What's New in PDF Annotator 10

NEW! New Look: We have completely redesigned the look of PDF Annotator and adapted it to Windows 11.

The main menu and toolbar now share a single line. In the settings, you’ll find an option for the familiar two-line display.
Icons are now vector-based and are therefore displayed with full sharpness at any size and resolution.
Colors have been harmonized in Dark Mode.
More spacing results in a clear, uncluttered image. The "Compact View" (under "View, Toolbars") reduces spacing.
All dialog windows have been modernized and redesigned. Some dialog windows can now be resized, for example, to enlarge previews.

NEW! Improved Support for Multiple Monitors (DPI)

PDF Annotator windows can now be easily moved between monitors running with different DPI settings. It no longer matters which DPI setting the program was started with.

NEW! Accelerated Display & Smooth Operation

The display of complex PDF documents has been moved to the background, so that the application always remains smooth.
When scrolling and zooming, the application is no longer blocked while waiting for complex documents to be displayed.
Even with longer tasks that display a progress window, the application always remains responsive, and the task can be easily canceled.
The display of preview images in the "Annotations" tab has been extensively improved and accelerated.

NEW! Improved PDF Creation

Whenever possible, annotations created in PDF Annotator are now stored in the PDF using vector format, which leads to a significantly improved, sharper display of PDF documents in PDF viewers and programs from other vendors.
This means that text in text annotations can now, in most cases, be searched, highlighted, and copied in other PDF programs.

NEW! New "Print to PDF Annotator" Driver Version

The new version of the virtual printer driver is now fully Windows 11-compatible and Windows 11-certified.
Please note that this step was urgently required. However, the range of functions and the display of printer properties of the new printer differ from the old printer, and some printer functions are no longer available.

NEW! Headers and Footers, Watermarks

Under "Edit, Document," you can now define headers and footers that should appear on all pages (or ranges of pages).
In the same way, you can define watermarks, text that appears centered on every page.
Define as many headers/footers or watermarks as you like and select the font properties and desired positioning for each text.
Watermarks can also be displayed as rotated text and expanded to fit the maximum page width.

NEW! Improvements to the Integrated Image Editor

The image editor has been completely redesigned. Performance when using the camera has been improved.
A new black-out function for redacting content in images, similar to the existing pixelation function, is now available.
New selection functions have been added.

NEW! New "Edit Link" Command

Links created with the Text tool can now be edited directly by right-clicking and selecting "Edit Link...".

NEW! New "Text Styles" Toolbar in Full-Screen Mode

When editing text annotations in full screen, a new toolbar now appears directly above the text being edited, containing all text properties.
This feature can be disabled via the context menu during text editing.
This feature is also available in regular mode if the toolbars above the document have been disabled.

NEW! New "Digital Copy" Feature

As before, the option to create a digital copy is offered when opening documents with restrictions defined by the author.
A digital copy of any document can now also be created at any time using the new command in the "File" menu.

NEW! New Function for Melting Selected Annotations

Under "Edit, Selection," you can now selectively melt one or more selected annotations.
Melted annotations can no longer be changed.

NEW! New Functions for Duplicating Annotations

In addition to duplicating to the next page and to all pages, "Edit, Selection, Duplicate" now also offers the following commands:
Duplicate on current page (Ctrl+D)
Duplicate on... (for entering page numbers or page ranges)

NEW! Synchronized Tool Properties

In the settings under "Tools, Properties," you can specify that certain properties, e.g., colors and line widths, should be applied to all tools - not just the active tool - when changed.

NEW! Maintain Page Section when Navigating Pages

In the settings under "Display, Scrolling" there is now an option to maintain the page position when moving from page to page.
Disable this option if you prefer to move to the top left corner of the page when changing pages.

NEW! Configurable File History (Recently Used Files)

In the settings under "Save, Recent Files," you can now adjust the number of recently used files.
By selecting a number of zero, you can deactivate the file history.
To protect your personal data, the lists of these file names can also be deleted at any time.

