Highlight a PDF, free, in your browser
Drag across words to highlight them, underline them, strike them through or mark them with a squiggle, in the colour you pick. Add notes where you want to comment. They are standard PDF annotations, so every reader shows them. Nothing is uploaded.
✓ no upload✓ no account✓ no watermark✓ works offline
How highlighting works here
- Open the PDF. Drop it on the page or choose it. The editor opens with the Markup tool picked.
- Drag across the words. The words light up as you drag. Pick highlight, underline, strike-through or squiggle and the colour before or after.
- Add notes and save. Pick the Note tool, click where the comment goes and type. Save the PDF to your device.
What it does
- Marks the words themselves, line by line, as Acrobat does.
- Writes standard PDF annotations, so Acrobat, Preview, Chrome and Edge show and list them.
- Lets you select a mark later to change its colour or delete it.
What it does not do
- It does not highlight scanned pages that have no text layer; run OCR first.
- It does not show the annotations other people add in real time; it works on one copy at a time.
Questions
Will my highlights show in Adobe Reader?
Yes. They are standard highlight, underline, strike-out and squiggly annotations, which every PDF reader understands.
Can I remove a highlight?
Yes. Click it with the Select tool and delete it, or undo.
Why can I not highlight a scanned page?
A scan is a picture with no words in it. Make it searchable with OCR PDF first, then the words can be highlighted.
Is there a limit?
No. No page limit, no daily limit, no account and no watermark.
Does my file leave my computer?
No. The PDF is marked up and saved in your browser tab. Nothing is uploaded.