How to Remove Comments From PDF : Quick Instructions

Part 1. How to Remove All Comments from a PDF - Windows and Mac Software

Below, we’ve provided easy-to-follow instructions to remove comments from a PDF using four popular Windows and Mac annotators.

1. Afirstsoft PDF

Afirstsoft PDF, with its simple UI, makes it super easy for you to delete all the sticky notes, text boxes, and other markups left by you or others from a PDF file.

Here are the steps on how to remove all comments from PDF with Afirstsoft PDF:

1. Go to the Afirstsoft PDF web page, click Products, and select a version for your Windows or Mac computer, and install it.
2. Now, simply right-click the PDF file and choose Afirstsoft PDF from the menu. Otherwise, open the app on your PC, choose Open or + in the top right corner of the screen, choose your file, and click Open again. You can also select Files, click Cloud Storage, and import your PDF from there.

3. After that, right-click the markups and choose Delete to remove them. Alternatively, select Comment List in the right panel, click the three dots next to the comments, and choose Delete.

2. Adobe Acrobat Reader

Acrobat Reader is a user-friendly editor that not only edits and signs your PDF files but allows you to remove comments to declutter them and submit them for final review.

These are the steps on how to remove all comments from Adobe PDF:

• Open the Microsoft Store or Mac App Store, search for Adobe Acrobat Reader, and choose Install or Get to install the app. You can also download the Acrobat Reader app installation file from its official web page and install it.
• Launch Acrobat Reader on your computer, click Your Computer under Other File Storage, or select any file location under Adobe Cloud Storage to import your PDF. Alternatively, right-click the file, choose Open With, and click Acrobat Reader from the list of apps.
• Now, scroll to the page where comments are added to the PDF, right-click them, and choose Delete to remove them.
• If you want to learn how to remove comment bubbles from PDFall in one place, click the Chat Bubble icon in the right toolbar to open the Comments panel. You can now right-click each comment one by one and choose Delete.

3. Foxit PDF Editor

Foxit PDF Editors is a powerful app that lets you quickly remove callouts, sticky notes, and pop-up notes from your PDF file. Here are the steps to follow:

1. Download the Foxit PDF Editor installation file from its official website. Then, open the Download folder and click the file to begin the installation process after providing the necessary permission.
2. Open Foxit PDF Editor, click Open File, choose your PDF in the new window, and select Open or choose Shared Files under Cloud Documents to import the file. You can also simply right-click the PDF, choose Open With, and select Foxit PDF Editor.
3. Click the View Document Comments option in the left toolbar to open the panel and access all the comments.
4. Here, right-click a comment and choose Delete to remove it. Repeat the steps for the rest of the markups.

4. PDF-Xchange Editor

PDF-Xchange Editor is a fully-featured PDF editor that has a filter option to narrow down your search and remove specific types of comments or select all the annotations and delete them.

Below are the steps on how to remove comments from PDF document using this annotator:

1. Download and install PDF-Xchange Editor on your computer.
2. Open the app, click File in the top right corner of the screen, choose Open From URL, and paste the link to your PDF to open it. You can also choose Browse, select the file from where you’ve saved it on your PC, and choose Open to import it.
3. Right-click the comment on the PDF and choose to delete it. Otherwise, click the Chat Bubble icon in the toolbar to open the Comments pane, press Shift on the keyboard, and select all the comments you want to remove.
4. Now, click the Setting gear icon at the top of the Comments pane and select Delete to remove all the comments at once.

Part 2. How to Remove Comments from a PDF - Online Tools

If you don’t have access to dedicated software like Afirstsoft PDF and Acrobat Reader to remove the text boxes, callouts, and other comments from your file, here are some online tools you’ll find helpful:

1. SmallPDF

SmallPDF offers an easy-to-navigate “PDF Annotator” tool that allows you to view your PDF files and delete unnecessary notes, handwritten texts, and pop-up notes.

These are the steps:

1. Go to the SmallPDF webpage using a browser on your computer, select Explore All PDF Tools on the main screen, and choose PDF Annotator from the list.
2. Drag and drop your PDF to the web page or click Choose Files, select your file from the location where you’ve saved it, and choose Open to access the editor. You can also upload SmallPDF cloud storage, Google Drive, and Dropbox.
3. Now, scroll to the page where callouts, sticky notes, or pop-up notes are added, click them once, and choose the Delete icon that appears below to remove them.

