[2024] Beginner's Guide On How To See Comments On a PDF

Part 1. How To See Comments On A PDF - Afirstsoft PDF

Afirstsoft PDF is one of the most practical and easiest of software to let you view comments in PDF files of any sort and collaborate with your colleagues. The User interface is super simple, and everything on the dashboard is crystal clear to avoid any ambiguity.  

Here’s how to see full comments on a PDF using Afirstsoft PDF with step-by-step instructions:

1. Open the Afirstsoft PDF website, click Free Download, and select the Windows or Mac version of the software to download it on your PC.
2. Now, click Login on the top right corner and sign into your account or make a new one.
3. Then, click the + sign on the top left corner to import your PDF file from your computer. Alternatively, click File and browse to the location of the PDF to open it in Afirstsoft PDF.

4. When the PDF is opened, all the comments will appear in the left pane under Comment List. Click any one of them to navigate directly to the page where the comment was made.

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5. Some comments on the PDF file can be highlighted, underlined, or crossed out text with a sticky note. Afirstsoft PDF offers a quick way to find them. Simply write highlight, underline, or strikethrough in the search bar under the Comment List, and you will directed to the page with these annotations. Here, you can quickly view a particular comment and interact correctly.

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Part 2. How to View Comments In a PDF In Preview 

Preview, the default PDF viewer on macOS, which offers a simple way to see and manage comments or annotations embedded within a PDF file:

1. To begin, open your PDF file in Preview. Simply double-click the PDF, which should automatically open in Preview if it’s your default PDF viewer. Alternatively, right-click the PDF, select "Open With," and then choose "Preview" from the list of available applications.
2. Once the PDF is open, ensure that the Highlights & Notes panel is visible. If it’s not, click the Sidebar option at the top left of the screen and select Highlights & Notes from the drop-down menu.

3. The app will now show a sidebar on the left-hand side of the Preview window.
4. In the sidebar, you’ll see a list of all comments, each linked to a specific section of the document. Clicking on a comment in the sidebar will highlight the corresponding section in the PDF. You can scroll through the sidebar to navigate between comments or click directly on the highlighted text within the document to see the related comment.

Part 3. How to See Comments on PDF In Acrobat Reader 

Adobe Acrobat Reader is a very popular tool for viewing, editing, and managing PDF documents on desktop (except Linux) and mobile devices. One of its essential features is the ability to see and interact with comments and annotations within a PDF. Here are the steps:

1. To start things off, right-click the PDF file, then click “Open With,” and choose Adobe Acrobat Reader to open it. You can also set Acrobat Reader as your default viewer from the Properties window.
2. Once the PDF is open in Acrobat Reader, locate the Tools pane on the right-hand side of the window and click the Comment tool (the speech bubble icon) to open it.

3. The Comments section will now appear on the right side of the dashboard, which displays a list of all comments, annotations, highlights, and other markups in the PDF. Each comment is associated with a specific part of the document and shows the page number. This makes it easy to see where the feedback or note applies.
4. In the Comments pane, you can scroll through the list to review all the comments in the document. When you click on a specific comment, it will automatically jump to the corresponding section in the PDF and highlight the text or area where the comment was made.
5. For larger documents with numerous comments, you can filter comments in the Comment Pane by author, type, time posted, or color to focus on specific feedback. The search bar at the top of the pane also allows you to find keywords within the comments to further simplify the review process.

If youare using Acrobat Reader on a a mobile device (Android or iOS), open the app and follow these steps:

1. Tap + on the main screen and select the document from where you’ve saved it on your device.
2. Now, select the Bubble (comment) icon in the top bar and scroll through the comments.
3. Tap the three dots next to comments to edit or delete them.

Part 4. How to View Comments On a PDF - Nitro PDF

Nitro PDF is an excellent PDF editor for Windows and Mac desktop PCs that allows you to view the comments and then edit and manage them with ease. Here’s how:

1. Right-click the PDF file, select Open With, and choose Nitro PDF from the list. Otherwise, launch the app on your PC, click the Open option in the left panel, select the PDF file with comments, and choose Open again.
2. Once the document is open, go to the Review tab at the top of the window.
3. In the Review tab, click on the Chat Bubble icon at the bottom to open the Comment Pane at the bottom of the window. This panel lists and links all the comments and annotations made in the document. This makes it super easy for you to see where the feedback is applied.

