Everything you need in a free annotate PDF tool
Highlight, draw, and note
Mark up any PDF with highlights, freehand pen strokes, box outlines, and click-to-place text notes — then download the annotated file.
Page-by-page workspace
Browse thumbnails, jump between pages, undo marks, and clear a page or the whole document before you export.
Colors and stroke control
Pick highlight and ink colors, adjust pen or box thickness, and set text size so reviews stay readable.
100% browser-based
Annotation runs with PDF.js and pdf-lib in your browser. Your documents stay on your device — nothing is uploaded to Focera.
How It Works
Annotating a PDF should feel quick and private. Focera keeps the whole flow on one page — upload your file, mark it up visually, and download without an account or desktop installer.
- Upload your PDF. Drag and drop a file up to 25 MB (max 50 pages), or click the zone to browse from your device.
- Mark up the pages. Choose highlight, pen, box, or text, pick a color, and draw or click on the page preview.
- Download the annotated PDF. Marks are baked into the file locally. Preview the result and download again anytime.
Jump back to the annotate tool anytime to process another file.
Popular Use Cases
- Document review — Highlight passages and leave short notes before sending feedback.
- Study and research — Mark key lines in papers or handouts without printing.
- Form callouts — Box fields or draw arrows-style marks so others know where to look.
- Quick redlines — Circle issues and add a brief text note before a meeting.
Private by Design
Your PDF is read and annotated entirely in your browser. Focera does not receive the file, store pages, or process marks on a remote server. When you leave the page, temporary previews are revoked and nothing remains on our infrastructure.
Related Tools
- Add Text to PDF — Stamp the same text on every page with position presets.
- eSign PDF — Add a typed or drawn signature instead of review marks.
- PDF Editor — Reorder, rotate, duplicate, or delete pages.
- PDF Watermark — Stamp a logo or image across pages.
- Merge PDF — Combine files before you annotate.
- Compress PDF — Shrink the finished file for email and uploads.