Why annotate a PDF?

Annotations let you add information to a document without modifying the original text — a key requirement when you are working with official or shared documents. Common use cases include:

Adding a signature or initials to a contract
Writing comments or feedback directly on a report
Filling in form fields that are not interactive
Marking up a floor plan or diagram with notes
Stamping an approval logo or "CONFIDENTIAL" watermark on pages
Highlighting key passages by drawing coloured boxes around them
Adding a date or reference number to a scanned document

Opening the annotation editor

To annotate a page, first upload your PDF on the home page. The editor opens showing a grid of page thumbnails.

Hover over the page you want to annotate — you will see an Edit button (pencil icon) appear on the thumbnail. Click it to open that page in the full-screen annotation editor.

The annotation editor shows the full page with a toolbar across the top containing the text, pen, and image stamp tools.

Adding text to a PDF

The text tool lets you place typed text anywhere on a page. This is the best way to fill in blank form fields, add a name, date, address, or any other text.

How to add text

Select the Text tool (T icon) in the annotation toolbar.
Click anywhere on the page where you want to place the text.
A text box appears — type your text.
Drag the text box to reposition it precisely.
Resize the box by dragging its corner handles.
Click outside the text box to deselect it.

You can add as many text boxes as you like on the same page. Each text box can be repositioned independently. Text is rendered in a clean, readable font that prints crisply at any resolution.

Drawing freehand on a PDF

The pen tool lets you draw directly on a PDF page. Use it to:

Add a handwritten signature
Circle or underline important content
Sketch diagrams or corrections
Cross out text you want to flag for revision

How to draw freehand

Select the Pen tool in the toolbar.
Click and drag on the page canvas to draw.
Release the mouse (or lift your stylus/finger) to finish a stroke.
You can draw multiple separate strokes on the same page.
Switch to the pointer tool to move a completed stroke.

For signing documents, draw your signature in the pen tool, then optionally use the pointer tool to resize and reposition it over the signature line.

Stamping an image onto a PDF

The image stamp tool lets you place a PNG, JPG, or other image file directly on top of a PDF page. Common uses include:

Placing a scanned or digital signature
Adding a company logo or letterhead
Stamping "APPROVED", "DRAFT", or "CONFIDENTIAL" imagery
Inserting a photo into a form

How to stamp an image

Select the Image tool (picture icon) in the toolbar.
Click on the page where you want to place the image.
A file picker opens — choose your image file.
The image is placed on the page. Drag it to the correct position.
Resize by dragging the corner handles.

Tip: For a clean signature stamp, save your signature as a PNG with a transparent background. It will blend seamlessly into the document page.

Saving your annotations

Annotations in PDF Genie Online are "live" while you are in the editor — you can move, resize, or delete them before downloading. Once you click Download, all annotations are flattened permanently into the PDF.

Flattening means your text, drawings, and stamps become part of the page content itself, not separate annotation layers. The resulting file opens correctly in every PDF reader — Adobe Acrobat, Preview, browser viewers, and more. Anyone who receives the file will see your annotations exactly as you placed them.

Are my annotations private?

Yes. Your annotated PDF is never sent to any server. The entire process — loading the PDF, rendering it, applying your annotations, and generating the final file — happens inside your browser. When you close the tab, all copies of your document are deleted from browser storage.

This makes PDF Genie Online suitable for annotating sensitive documents such as contracts, medical forms, financial statements, and legal agreements.

Frequently asked questions

Can I delete an annotation after placing it?

Yes. While you are in the page annotation editor, you can select any annotation — a text box, a drawing stroke, or an image stamp — and delete it before downloading. Once you click Download, annotations are flattened and cannot be individually removed.

Can I change the font size of text annotations?

You can resize a text box by dragging its corner handles, which effectively scales the text. A dedicated font-size picker is on the product roadmap for a future release.

Can I annotate a scanned PDF?

Yes. Scanned PDFs are treated as image-based pages. You can add text boxes, draw, and stamp images on top of any scanned page just like a standard PDF.

Will annotations appear when printing?

Yes. Because annotations are flattened into the page content before download, they print exactly as they appear on screen in every PDF viewer.

How to Annotate a PDF Online