2. Sejda PDF

Sejda PDF offers a dedicated tool for batch processing and deleting all comments from your PDFs based on your preferences. Here’s how:

1. Visit the Sejda PDF website using your browser, click All Tools in the top menu ribbon, and select Remove Annotations (at the end of the list).
2. Click Upload PDF Files on the main screen to access the Open window, select your PDF, and choose Open at the bottom right corner to import the file. You can also click the drop-down icon and upload your PDF from Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, or URL.
3. Select the annotation type you want to remove, or choose the pages and click Remove Annotations. You can also import your PDF to the Sejda Editor to delete specific comments only.

Part 3. How to Remove Comments from a PDF Document - Android & iOS Devices

With smartphones becoming our go-to devices for nearly everything, you may want to look for apps that let you edit and clean up your PDF files when you are away from your computer. That’s why we've listed below and discussed two apps that are perfect for this task.

1. Adobe Acrobat Reader Mobile App

Adobe Acrobat Reader app has a comment pane where you can select markups and remove them quickly.

These are the steps:

1. Open the App Store/Play Store on your iOS/Android device, search for Adobe Acrobat Reader, and tap Get or Install to download the app.
2. Open the app on your device and tap the File or + icon at the bottom right of the screen.
3. Choose Open File, select On This Device, Adobe Cloud Storage, or any other provided cloud storage options.
4. Select your PDF file to import it.
5. Choose the comment, tap the three dots, and choose Delete.
6. To access all the comments in one place, tap the Chat Bubble in the top bar.
7. Now, tap the three dots and select Delete to remove the comments.

2. Xodo PDF Editor

Xodo PDF is a secure and user-friendly PDF editor with everything you need to edit, manage, organize, or read your PDF files. One of its useful features is that it gives you access to the comments under a single pane and deletes them from the selected page or entire document.

Here’s how:

1. Open Search for Xodo PDF Editor in the App Store/Play Store on your iOS or Android device.
2. Tap Get or Install to install Xodo PDF Editor.
3. Go to the Files tab from the navigation menu and tap +.
4. Tap Open File, select On My Device, Xodo Drive, or any Cloud Storage option under Other Storage, and choose your PDF file to import.
5. Tap the hamburger icon (bottom right of the app’s interface) and go to the Annotations tab.
6. Tap and hold any comment and choose Delete This Annotation, Delete All Annotations on Page [number], or Delete All Annotations on This Document.

Part 4. Troubleshooting Common Issues When Removing Comments from PDF

While removing comments from your PDFs, you often cannot edit the document, the annotations reappear, or the Delete button is often greyed out. Below, we’ve explained why you face these issues and how you can troubleshoot them:

• It might be possible that the PDF file is restricted to Read-Only mode, which is why you cannot make any changes to it. To check this, import the file to Acrobat Reader, right-click anywhere on the pages, choose Document Properties, and go to the Security tab. If the file is restricted, ask the owner to disable the security settings and resend you the PDF.
• When you don’t save the PDF file correctly, the comment might reappear when you delete it and reopen the document later. Make sure to select the Save or Save As option to export the file after deleting the comments. Also, keep your PDF editor updated to the latest version.
• Another possibility is that the annotations are locked in the editor, which is why the Delete option is grayed out. To fix this, simply select the comment, click the Lock icon, and see if you can remove the comments now.

Part 5. FAQs Related to Removing Comments from PDF

How to remove comments from Adobe PDF?

Open Afirstsoft PDF, click Open or +, select your PDF file to import it from your computer, and scroll to the page where comments are added. Click the markup you want to remove, and select Delete.

How to remove name from comments in PDF?

Import your PDF file to Adobe Acrobat Reader and click the Chat Bubble icon in the right toolbar. In the Comments pane, click the three dots next to any comment, choose Properties, and go to the General tab. Under Author, remove your name, and click OK to save the changes. You can also open your PDF in Afirstsoft PDF and then right-click a comment. Choose Properties, go to the General tab, remove the name under Author, and click Apply.  

How to save a PDF without the comments?

Right-click the PDF on your computer and choose Open With Afirstsoft PDF. Now, click the Comment List option, select the three dots next to a comment, and choose Delete. Repeat these steps for all the comments to remove them. Click File, choose Save or Save As, and select a location where you want to save your PDF.

Part 6. Conclusion

As we conclude, you’ve learned the step-by-step instructions on how to remove comments from PDF files on your computer, browser, or mobile device. We’ve also listed some problems that you may face while deleting comments and explained how you can resolve them.

Among the annotators discussed above, you’ll find Afirstsoft PDF to be the most easy-to-use and powerful editor for removing comments from your PDF files quickly. So, why wait? Install Afirstsoft PDF now on your PC and manage your annotations without any trouble.