NEW! Delayed Restoration of Recent Documents

When using the "Restore document tabs from last session" option, the documents are now only loaded when the tab is clicked.
Activate the new "Restore even if files are no longer available" option to restore a tab even for documents that are no longer available. This allows you to, for example, first reconnect a network drive so that the files are available.
You can find these settings under "Display, Document Tabs."

NEW! And more...

When printing a list of all annotations via the "Annotations" tab, the totals of the annotations on each page, as well as a grand total, are now also printed.
In all input fields for page ranges, you can now enter "odd" or "even" to apply the respective function only to the corresponding page range.
When zooming with the mouse wheel, the document now remains centered under the current mouse pointer position.

NEW! And more...

For text annotations, there are now keyboard shortcuts to decrease (Ctrl+8) or increase (Ctrl+9) the font size.
In the "Settings" dialog, the settings for each page can now be reset to their default values using a button in the top right. Instead of the Quick Help on the right side of the dialog, a help page for the dialog can now be accessed via "Help" (bottom left, or F1).
For new installations, the Tool Switch is initially disabled. The switch can be displayed in the settings under "Display, Tool Switch".

Read On: What was New in PDF Annotator 9

Color Modes - “Dark Mode”

Choose between the usual bright color mode or the new dark color mode.
Color mode affects the appearance of the application user interface. Your PDF documents will always display identically - as printed on white paper.

Accent Color

Choose between the usual “red” accent color or the new “blue” accent color.
For users with red green deficiency we recommend using the accent color “blue”.
The accent color will be used in several places throughout the user interface, for example for tool symbols or for marking the currently selected page.

”Area Dimensioning” Tool

You can now also dimension areas.
Area dimensions are annotations that become part of the PDF document (cf. “Measure”).
Areas get marked up semitransparently.
Text can be edited manually.
Select a predefined or custom scale.
Turn display of dimension unit on and off.

“Connect Lines” Feature

... to snap corner points to existing annotations.
This feature is now available for lines, arrows, polygons, distance and area measures.
Also, the corner points of polygons and points on ellipses/circles get identified as snap targets.
Create dimensional chains using the distance dimension tool and “Connect Lines”.

Individual Text Formatting

You can now format parts of text annotations individually.
For example, you can format individual words bold or in italics, underline or strike out phrases.
Use different font types, -colors and -sizes within the same text annotation.

Individual Paragraph Formatting

You can now set separate alignment options for paragraphs within the same text annotation:
left aligned
centered
right aligned

Superscript and Subscript Text

You can now apply these new text styles to letters, numbers or text phrases:
superscript
subscript

“Polygon” Tool

Use the new Polygon tool to draw...
closed polygons
polylines
...with the support of the popular...
“Connect Lines” and
“Snap to 15° Angles” features.

Open and Closed Polygons

Polygons: Close a polygon by clicking the starting point or by choosing “Close Polygon and Accept”.
Polylines: Finish an open polygon by choosing “Accept”.

Moving Corner Points

Easily move corner points to modify a selected annotation of these types
Area dimension
Polygon

”Formula” Tool

Create and edit complex scientific formulas using our brand-new formula editor.
Make use of a wide selection of predefined expressions and common symbols.

”LaTex” Formula Editor

As an experienced LaTeX user, you may edit the underlying LaTex commands directly to edit a formula.
Share and exchange formulas using copy and paste from/to other LaTeX supporting editors.

“Black Screen” for Presentations

In Full Screen Mode, you can now temporarily turn the display completely black to ensure your audience’s full attention.
Use the Full Screen Mode action button, or press Alt+B.
Press any key, or click/tap with mouse, pen or finger to end the blackout.

Improved Color Selection

All color pickers (e.g. for selecting the pen color) have been revised and now contain...
...a palette of common colors,
...an additional palette for saving and reusing your own colors (“My Colors”).

Enter/Copy RGB or HTML Color Values

Expand the color picker window for an enhanced color picker with the ability to enter colors as RGB or HTML values (e.g. “#FF0000” for red).
Here you can also copy or paste color values.

