Text Boxes, Sticky Notes and Text Callouts

Three ways to add written comments to a PDF.

Sticky Note

A small icon (speech-bubble / note) that expands into a text popup on click. Use when you want a comment that doesn't take up visual space on the page.

Draw:

1. Pick Sticky Note from Tools → Text.
2. Click where you want the icon.
3. A popup opens — type your note, click outside to save.

Edit: Double-click the icon to reopen the popup.

Appearance:

• Default is a 24×24 icon in your chosen color.
• Cannot be resized (it's an icon, not a text area).
• Can be moved by dragging.

Text Box

A visible rectangular text area directly on the page. The text is always visible.

Draw:

1. Pick Text Box (T).
2. Click-and-drag to define the rectangle.
3. Release; the caret appears inside.
4. Type. Formatting options appear in the toolbar while editing.

Formatting (inline toolbar when editing):

• Font family and size.
• Bold / Italic / Underline.
• Alignment (left / centre / right).
• Text color and background.
• Border color, width and style (solid / dashed / none).

Edit text: Double-click the text box.

Resize: Select the box and drag any of the 8 resize handles. Text does NOT automatically grow the box; you resize manually.

Rotate: Select, then drag the rotation handle (above the top centre).

Text Callout

A text box with a leader line pointing at something specific. Covered in 03.4.

Text Application

An advanced text tool for large multi-paragraph annotations. Same editing model as Text Box but optimised for longer content. Found under Tools → Text.

Formatting Tips

• Sticky notes do NOT support formatting — they're plain text only.
• Text Boxes and Text Callouts support full inline formatting.
• Font changes are saved with the annotation and preserved across save/open.

Find Text in Notes

Ctrl+F searches page content. To search inside annotation text (sticky notes, text boxes), open the Comments side panel — it has its own filter box.

Quick Comparison