How to Annotate PDFs in Chrome (No Extension Needed)

For years, marking up a PDF in Chrome meant downloading it, opening another app, and hoping for the best. That era is over. Chrome now has built-in annotation tools right in the browser window. Highlights, sticky notes, the works. And you do not need to install a single extension.

How to Highlight and Add Notes to a PDF in Chrome

First, make sure you are on Chrome 145 or later. (To check: click the three-dot menu, go to Help, then About Google Chrome. It will update automatically if you are behind.)

1. Open a PDF in Chrome. Drag a file into any tab, or click a PDF link on the web.
2. Look at the toolbar running across the top of the PDF. You will see a small squiggly pencil icon. That is your new best friend. Click it.
3. The annotation toolbar appears. You have two tools: Highlight (for coloring over text) and Note (for dropping a comment anywhere on the page).
4. To highlight: click and drag over any text. Chrome marks it in yellow by default.
5. To add a note: click the note icon, then click anywhere on the PDF. A small box pops up. Type your comment, then click outside to save it.
6. When you are done, hit Download to save the annotated file to your computer. Or click Save to Google Drive to send it straight to your Drive. No downloading and re-uploading required.

Good to Know

• You can change the highlight color. Click any existing highlight and a small color picker appears.
• The Save to Google Drive button files your PDF in a folder called “Saved from Chrome” automatically, so you can actually find it later.
• These tools work on Windows, Mac, and Chromebook. If you do not see the annotation icon, update Chrome and try again.

That is really all there is to it. Sign a lease, mark up a research paper, scribble notes on a meeting agenda. Right there in the browser, no extra software required.