4. Scroll through the Comments pane to review all the comments. You can also checkmark the Expand or Collapse option to view all comments or click Delete to remove them.
5. Under the Sort option in the Comment pane, you can categorize annotations or comments based on type, page, author, date, color, or subject.

While using the NitroPDF iOS app, simply import your file, and scroll through the pages to see all the comments.

Part 5. How to See Full Comments on a PDF - PDFgear

PDFgear is a user-friendly PDF editor for Windows and Mac, and here is how you can see full comments on a PDF file:

1. Start by opening your PDF file in PDFgear. If PDFgear is not your default PDF viewer, right-click the PDF file, choose "Open With," and select "PDFgear" from the list of applications.
2. Once your document is open in PDFgear, locate the Comment or Annotate tool in the top menu or toolbar. This tool is designed to manage all the comments and annotations within your PDF file.

3. By default, all the comments are shown in the left sidebar. If not, click View-Show Annotation above to discover their location. It displays all the comments, notes, and annotations present in the document. Each comment is linked to a particular page or marked area of the PDF where it was made, and that helps you identify the context of each note.
4. Now, find the last annotation option on the left sidebar and click it to show it in the comment panel.

Part 6. How to See Comments on a PDF Using Google Chrome 

Google offers a simple PDF viewer feature that lets you open and see comments on your PDF file right in the browser with these steps:

1. Drag the PDF into a new tab in Chrome, or right-click the file, choose "Open with" and then select Google Chrome.
2. Now, scroll through the file to see the comments, which usually appear as small icons or highlights in the PDF. These indicators are visible where the reviewer has added markups.
3. Click on a comment indicator to view the comment. A pop-up appears showing the comment content.
4. In case the comments are not visible on the file, click the three dots in the top right corner of the screen and choose “Annotations.” This will show all the comments and markup on the PDF.

It’s important to note that Google Chrome does not have any specific tab or pane to display comments like Afirstsoft PDF.

Part 7. FAQs Related to How to See Comments on a PDF 

How do I see all the comments on a PDF?

Open Afirstsoft PDF on your PC, click Open or the + icon to import your PDF files with comments and select the Chat Bubble icon in the left panel to open the Comment List pane. Here, you can see all the annotations, text boxes, and pop-up notes added to your document.

How do I select all comments in a PDF at once?

To do this, open your PDF file in Acrobat Reader and open the Comment pane by clicking the Chat Bubble in the right toolbar. Click the first comment on the pane, hold the Shift button on the keyboard, and choose the last one to select all the markups. You can then right-click on the selected comments and choose Delete, Set Status, or perform other such actions.

How do I permanently show comments in a PDF?

Import your PDF file in Adobe Acrobat, open the Comment pane, and click the three dots in the top right corner of the screen. Choose Commenting Preferences and go to the Commenting tab. Then, checkmark the Show Comments Pane When A PDF With Comments Is Opened option and click OK to confirm.

How do I view full comments in PDF Mac?

Open your PDF fille in Apple Preview, click the drop-down menu next to the Highlighter option to view other annotations, and select Sidebar in the top left of the screen. Choose Highlights & Notes from the menu to view full comments on the PDF. You can also install and open Afirstsoft PDF on your Mac and import your file to it. Then, click the Comment List option to open it and see all the comments.

Why can't I see comments in PDF?

If you can’t see comments on the PDF in Afirstsoft, it is possible your reviewer added no markups to it. Ask them to markup the PDF file again and resend it to you. If you are using Acrobat Reader, you may have disabled the Ensure That Pop-ups Are Visible As the Document is Scrolled option under the Commenting Preferences menu.

Why are comments disabled on PDF?

The PDF may have the Read-Only retrictions, which prevent you from adding comments. To confirm this, right-click the file, select Properties, go to the Security tab, and see if it needs any permissions.

Part 8. Conclusion

As we wrap up this guide, you’ve learned how to see comments on a PDF with step-by-step instructions for Afirstsoft PDF, Acrobat Reader, Nitro PDF, PDFgear, and Google Chrome.

You’ll find Afirstsoft PDF particularly useful for its straightforward interface and easy-to-use tools. So install it now on your computer and start managing the comments on your PDFs without much effort.