one link. Reviewers open it in their browser. There’s nothing to install and no account to create; they just add their name.
Click to comment. Reviewers move through the pages and click where they want to leave a note. Each comment is pinned to its spot and saved with its page number.
Reply and resolve. Discuss each comment in its thread, and mark it resolved once the change is made.

Everyone sees each other’s comments, so you get fewer duplicates and contradictions show up straight away.

A PDF page with a numbered comment pinned to a chart, saved against page 3 — In a shared copy, each comment is pinned to its spot and saved with its page number.

How to write PDF comments people can act on

One issue per comment. “Fix the chart and the heading and check the date” becomes three separate jobs that are easy to lose track of. Split them up.
Point at the exact spot. A pin on the figure beats “page 4, the second chart”.
Say why. “These are Q2 numbers; we need Q3” is more useful than “wrong chart”.
Suggest replacement text. For copy changes, write the new wording rather than describing what you want.

Common PDF review situations

Reports and proposals

Ask reviewers to focus on accuracy first (figures, names, dates), then clarity. Assign one person to approve the final version.

Print proofs

Check spelling, prices, phone numbers and legal text on the final proof, because those are the costly mistakes once something is printed. Get the sign-off in writing; our final approval email template helps.

Slide decks exported to PDF

Reviewing a PDF export lets people comment without needing the presentation software. Comment on individual slides by page.

Summary

For quick personal markup, your existing PDF viewer is often enough.
To share a page as an image, convert it and annotate the image.
For feedback from several people, use one shared copy so all comments live together.
Keep comments to one issue each, pinned to the exact spot, with a reason.

Try edits.io free for your next PDF review. The free plan includes 10 projects.