Skip to content

Read & Annotate PDFs

Tool ID: read

The Read & Annotate tool is Stirling-PDF V2's interactive PDF viewer and annotation system. Read PDFs directly in your browser while adding comments, highlights, drawings, and other markup - all without leaving the application.

:::tip V2.0 Feature Built with EmbedPDF, an advanced open-source PDF viewer, the Read tool provides a fluid reading and annotation experience with full support for PDF standards. :::

What is Read & Annotate?

Read & Annotate is a full-featured PDF viewer that lets you: - Read PDFs in a clean, focused interface - Add annotations, comments, and notes - Highlight and markup text - Draw freehand on pages - Add shapes, arrows, and callouts - Insert text boxes and sticky notes - Collaborate by marking up documents - Save annotated PDFs for sharing

Think of it as your digital PDF notepad - read, review, and mark up documents all in one place.

Key Features

📖 Full PDF Viewer

Professional reading experience: - Smooth page scrolling - Zoom in/out controls - Full-screen mode - Page thumbnails for navigation - Search within document - Bookmarks and table of contents - Print from browser

✏️ Text Annotations

Mark up text with ease: - Highlight - Yellow, green, pink, blue highlighters - Underline - Emphasize important text - Strikethrough - Mark text for removal - Text Notes - Add comments anywhere - Sticky Notes - Floating note boxes

🎨 Drawing Tools

Freehand markup capabilities: - Pen/Pencil - Draw freehand - Highlighter - Freehand highlighting - Eraser - Remove drawn annotations - Colors - Full color palette - Line Width - Adjustable thickness - Opacity - Control transparency

📐 Shape Tools

Add structured markup: - Lines - Straight lines and arrows - Rectangles - Boxes and frames - Circles/Ellipses - Round shapes - Arrows - Directional indicators - Callouts - Speech bubbles for comments - Stamps - Pre-made approval stamps

💬 Comments and Notes

Collaborative features: - Text Comments - Add detailed feedback - Reply Threads - Respond to annotations - Author Attribution - Track who added what - Timestamp - See when added - Comment Panel - List all comments

💾 Save and Export

Keep your work: - Save Annotations - Embedded in PDF - Download - Get annotated PDF - Standard Format - Compatible with other PDF readers - Preserve Original - Keep original unchanged option

How to Use Read & Annotate

Opening a PDF

  1. Navigate to Read Tool
  2. Click "Read" from home page (Recommended Tools)

  3. Or select from tools menu

  4. Upload Your PDF

  5. Drag and drop PDF into viewer
  6. Or click to browse and select file

  7. PDF opens in reading mode

  8. Start Reading

  9. Scroll through pages
  10. Use zoom controls as needed
  11. Navigate with thumbnail panel

Annotation Tools Guide

Highlighting Text

How to highlight: 1. Click the Highlight tool in toolbar 2. Select highlight color (yellow, green, pink, blue) 3. Click and drag over text you want to highlight 4. Release to apply 5. Highlight appears immediately

Tips: - Hold Shift to highlight across multiple lines - Double-click to highlight entire word - Triple-click to highlight entire paragraph - Change color by clicking highlighted text

Adding Comments

How to add comments: 1. Click the Comment/Note tool 2. Click where you want to add comment 3. Type your comment in the popup box 4. Click "Save" or press Enter 5. Comment icon appears on page

Comment Features: - Edit: Click comment icon to edit text - Delete: Right-click → Delete - Move: Drag comment icon to reposition - Reply: Click to add threaded replies - Color-Code: Assign colors to organize

Drawing Freehand

How to draw: 1. Select Pen/Pencil tool from toolbar 2. Choose color and line thickness 3. Click and drag to draw on page 4. Release when finished 5. Repeat for additional drawings

Drawing Controls: - Undo: Use undo button to undo last stroke - Eraser: Switch to eraser to remove parts - Opacity: Adjust for transparent overlay - Smooth: Lines auto-smoothed for clean look