Extract Colors with the Pipette

Use the “Pipette” tool in the expanded color picker window to extract colors...
...from the currently visible part of the document, or
...from any point on the current monitor.

And more...

“Autostart Search” setting: You can now disable the automatic start of the text search while entering a search phrase.
Duplicate Selection to Next Page: Like the existing “Duplicate to All Pages” feature, you can now as well duplicate a selection only to the next page.

Read On: What was New in PDF Annotator 8

PDF Annotator 64-bit

As a true 64-bit application, PDF Annotator can now access significantly more memory on 64-bit systems.
Enables loading larger files, and editing more documents at the same time, than with the 32-bit version.
Setup will automatically install the correct version for your operating system.

Select and Edit Annotations

While moving, resizing or rotating annotations, all changes display immediately.
Enables exact annotation placement.
Larger appearance of selection rectangles and size grips on high resolution displays.

Dimension Tool

Dimensions are annotations that become part of the PDF document (cf. the Measure tool).
Dimensions consist of extension lines, dimension line, and editable dimension text.
Select a predefined or custom scale.
Turn display of dimension unit on and off.

Rotate Annotations

Rotate annotations using the new rotation grip directly within the document.
Rotate snaps to 15° steps while CTRL key is pressed.

Measure Tool

Measure tool to extract measures from PDF documents:
Improved appearance of measured distances and areas.
Measure results stand out better with large and clear display directly within the document (instead of small hint windows).

Measure Angles

Now you can measure:
Distances
Perimeters (traverses)
Areas
Angles

Create Links

Links are text annotations that, when clicked, jump to:
a web URL,
a specific position (page) in the current document, or
an external document.
Define link text styles (e.g. blue, underline) directly within the Configure Link window.

Intelligent Auto-Smooth

Extended functionality for the Auto-Smooth feature available for pen and marker tools:
Intelligent geometric object recognition (rectangles, squares, circles).
Start and end points will automatically snap to, or be moved towards existing lines.
Automatically closes circular lines by moving the end points to the start points.

Intelligent Auto Connect

New Connect Lines feature now available for line and arrow tools:
Start and end points will automatically snap to, or be moved towards existing lines.

Laser Pointer Tool for Presentations

The laser pointer is a large red circle that can easily be located even from a distance.
Activate via “Tool, Laser Pointer” or by pressing the letter “o” key.
Back to previously used tool with ESC key.
Draw temporarily with the laser pointer: After lifting the pen (or releasing the mouse button), the drawn mark-up disappears.

Extract Text

When using the Extract Text feature, after selecting some text, the context menu won’t open automatically anymore.
Now, just click “Edit, Copy” or press CTRL+C to copy the selected text to the clipboard.
All features previously available on the context menu are now accessible directly from the toolbar above the document.

Move Bookmarks with Drag’n’Drop

In the sidebar:
Move bookmarks with the mouse using drag’n’drop.
The destination position will be outlined exactly.

“Print” Command on Explorer Menus

If PDF Annotator has been set up as the default application for PDF files, the Windows Explorer context menu will now include a “Print” command.
Print PDF files without having to open them in PDF Annotator first.
Print just one, or multiple documents at once.

Use your Pen as a Clicker

In full screen presentations, press the button at the end of the pen to advance to the next page.
Single click: Advance to next page.
Press and hold: Back to previous page.
Requirements: 3rd Gen Microsoft Surface Pen, Windows 11/10.

Arrow Appearance

Arrowheads now draw with sharp edges (vs. round edges in previous versions).
Reference points of all arrowheads have been corrected to point exactly to the tip/end.
Arrowheads now draw in a size well-balanced to the line width.

Accelerated App Start

The application startup time has been further reduced.
On new installations, the Quick Start option now gets enabled automatically.
You can also enable the “Start with Windows” option under “Extras, Settings, Preferences, Quick Start”.

And more...

