How to Read Comments on PDF - Step-by-Step Methods

Part 1. How to Read Comments on PDF - Afirstsoft PDF

Afirstsoft PDF is your go-to solution for Windows and Mac users to read all the comments, suggestions, feedback, or additional information left by others on the file in one place. You can even add your own annotations on the PDFs after reviewing them.

Let’s explore how to read a comment on PDF with these step-by-step instructions:

1. Visit the Afirstsoft PDF webpage, click Free Download in the top right corner of the screen, and choose the Windows or Mac version to start the download process. After that, open the Download folder and click the installation file to install the Afirstsoft PDF on your computer.
2. Then, open Afirstsoft PDF, log in to your account, click + or Open in the top left of the screen, choose the PDF file from where you’ve saved it on your PC, and choose Open. You can also click Files, choose Cloud Storage, and open the PDF file from there.

3. Now, click the Chat Bubble icon on the left side toolbar to open the Comment List pane. Here, you will see all the highlighted, underlined, crossed out, and other markups with pop-up notes on the file.

4. Click the Expand option to read all the comments in the pane or choose an annotation to open it where it was applied.
5. You can also sort the comments based on type, author, page, and date to read them in a sequence. Afirstsoft also allows you to filter the annotations based on type, author, and color.

6. Alternatively, you can scroll through the pages and click on the markups to read the comment.

Part 2. How to Read Comments on a PDF - Adobe Acrobat Reader

Primarily known for its simple, clear user interface, Adobe Acrobat is a freemium app for interacting with your PDF files to read reviews, explanations, or feedback on your Mac, Windows, Android, and iOS devices.

Below are the steps to read comments on PDFs using Adobe Acrobat:

1. Install and open Adobe Acrobat on your PC and click any of the storage options under Adobe Cloud Storage, or choose Your Computer in the Other File Storage section and select your PDF file to import it.  Alternatively, right-click the PDF file with the comments on your computer, choose Open With, and select Adobe Acrobat.
2. Now, if the document has comments, you’ll notice small speech bubble icons or highlighted text within the document. To read a comment, hover your cursor over the icon or highlighted area; the comment will pop up in a small box next to it.
3. For a more organized view, click the Chat Bubble icon in the right-hand pane. This will open a panel on the right side of your screen, listing all comments in the document. The list is usually sorted by page, which makes it easier to navigate through and read the comments.

4. You can click any comment in the list to jump directly to the location where it is added to the document. The comment will be highlighted, and its pop-up notes will be clearly visible so you can read it.
5. If the file has too many comments, use the filter options in the Comments List to sort or search for specific comments based on criteria like author, date, or type.

Here’s the step-by-step instructions on how to read to read PDF comments on iPhone, iPad, or Android:

1. Install and open the Adobe Acrobat mobile app.
2. Tap + to import your PDF.
3. Scroll through the file to read the comments.
4. Otherwise, tap the Chat Bubble icon in the top bar and read all the comments in the Comment section.

Part 3. How to Read Comments on PDF Document - PDFelement

PDFelement is a full-featured app with an intuitive interface that allows you to quickly read comments added to your PDF files and resolve them on desktop and mobile devices.

1. Go to the PDFelement website, click Product, select the Mac or Windows version, and choose Free Download on the next page. Then, click the installation file in the Download folder to install the app.
2. Open PDFelement, click Open PDF or +, select your PDF file with comments and choose Open to import it. Alternatively, right-click the file, choose Open With, and select PDFelement from the list of available applications.
3. Press Ctrl+Shift+4, F4, or click the Comment icon in the left toolbar. This will open the Comments List panel, which displays all comments made within the document. In this panel, click on the page number and select the markup to jump directly to its related section in the document to read the comments.
4. If your document has numerous comments, use the filter or search functions within the Comment List panel. This helps you quickly find specific comments based on author, type, or color.
5. You can also expand or collapse comments all at once or sort them by page, type, author, and date. Moreover, PDFelement also lets you export comments from the PDF file in the FDF or XFDF format so you can read them later.

If you use the PDFelement mobile app, do these steps to read the comments:

1. Install and open PDFelement on your mobile.
2. Tap + in the bottom right of the screen.
3. Select your PDF file with comments to import it.
4. Tap the Page icon in the top bar.
5. Go to the Comments tab to read all the comments on the PDF.