Adding Shapes

How to add shapes: 1. Select shape tool (Rectangle, Circle, Arrow, etc.) 2. Choose border color and fill 3. Click and drag to create shape 4. Release to place 5. Drag handles to resize

Shape Options: - Border: Color and thickness - Fill: Solid color or transparent - Style: Solid, dashed, or dotted lines - Resize: Drag corner handles - Rotate: Rotate handle for angles

Text Boxes

How to add text boxes: 1. Select Text Box tool 2. Click where you want text 3. Type your text 4. Adjust font, size, and color 5. Click outside box when done

Text Formatting: - Font: Choose from available fonts - Size: Adjust text size - Color: Any color for text - Alignment: Left, center, right - Bold/Italic: Style options

Page Navigation

  • Scroll: Mouse wheel or trackpad
  • Arrow Keys: Up/down for pages
  • Page Numbers: Jump to specific page
  • Thumbnails: Click thumbnail to jump
  • Bookmarks: Use PDF bookmarks if present

Zoom Controls

  • Zoom In: + button or Ctrl/Cmd++
  • Zoom Out: - button or Ctrl/Cmd+-
  • Fit Width: Fit page width to screen
  • Fit Height: Fit page height to screen
  • Actual Size: 100% zoom
  • Custom: Enter specific percentage

View Modes

  • Single Page: One page at a time
  • Continuous: Scrolling multiple pages
  • Two-Page Spread: Side-by-side pages
  • Full Screen: Distraction-free reading
  • Presentation: Slideshow mode

Collaboration Features

Multi-User Annotations

When multiple people review the same document: - Author Names: Each annotation shows who created it - Timestamps: See when annotations were added - Color Coding: Assign colors to different reviewers - Thread Comments: Reply to others' comments - Version Tracking: Compare different annotated versions

Sharing Annotated PDFs

Your annotations are embedded in standard PDF format: - ✅ Compatible: Opens in Adobe Acrobat, Foxit, etc. - ✅ Preserved: Annotations travel with the file - ✅ Editable: Others can add more annotations - ✅ Professional: Standard PDF annotation format

Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut Action
Arrow Keys Navigate pages
Page Up/Down Jump pages
Home First page
End Last page
Ctrl/Cmd + F Find/Search

Zoom

Shortcut Action
Ctrl/Cmd + + Zoom in
Ctrl/Cmd + - Zoom out
Ctrl/Cmd + 0 Reset zoom
Ctrl/Cmd + Mouse Wheel Zoom in/out

Tools

Shortcut Action
Ctrl/Cmd + Z Undo annotation
Ctrl/Cmd + Y Redo annotation
H Highlight tool
T Text tool
P Pen tool
Delete Remove selected annotation

View

Shortcut Action
F11 Full screen
Esc Exit full screen
Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + T Toggle thumbnails

Annotation Properties

Customization Options

Every annotation can be customized: - Color: Choose from full color palette - Opacity: Make transparent or opaque - Border Width: Thick or thin lines - Font: Text annotation font styles - Author: Set your name for attribution - Date: Timestamp of creation

Editing Annotations

Modify existing annotations: - Select: Click any annotation to select - Move: Drag to reposition - Resize: Drag handles to resize - Edit Text: Click to edit comment text - Change Color: Select and change color - Delete: Select and press Delete key

Best Practices

For Effective Reviewing

  1. Color Code: Use consistent colors for different types of feedback
  2. Be Specific: Add detailed comments, not just highlights
  3. Use Shapes: Circle important areas, arrow to specific elements
  4. Layer Annotations: Use different tools for different purposes
  5. Save Often: Don't lose your markup work

For Clear Communication

  1. Descriptive Comments: Write clear, actionable feedback
  2. Numbered Points: Number comments for reference in discussions
  3. Priority Levels: Use colors to indicate urgency
  4. Location Markers: Use arrows and shapes to be precise
  5. Summary Notes: Add overall comment at end

