# Highlight and annotate a PDF

> How to highlight, underline or strike out text in a PDF with vivePDF, draw with a pen, add shapes and text boxes, write notes on marks and save.

URL: https://vivepdf.com/en/docs/highlight-and-annotate/
Last updated: 2026-10-24

To highlight text in a PDF, open **Annotate / mark up** from the strip on the right, choose **Highlight** and drag over the text. Change the colour and opacity of your marks in the bar at the top, and press **Save** or **Save as** when you are done.

1. Open the document in the Viewer and click **Annotate / mark up** in the strip on the right. The markup bar opens at the top.
2. Choose **Highlight** and drag over the text you want to highlight.
3. Change the colour and opacity with **Colour** and **Opacity** on the second row of the bar.
4. To add a note to a mark, click it and choose **Note** in the small menu that appears.
5. **Save** writes the marks into the original file (it asks first); for a separate copy, choose **Save as**.

![The markup bar open; part of the agreement's first sentence highlighted in yellow, with note and delete buttons under it](https://vivepdf.com/shots/en/annot-1-1600.webp)

The other tools in the bar:

- **Underline**, **Strikeout** and **Squiggly**: mark the text with a line instead of a highlight.
- **Pen**: free drawing; the **Eraser** rubs out part of a drawing.
- **Rectangle**, **Ellipse**, **Line** and **Arrow**: put shapes on the page.
- **Text box**: adds writing anywhere on the page.

When you select text, the small menu that appears also has a **Highlight** button, for a quick highlight without opening the bar.

> **All your notes in one place**
>
> After saving, the **Comments** panel in the strip on the right lists every mark and note by page. From there you can reply, mark a note resolved, or export the notes as Markdown, XFDF or FDF.

Other features that help while reading are on the [Open and read a PDF](https://vivepdf.com/en/docs/open-and-read/) page.