Part 4. How to Read Comments on PDF File - PDFgear

PDFgear is a free solution for iOS, Mac, and Windows to access and review the feedback on PDF files with these simple instructions:

1. After downloading the PDFgear from its official website, open the Download folder on your PC. Click the installation file and follow the on-screen prompts to confirm and install the app.
2. After that, open PDFgear on your computer, select Open File at the top left of the main screen, choose the PDF file, and click Open. Otherwise, simply right-click the file, choose Open With, and select PDFgear from the list of available applications.
3. Then, click the Comments icon in the left toolbar to open the Comment List, where comments are usually organized by page number. This allows you to quickly find the feedback relevant to each section of the document.
4. Just click on the Expand option at the top of the Comment List to open all the comments and read them, or click individual markup to go to the page where they are added.

5. Alternatively, scroll through the PDF file to find the comments and read them.

To read comments on PDF using the PDFgear mobile app, here’s what you need to do:

1. Install PDFgear from the App Store and open it.
2. Tap + in the bottom right corner of the screen.
3. Select Files from the menu.
4. Choose the PDF you want to import and tap Open.
5. Choose the three horizontal lines with the arrow icon at the bottom right of the screen.
6. Tap the enclosed A icon and read all your comments in the Annotation tab.

Part 6. How to Change the Highlight Color in Xodo PDF

Xodo PDF is a trusted PDF reader that you can use on Mac, Windows, and mobile devices to read all the pop-up notes, sticky notes, and textboxes on your files.

Here’s how:

1. Click Start Free Trial on the Xodo PDF website, choose the premium plan that suits your needs, and choose Start Free Trial or Download Free Trial to use the web version or install the Desktop app for your PC. Otherwise, open the Microsoft Store on your PC, search for Xodo PDF, and click Download.
2. Right-click the PDF, choose Open With, and select Xodo PDF to import the file. You can also open the app on your PC, click Open Document on the main screen, select PDF file from the location where it is saved on your computer, and choose Open.
3. Since Xodo PDF does not have a dedicated panel where you can access all the comments at once, scroll through the file to see all the annotations.
4. Now, to read comments attached to highlighted, underlined, or crossed-out text, simply click that content once and choose the Chat Bubble icon to open the pop-up note.
5. For the sticker notes, you’ll see Chat Bubble icons on the pages. Just click them to read the feedback or reviews.

Below are the easy-to-follow steps to access and read comments on your file using the Xodo PDF mobile app:

• Install and open Xodo PDF.
• Go to the Files tab.
• Tap +.
• Select the PDF file to import.
• Tap the three horizontal lines at the bottom right of the app’s screen.
• Go to the annotation tab to read all the reviews.

Part 7. FAQs Related to Reading Comments on PDF

Why can't I read comments in PDF?

It might be possible that the author has attached comments to different markups like highlighter, underlining, or striking out, which is why you cannot see and read them while using Acrobat Reader. Simply click the annotations, and the pop-up notes will appear next to them. Alternatively, open the file in Afirstsoft PDF to quickly read the reviews in the Comment List or next to the markups without any additional steps.

How do I view comments in a PDF?

Open Afirstsoft PDF on your PC and click + or Open it to import your PDF. Then, locate the Comment List option in the left toolbar and click it to open the panel. Now, you can view all the comments that are added to the file.

How do I extract comments from a PDF?

Open the PDF in Acrobat Reader and click the Comments icon to open the pane. Click the three dots at the right corner of the panel, choose Export Selected To Data File, and select a location where you want to extract the comments.

How do I read yellow comments on a PDF?

Open your PDF file in Afirstsoft PDF and go to the Comment List pane. Here, click the Filter icon and select Yellow under Color to read the yellow comments on the file.

How to remove yellow sticky notes from a PDF?

Open Afirstsoft PDF and click Open to upload your PDF file. Go to the Comment List panel, click Filter, and choose Yellow under the Color section to view only yellow sticky notes. Now, click the three dots next to these notes and choose Delete to remove them.

Part 8. Conclusion

Now that we’ve reached the end, you’ve explored the step-by-step instructions on how to read comments on PDF using different PDF editors.

Among them, Afirstsoft shines with its simple UI, easy navigation, and advanced panel for managing comments, which lets you quickly review all the feedback added to PDF files. Install the app on your PC now and manage all your annotations in one place.