Faster text search.
Improved text cursor appearance (especially on high resolution displays).
Scroll the toolbox with your finger.

Read On: What was New in PDF Annotator 7

PDF Templates

Select a template when creating new documents using "File, New"
Add, remove, rename templates
Save current document as template
Automatic use of same template when adding additional pages

Images to PDF

Select image files instead of PDF files under "File, Open"
Center image on a blank new PDF document, or
Automatically convert to a single page PDF

Measure Tool

Measure distance, perimeter or area
Select scale to automatically convert and output in correct units
User defined list of scales
Create a scale based on a known dimension in a document

Combine PDF Files

Select multiple PDF documents to combine (merge) to one single PDF
Choose from list of open documents
Order documents before combining

Quick Start

Option to reduce wait time while application starts
Keeps application open by minimizing it to the Windows system tray when program window gets closed
Option to start application automatically with Windows to reduce wait time on first start
Program icon in Windows system tray with option to shut down application

PDF Security

Set password and restrictions
Require password to open document
Set permissions to edit, print or copy content
Set password to edit permissions

Text Tool

New text alignment options for text boxes:
left-align
center
right-align

Text Marker Tips

Select shape of tip:
rectangular vertical (default)
rectangular horizontal
square
ball

Image Editor: Pixelize

Obfuscate areas within images
Pixelize faces, license plates, sensible data in images

Append Multiple Documents

Select multiple PDF documents using "Insert Document" or "Append Document" commands
Choose from list of open documents
Order documents before appending

Rotate Annotations

Preview while rotating objects via Rotate dialog

Duplicate Annotations

New "Selection, Duplicate to all pages" command
Stamp all pages
Transfer a single annotation to all pages

Stamp Preview

Larger stamp preview when hovering over a stamp in the toolbox
Makes it easier to differentiate large stamps and text stamps

Edit Stamps

New Edit commands for stamps, right from the Configure Tool dialog:
Resize Stamp
Rotate Stamp
Mirror Stamp

Toolbox Menus

Improved and more intuitive context menus
Edit and group tools
Export and import tools and stamps

Hide Scrollbars

Separate settings to hide scrollbars in ...
... regular mode
... full screen mode

Eraser Modes

Select between two modes:
Erase whole annotation/stroke (default)
Split stroke
Custom eraser widths

And more...

Display current length while drawing with line and arrow tools, dimensions and area using rectangle and circle tools
Undo page deletions
Separate commands for "Insert Image from Camera" (for use with custom toolbar buttons or keyboard shortcuts)
Snap: Automatically adapt lines in 15° steps

Read On: What was New in PDF Annotator 6

Completely Redesigned Full Screen Mode

We have redesigned Full Screen Mode, especially for presentations, and to make best use of screen estate.
Full Screen Mode now has one single, but fully configurable toolbar.
Automatically adapts to screen orientation
24 customizable favorite tool buttons
16 customizable action buttons
Additional navigation buttons

How to quickly change tool properties in full screen mode

Full Screen Menu & Sidebar

Open & save documents
Switch between multiple open documents
Open most recently used documents
Sidebar with page previews, access to document and page editing commands, and bookmarks

Full Screen Customization

Customize all tool and action buttons via the customization button.
Right click customization button for more options.
Quick customization option (after 2nd click on already selected tool).

Full Screen Options

Display the new full screen toolbar either permanently, or display a flap which will bring up the toolbar temporarily after clicking on it.
Select a preferred toolbar position (left/right, top/bottom)
Scale button sizes from 50% to 150% (for smaller and more, or larger and less buttons)

How to set up the button size in full screen mode

Capture from Camera

Capture photos from any internal or external (USB) camera
We support all kinds of tablet cameras, web cams, and document cameras.

Image Editor

New image editor to apply basic editing to inserted or captured images
Crop images (rectangular, with lasso)
Make selection transparent
Make transparent based on color (e.g. to crop signatures)
Rotate & flip images

Display 3rd Party Annotations

PDF Annotator now also displays PDF annotations created in 3rd party PDF programs.

