Remove PDF Annotations
Strip comments, highlights and sticky notes from a PDF.
About this tool
Drop in a PDF, choose whether to keep links and form fields, and download a clean copy with the markup removed from every page, plus a count of each kind removed.
What counts as an annotation
Annotations are the layer of markup that sits on top of a PDF's page content: sticky-note comments, highlights, underlines and strike-throughs, free-text boxes, ink (pen) drawings, shapes, stamps such as 'Approved' or 'Draft', and file attachments. Links and form fields are technically annotations too, so this tool keeps them by default and lets you remove them as well. Removing annotations is useful before sending a final version, sharing a reviewed document with someone outside the team, or printing a clean copy. The page content itself (text, images and drawings) is untouched, and the tool reports how many of each kind were removed. Honest limits: markup that was flattened into the page (for example a highlight that has been printed to PDF) is part of the content and can't be removed this way; removing annotations does not remove hidden text, metadata or earlier versions, so for sensitive documents also use the PDF redact tool and the PDF metadata editor. The PDF flatten tool is the opposite: it bakes annotations into the page.
Frequently asked questions
Will removing annotations change the page text?
No. Only the markup layer is removed; text, images and drawings on the page stay the same.
Can I keep links and form fields?
Yes. Both are kept by default; untick them to remove links or form fields as well.
Why didn't a highlight disappear?
It was probably flattened into the page content when the PDF was made, so it's no longer an annotation.
Is this enough to remove sensitive information?
No. Use the redact tool for hidden content and clear the metadata as well.
Is my file uploaded anywhere?
No. The file is read and processed in your browser on this device; nothing is uploaded or stored.