Opening Documents

You can use PDF Annotator to edit all documents in Portable Document Format (PDF, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pdf).

Opening PDF Documents

To edit a PDF document in PDF Annotator, select it using File Open. You can also select a recently opened document from the list that appears under File Open.

You can also bring a file built by another application that supports drag'n'drop (such as Windows Explorer) into PDF Annotator's workspace by dragging it with the mouse and releasing it.

The author of a PDF document may have built in certain restrictions for editing it. This could mean that the document might need a password in order to be opened, or that certain functions, such as modifications or restructuring are not available. In that case, you would need to contact the author to obtain an unrestricted version. Alternatively, you can create a Digital Copy of the document, as explained further below.
Please note that certain applications may lock an opened document, so that you must first close the application before opening it in PDF Annotator. PDF Annotator will display an informational message if this happens.
If the document contains a PDF form, PDF Annotator will ask you if you want to remove the form's fields from the document. By removing the fields, you can use PDF Annotator to write in place of the fields. If you don't remove the fields, they will stay on top and cover your annotations after saving the document.

Creating Digital Copies of Restricted Documents

If documents cannot be opened for editing in PDF Annotator due to restrictions imposed by the original author, PDF Annotator will automatically offer to create a Digital Copy when attempting to open the document. When creating a Digital Copy, the document gets printed to a virtual printer provided by PDF Annotator, and a new PDF document will be created. This new document, the Digital Copy, will not be subject to any restrictions.

Default PDF Application

If PDF Annotator has been defined as the Default PDF Application, you can open a PDF file by double-clicking it in Windows Explorer.

Windows Explorer Context Menu

If in Extras Settings Integration Explorer the Add PDF Annotator to Explorer's context menu option is turned on, you can use Windows Explorer to right-click a PDF file, and open it by selecting -> PDF Annotator from the context menu.

See also