How to annotate PDF files in SharePoint

Efficiently collaborate on and review PDF documents within SharePoint using the powerful annotation tools available in Document Editor for SharePoint. These tools allow users to highlight key points, provide feedback, and enhance document communication — all while staying within SharePoint’s secure and familiar environment.

The annotation features are designed to improve collaboration, streamline workflows, and ensure every team member has access to the tools they need for document review and approval. Whether you’re managing contracts, project documents, or internal reports, the annotation tools help teams stay aligned and productive.

Why use annotations in SharePoint?

• Seamless collaboration — Add annotations in real time to share ideas, provide feedback, or mark necessary changes without downloading files.

• Enhanced document clarity — Highlight important details, clarify content, and communicate effectively within a document.

• Secure workflows — Annotations stay within SharePoint, ensuring compliance with organizational security policies.

Key annotation features and related guides

• Comments

Insert text comments directly on your PDF to provide feedback or share thoughts. Comments are easy to add, edit, and delete, making it simple to manage reviews or discussions within a document.

• Stamps

Add predefined or custom stamps — such as “Approved,” “Draft,” or “Confidential” — to your PDFs. Stamps help visually indicate the status of a document and make workflows more transparent.

• Shapes

Use shapes like rectangles, circles, or arrows to highlight or draw attention to specific sections of your document. Shapes are fully customizable, allowing you to adjust colors, sizes, and positions.

• Highlight text

Emphasize critical information by highlighting text in your PDFs. Choose from multiple colors to differentiate between highlights or organize content visually.

• Measurement tools

Measure distances, areas, and dimensions within your PDF using specialized tools. Perfect for technical documents, blueprints, and architectural designs.

• Adding links

Enhance your document’s functionality by adding hyperlinks to external websites, internal pages, or reference materials. Make your PDF an interactive resource for readers.

How to access annotation tools

1. Open the PDF in SharePoint

Navigate to the document library in SharePoint, select your PDF, and open it in Document Editor for SharePoint.

2. Choose the annotation tool

Select the annotation toolbar to access options like comments, highlights, shapes, and more.

3. Apply your annotations

Select the specific tool you need and click the document to add annotations. Adjust settings such as color, size, and position as needed.

4. Save your changes

Once your annotations are complete, save the document to ensure your edits are available for all collaborators.

Free trial

Try Document Editor for SharePoint Online free for 14 days by downloading the app directly from Microsoft App Source. This is a full trial version, without watermarks, but limited in time. There’s an unlimited trial version, where all files are watermarked, and you can choose between three different installations: file handler, web part, or online extension. Refer to the table on the free trial page to learn more.

Document Editor for SharePoint On-Premises covers all different license types and SharePoint editions (2013–2019 and SE). The detailed installation guide is included in the download. During the free trial, all your documents will be watermarked.