Send Email

Send current document as email attachment without saving it first (requires a MAPI enabled email client being set up locally).
We will now set a useful default for the email subject.

Zoom History

Quickly zoom in to view a detail and get back to your previous view with a single click

Resize Options

Quick resize with default options (50%, 200%, ...)
Percentual resize
New Maintain Aspect Ratio option

Additional Page Backgrounds & Sizes

Light blue lines/squares
1/16", 1/8", 1/5" squares
Point grids
Size pages in typical screen sizes for screen presentations (3:2, 4:3, 16:9, 16:10 ratios)

Page Numbers

Additional page numbering formats
Bold and italic font settings
Save current settings as default

Select & Move Pages

Select a range of pages by entering page numbers (e.g. 1-3,5)
New Move Page to... command to move pages to a target page number instead of dragging them with the mouse.

Insert or Append Copied Pages

Paste copied/cut pages above current page (insert)
or behind current page (append)

Extract Text Tools

Remove line breaks from copied text with new option available on the Extracted Text Preview

Create Bookmarks from Text

Create a bookmark directly from selected text

Graphical Tool Helpers

Keep CTRL key pressed to create object from its center
We now display the current angle in a tooltip.

Configurable Tool Switch

Configure the target tool for the tool switch.
Default is Pan tool.

Edit Font Styles

You can now also bulk edit font settings for multiple text annotations.

And more...

Configurable document tab width
Additional keyboard shortcuts
More placeholders for text extract actions
Additional file attachment information
New stamps: Small proofread symbols
Kinetic scrolling

Read On: What was New in PDF Annotator 5

New, Modern Look-and-Feel

New, clear color scheme and symbols
Optimised for high resolution screens (high DPI)
Automatic switch to large icons on high resolution screens

How to set an alternative toolbar icon color

Stamp Symbols

New, huge selection of modern symbols and arrows as stamps
Two sizes

Tool Switch

Button on the bottom right, hovering over the document
Single click (or tap):
Switches to Pan tool
Another single click (or tap):
Switches back to previously used tool
Right click (or long tap):
Opens a menu with recently used tools
Customizable to be visible in regular and/or full screen mode; can be moved around.

Quick Tool Selection with the Tool Switch

Select Text Actions

After text selection in the original PDF content:
New menu with Copy, Preview, Search, Translate (and more) options
Immediately mark-up selected text with highlighter
Underline or strike-through
Define your own actions (program calls, URLs)

Convert Search Hits into Annotations

Immediately mark-up search hits with highlighter
Underline or strike-through

Converting Search Hits into Annotations

Extended Print Features

New Print dialog with page preview
Print current view
Duplex print
Automatically rotate pages

Page Numbers

Automatic page numbering
Detailed positioning options for page numbers
Multiple numbering sections possible

Adding Page Numbers

Align and Resize

Align a selection of annotations
Resize a selection of annotations

Aligning Annotations

PDF Portfolios

Open and manage PDF Portfolios

File Attachments

Overview on all embedded file attachments
Add or remove attachments

Document Properties

View and (partially) modify PDF document properties
Common properties
PDF properties
Security settings

Wavy Lines

New line style for the line tool

Separate Cover Page

Display first page separately in two pages view (facing pages)

Copy and Paste Pages

Copy single (or multiple) pages from the Page Manager.
Paste them into the same or a different open document.

How to copy a page from one PDF into another one

Crop Pages, Add Margins

New page preview with the ability to move or resize the page area within the preview

Digital Copy

Digital copy for restricted documents
Helps when document does not allow commenting, or author password is unknown.
howto/open_protected_document

Scroll / Draw with Touch

On touch devices, the finger will now scroll the document.
To draw with the finger, enable the new "Draw with touch" option on the tool properties toolbar

Keyboard Shortcuts

Configurable keyboard shortcuts for all commands
Use your own shortcuts instead of the defaults.
Define shortcuts for commands that don’t come with a default shortcut.

