Add arrows, markers, highlights, text and shapes — no upload, no software required
Enter — new line · Ctrl+Enter — confirm
Annotate any PDF directly in your browser — no Adobe Acrobat, no software to install, no upload. Add arrows, draw freehand lines, write text notes, highlight passages, or erase mistakes. Works on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and iOS.
You can verify this yourself: open your browser's DevTools → Network tab while working on your PDF — you should not see your file being uploaded to a remote server at any point.
| If you need to… | Use |
|---|---|
| Circle or underline an error | ✏️ Pen or ⬭ Oval |
| Point to a specific location on the page | → Arrow |
| Highlight a paragraph or passage | 🖊 Highlight |
| Frame or draw attention to an area | ▭ Rectangle |
| Add a text comment or label | T Text tool |
| Draw a freehand sketch or signature | ✍ Pen or 🖊 Marker |
| Remove something you drew | ⌫ Eraser — or Undo (Ctrl+Z) |
| Permanently hide sensitive content before sharing | → Use Redact PDF instead — drawing over content does not remove it |
The PDF renders page by page in the canvas editor — nothing is uploaded to any server.
Choose from pen, arrow, line, rectangle, oval, highlight, text or eraser. Each tool has adjustable colour and size.
All annotations are non-destructive until you save. Navigate between pages with the arrows below the canvas.
Annotations are flattened into the PDF and downloaded instantly. The original file on your device is unchanged.
Visual instructions: Add numbered arrows to screenshots or technical diagrams to guide readers step by step without rewriting the document.
Document review: Circle errors, draw lines to connect related sections, or write margin notes before handing a draft back to a colleague.
Education: Teachers and students can mark up lecture slides, highlight exam questions, or annotate scientific figures directly on the PDF.
Design feedback: Draw on PDF mockups to indicate layout changes, point out spacing issues, or sketch alternative ideas — no design software needed.
No. PDFree renders and annotates your PDF entirely in your browser. Your file is never uploaded to any server — not even temporarily.
Flattening merges your drawings permanently into the PDF page. After downloading, annotations cannot be separately selected, moved, or deleted — they become part of the page itself. This ensures every PDF reader displays them correctly. If you need to keep annotations editable, keep a backup copy of the original before downloading.
PDFree Draw includes pen, marker, arrow, line, rectangle, oval, highlight, text tool, and eraser. Each tool has adjustable color and stroke size.
Yes. PDFree Draw runs entirely in your browser — no software installation required. Open the page in Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge and start annotating immediately. Works on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and iOS.
Yes. You can annotate every page of a multi-page PDF and download the result as a single annotated document.
Yes. Annotations are flattened into the PDF on download, so they appear identically in Adobe Acrobat, Chrome, Preview (macOS), and any standard PDF viewer.
Reduce file size after annotations — drawings increase file size
Add a password before sharing the annotated document
Combine annotated pages with other documents
Permanently black out content instead of drawing over it