Annotate PDF
Add text, highlights, and shapes to a PDF.
Highlight anything
Drag to highlight clauses, dates, or names on any page.
Drop text notes
Type a note and click anywhere on the page to place it.
Stays crisp & selectable
Annotations layer on as vector — the original text stays sharp and selectable.
Mark up any PDF without an editor
Reviewing a lease shouldn’t require a $15-a-month subscription. LawLease’s free PDF annotator lets you highlight text and drop typed notes anywhere on the page, right inside your browser — no install, no upload, no account needed to try. Annotations are applied as clean vector content layered on top of the original, so the document stays sharp, the text stays selectable, and there’s nothing to re-scan.
How to annotate a PDF
Three steps, start to finish — and everything runs on your device.
01
Upload your PDF
Drag your file into the box or click to choose it from your device. The document opens in a page-by-page canvas you can scroll through.
Drop your fileStep 0102
Add highlights and text notes
Pick Highlight and drag over any text to mark it in yellow. Switch to Text, type your note, and click on the page to place it — on any page, in any order.
Highlight or place a noteStep 0203
Apply, preview, and download
Hit Apply annotations and the tool bakes your marks into the file as vector content. Preview the result, then create a free account — no credit card — to download your annotated PDF.
Apply & saveStep 03
Why annotate PDFs with LawLease
Built for landlords who mark up lease paperwork every day.
Highlights and notes in one pass
Call out the parts that matter and explain them right on the page — highlight the rent clause, drop a note on the late-fee section — all without leaving the browser.
Keeps the original sharp
Annotations are baked in as vector content, not stamped on as a raster image. No fuzzy re-scans — the underlying text stays crisp and selectable after you save.
Private by default
Annotating runs entirely on your device. Your lease and tenant documents never leave your browser or touch a server.
Free, nothing to install
Works in any modern browser with no plugin or download. Try it without an account — you only sign up free when you’re ready to save the result.
What landlords use it for
Everyday lease tasks this turns into a two-minute job.
Highlight key clauses before sending
Mark the rent amount, due date, and late-fee clause in yellow before you email the lease to a new tenant — so they can’t miss the terms that matter most.
Leave in-place explanations
Drop a text note on the pet policy or noise rule to explain the house rule in plain language, right next to the clause — instead of a separate email.
Flag dates that need initials
Place a note on any renewal date or tenant-action deadline so the other party knows exactly what needs to be signed or initialed before returning the document.
Frequently asked questions
- Is the annotate tool free?
- Yes. Annotating runs in your browser for free. You only create a free account — no credit card — to download the finished file.
- Will my original text still be selectable?
- Yes. Highlights and notes are layered on as vector content, so the underlying text stays fully selectable and searchable after you save.
- Can I annotate more than one page?
- Yes — navigate through the pages using the previous and next buttons and add highlights or notes on any of them before applying.
- Are my files uploaded to a server?
- No. The entire tool runs on your device. Your PDF never leaves your browser.
- Can I add both highlights and text notes to the same document?
- Yes. Switch between Highlight mode and Text mode freely — you can mix both types of annotation across any pages before you apply.
- Can I undo an annotation I just placed?
- Use the Clear page button to remove all annotations on the current page. Individual undo isn’t available, but you can clear and re-mark a page before applying.
More free tools
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