What are comments in a PDF?
When people review a PDF, their notes are usually stored as annotations: objects attached to a page but kept separate from the page's own text and images. A sticky note is a small icon on the page that opens a pop-up with the comment. A text-box comment places the note directly on the page. Replies in a review thread are stored as further notes that point back to the comment they answer, and each comment can record its author and the date it was last changed.
This tool treats these as comments and removes them:
- Sticky notes
- PDF “Text” annotations, including replies in a comment thread.
- Text-box comments
- PDF “FreeText” annotations placed directly on the page.
- Comment pop-ups
- The pop-up windows that belong to those comments.
Can PDF comments remain hidden?
They can be easy to miss. Sticky notes are often shown only as a small icon, some viewers hide comments unless a comments panel is open, and comments usually don't print. So a document that looks finished on the page can still carry review notes, names and dates that a recipient may see if they open the comments list. Whether comments are visible depends on the app and its settings, which is why it's worth checking the file itself rather than relying on how it looks.
Why remove comments before sharing?
- Sending to a client or partner: internal review notes, such as “numbers not final” or “check with legal”, weren't written for the recipient.
- Publishing a final version: leftover comments make a document look unfinished and can reveal how it was edited.
- Protecting reviewers: each comment usually records the reviewer's name and when they wrote it.
What happens to replies and pop-ups?
A comment thread is removed as a whole: the original sticky note, the replies to it and the pop-up windows that display them. If a kept annotation, such as a highlight, was marked as a reply to a removed comment, it stays in the document and simply no longer points to the removed note. In tagged, accessible PDFs, the references to removed comments are also taken out of the document's structure, so their text doesn't linger in the file.
How to remove comments before sharing a PDF
- Drop the PDF onto the tool above, or choose it from your device.
- Review the comments it finds, grouped by page with the author, type and a preview of the text. Long comments can be expanded.
- Select Remove Comments. The tool creates a new copy without the supported comments and their pop-ups.
- It then re-opens the new copy, checks it again for comments, and confirms that the page count, other annotations and metadata are unchanged before you download it.
Does removing comments remove highlights?
No. This tool focuses on sticky-note and text-box comments. Highlights, underlines, strikeouts, stamps, shapes and drawings are kept, even if they have note text attached, and so are links and form fields. The tool tells you how many of these other annotations the PDF has, so you know what remains. To remove highlights, drawings or stamps too, use Remove Annotations From PDF, which lets you choose the types and still keeps links and form fields.
Does removing comments change the PDF metadata?
It's designed not to. The author, title and other document properties, custom properties and XMP metadata are carried over unchanged, and the tool checks that after cleaning. If you also want to remove metadata, use the PDF Metadata Remover on the cleaned copy. To see what metadata a file holds first, use the PDF Metadata Viewer.
What about signed and archival PDFs?
Removing comments means rebuilding the file, which invalidates any existing digital signature. If the tool detects a signature structure, it asks you to confirm first. PDF/A files keep their PDF/A identification, but because the document is rebuilt and PDFSanitize doesn't validate PDF/A, you're asked to confirm that too.
Should I check the PDF again after removing comments?
The tool already re-checks the cleaned copy for the comment types it supports. For a broader look, including metadata and document characteristics, run the cleaned copy through the PDF Privacy Checker before you send it. And read the pages themselves: names and notes can also be part of the visible content.