For Organization

  1. Naming Convention: Save annotated PDFs with descriptive names
  2. Version Control: Include version numbers in filenames
  3. Date Stamps: Note review date in filename or comment
  4. Backup Copies: Keep original un-annotated version
  5. Export Comments: List all comments before final review

Saving and Exporting

Save Options

  • Save Annotations: Embeds annotations in PDF file
  • Flatten Annotations: Merge annotations into pages (permanent)
  • Export Comments: Extract comments to separate file
  • Print with Annotations: Annotations visible when printed

Download Formats

  • PDF with Annotations: Standard annotated PDF
  • Flattened PDF: Annotations permanently merged
  • Comment Summary: Text file of all comments

File Management

  • Auto-Save: Annotations saved automatically in browser
  • Manual Save: Click "Save" to download annotated PDF
  • Clear Browser Storage: Remember to download before clearing
  • Desktop App: Saves directly to your file system

Compatibility

Annotation Standards

Stirling-PDF uses standard PDF annotation formats: - ✅ Adobe Acrobat - Full compatibility - ✅ Foxit Reader - All annotations supported - ✅ PDF-XChange - Complete support - ✅ macOS Preview - Most annotations visible - ✅ Other PDF Readers - Standard format supported

Limitations

Some advanced features may not work everywhere: - Complex callouts might appear as simple shapes - Custom colors may render slightly differently - Font choices limited by reader's available fonts

Troubleshooting

Annotations Not Saving

Solution: - Click "Save" button to download annotated PDF - Don't rely on browser storage alone - Check browser isn't blocking downloads - Try desktop app for automatic saving

Can't Select Text to Highlight

Possible Causes: - PDF is scanned image (no text layer) - Text is in an image or graphic - PDF has security restrictions

Solutions: - Run OCR first to add text layer - Use freehand highlighter instead - Check PDF permissions

Slow Performance with Many Annotations

Solutions: - Flatten annotations to improve performance - Split large PDFs into sections - Use desktop app for better performance - Clear browser cache

Annotations Lost After Closing

Cause: Didn't download annotated PDF before closing

Prevention: - Always download/save annotated PDF - Don't rely on browser storage long-term - Use desktop app for persistent files

Read Tool vs. Other Viewers

vs. Adobe Acrobat Reader

Stirling-PDF Read: - ✅ No installation needed (browser) - ✅ Integrated with other Stirling tools - ✅ Open source and free - ❌ Fewer advanced features - ❌ Browser-dependent

Adobe Acrobat: - ✅ More advanced features - ✅ Native application - ✅ Industry standard - ❌ Requires installation - ❌ Paid features

vs. Browser Default PDF Viewer

Stirling-PDF Read: - ✅ Full annotation tools - ✅ Save annotations in PDF - ✅ Professional markup options - ✅ Integrated with PDF processing

Browser Viewer: - ✅ Instant opening - ❌ Limited or no annotations - ❌ Basic viewing only

Desktop App vs. Browser

Browser Read Tool

Pros: - No installation - Access anywhere - Automatic updates

Cons: - Must download to save - Browser storage limits - Requires internet

Desktop App Read Tool

Pros: - Saves directly to disk - Better performance - Offline capable - Larger files supported

Cons: - Requires installation - Device-specific

Summary

The Read & Annotate tool transforms Stirling-PDF into a powerful PDF review platform:

  • 📖 Full-featured viewer - Professional reading experience
  • ✏️ Complete annotation tools - Highlights, comments, drawings, shapes
  • 💬 Collaboration ready - Standard format, multi-user support
  • 💾 Save and share - Annotated PDFs compatible everywhere
  • 🚀 Integrated workflow - Part of Stirling-PDF V2 ecosystem

Perfect for: Document review, contract markup, student notes, design feedback, form filling, and collaborative editing.

Ready to start annotating? Open the Read tool and mark up your first PDF!