How to Annotate a PDF on Linux — Browser and Desktop App Methods
Annotate PDFs on Linux with highlights, comments, and drawings. Use a free browser tool or Okular, Evince, and Xournal++ desktop apps.
Annotate PDFs on Linux with multiple free options. FixMyPDF's Annotate PDF tool works in Firefox or Chrome, while Okular, Xournal++, and Evince provide desktop annotation on any Linux distro.
Method 1: Browser-Based Annotation (FixMyPDF)
Open Firefox or Chrome on your Linux system. Navigate to fixmypdf.in/tools/add-comments. Upload your PDF. Highlight, comment, underline, and draw using the toolbar. Download the annotated PDF. Requires no package installation — works on any distro with a browser.
Method 2: Okular (KDE, Full-Featured)
Okular is a powerful PDF viewer for KDE with comprehensive annotation support: highlights, stamps, freehand drawing, geometric shapes, typewriter text. Install: sudo apt install okular or via your distro's package manager. Annotations save to a separate sidecar file by default or can be embedded in the PDF.
Method 3: Xournal++ (Stylus and Drawing-Focused)
Xournal++ is excellent for freehand PDF annotation, especially with graphics tablets or styluses. Install: sudo apt install xournalpp or download AppImage from the project website. Open the PDF, annotate, and export as an annotated PDF. Best for heavily hand-annotated review workflows.
Method 4: Evince (Basic, GNOME Default)
Evince (GNOME's default viewer) supports basic annotations in newer versions. Right-click on text to highlight, add notes via Ctrl+click. Annotations save with the file. Less powerful than Okular or Xournal++ but pre-installed on most GNOME-based distros.
Choosing the Right Method
Quick highlight and comments: browser tool or Evince. Comprehensive desktop annotation workflow: Okular. Freehand and stylus annotation: Xournal++. Server-side or scripted annotation: look into PyPDF2 or pdfrw Python libraries. Cross-platform sharing of annotations: use the browser tool (standard PDF annotations).
Saving Annotations for Cross-Platform Compatibility
Okular by default saves annotations to a sidecar file, not embedded in the PDF. To share annotated PDFs readable on Windows or Mac, export with annotations embedded (File > Save As > with annotations flattened). FixMyPDF's browser tool always embeds annotations in the output PDF.
Privacy
The browser tool processes locally — no upload. Desktop apps (Okular, Xournal++, Evince) process entirely on your Linux machine. Both approaches keep your documents fully private.
Try Annotate PDF Now — Free
Browser-based, private, and instant. No account or software required.
Open Annotate PDF