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How to Flatten PDF Annotations Before Sharing
Written and fact-checked by The EditPDF AI Team
Highlights, comments, and stamps are stored as separate objects until you flatten them — which means different PDF viewers can render them slightly differently, or let the recipient move or delete them.
Why this matters before sharing
A recipient opening your annotated PDF in a different app might see comments rendered differently, or could accidentally drag a highlight out of place. Flattening locks the markup into the page so everyone sees exactly what you intended.
Step-by-step
- 1Finish all annotations and markup in the PDF Annotate tool first.
- 2Open the flattened result in the Flatten PDF tool.
- 3Download the flattened version and use that copy for sharing.
Keep the editable version
Save the pre-flatten file separately if you or a collaborator might need to adjust the markup later.
Related PDF tools and guides
Core PDF tool
Flatten PDF
The core workflow is available without an account. Browser and tool-specific limits apply.
Flatten annotations free →