Mark up a PDF

You can mark up any PDF you can open. Your marks are stored separately, so the PDF itself never changes.

Steps

1. On the Files tab, click a PDF to open it.
2. In the top bar, under New comments, choose:
   • Shared: clients and contractors with access to this file will see them.
   • Internal: only your studio will see them.
3. Use the viewer's tools to draw, add shapes, highlight or add a sticky note.
4. Click Close when you have finished. Your marks save automatically.

What happens next

• People in the studio who can open the file get an in-app notification that you commented on it.
• Shared marks are visible in the client and contractor portals to anyone who can open the file. They are also posted to the project's Slack channel if it is set up for markups.
• If a client or contractor marked up the file earlier, they are told the studio has replied.
• Internal marks never reach a portal and send nothing outside the studio. Your name shows "(internal)" on them.

Good to know

• New comments start as Shared. Check the switch every time you open a PDF.
• The switch applies to marks you make after changing it. A mark can't be moved between Shared and Internal later.
• Marks belong to the version they were made on. When a new version is uploaded, it opens clean.
• You can edit only your own marks.
• Marks save automatically. There is no Save button.
• This article covers PDFs on the Files tab. For drawings in a package, see Review a drawing and leave comments. Those comments stay in the studio.