Export/Import Settings

Export and import all settings including stamps
Optimal for moving to a new computer, or synchronizing settings on multiple installations

And more...

Restore document tabs from last session on next start
Set border color for text boxes
Default text box width setting
Improvements when handling semitransparent images and objects
More efficient way to save annotations within the PDF

Read On: What was New in PDF Annotator 4

Annotation Manager in the Sidebar

Get a quick overview of all annotations in a document.
Navigate to any annotations quickly.
Perform operations on any selection of annotations.

Introduction to the Annotation Sidebar

Filter Annotations

Only display a filtered subset of your annotations in the new Annotations sidebar.
Filter by type, color, or page number.

Print Annotations Overviews

Print a detailed list with small previews of every single annotation in a document.
Print an overview only outlining the pages containing annotations.

Printing Annotations from the Sidebar

Export/Import Annotations

Export any selection of annotations.
Reimport those annotations into a different document.
Or reimport annotations into a new version of the original document.

Exporting and Importing Annotations

Page Backgrounds

Select between various lined or squared papers for new documents or pages.
Additional pages will automatically use the right background.
Background lines will be saved into your document.

Auxiliary Lines

Display temporary lines to make writing on documents easier.
Select between a wide range of possible line styles.
These lines will not be saved into your document.

Using Lines for Decoration and Positioning

Group and Lock Annotations

Group annotations to keep them always together.
Lock annotations to avoid unwanted modifications or to avoid moving them.

Edit Style Properties

Edit any style properties of existing annotations, i.e. colors, line widths or styles.
Edit styles of multiple annotations at once.

Semi Transparency

Select semi transparency level.
For Rectangle (Square) and Ellipse (Circle) tools.

Tool Groups

Group your stamps in the Toolbox.
Exchange stamps through the new export/import.
We have also added a number of new default stamps for you.

Using Custom Tool Groups

And more...

Extract pages into a new document.
Move bookmarks.
Automatically minimize text box size after editing.
Set DPI for snapshots.
Automatic backups.
Full Unicode support.
Switch between languages.
Many minor improvements

Read On: What was New in PDF Annotator 3

Multi Document Capabilities

Work within multiple documents
Switch between documents with a single click
Configurable documents tab bar
Document tabs support the new Windows 7 taskbar

Print to PDF Annotator

Create PDF documents from within any application and annotate them directly in PDF Annotator
Simply print your documents from any application by selecting our new virtual PDF printer "Print to PDF Annotator"
Printer driver supports Windows 8, Windows 7, Vista and XP, both 32-bit and 64-bit

Using Print to PDF Annotator

Line Tool

Draw straight lines
Different line styles
Snap to 45° angles option
Full favorites and toolbox support -
Create your own line tools

Arrow Tool

Draw arrows
Different styles for arrowhead and tail
Line styles
Snap to 45° angles option
Full favorites and toolbox support -
Create your own arrow tools

Rectangle Tool

Draw rectangles or squares
Transparent or filled
Different line styles
Full favorites and toolbox support -
Create your own rectangle tools

Ellipse Tool

Draw ellipes or circles
Transparent or filled
Line styles
Full favorites and toolbox support -
Create your own circle tools

Extract Text

Copy text from the original document

Crop Pages, Add Margins

Crop page sizes
Add margins to get extra space for annotations
Crop on the fly by selecting a region
Selected pages or whole document

Zoom Tool

Zoom in and out by selecting a region
Multi-touch zoom gesture support

New Toolbar Concept

All editing tools within document area
Only related tool properties shown
Vertical Favorite Tools toolbar now optional
New Windows 7 style look and feel

Large Icons and Touch Support

Full support for large toolbar icons
Recommended for touch input

Rotate and Flip Annotations

Rotate selected annotations in 90° steps or by free angle
Flip selection vertically or horizontally

And more...

Optionally deactivate pressure-sensitivity for pen and marker (hardware needs to support pressure-sensitivity)
Multi-touch rotate gesture rotates pages
Improved file locking
Many minor improvements