User Guide Cancel

Participating in a PDF review

Search
Adobe Acrobat

Adobe Acrobat

Open on web
  1. Acrobat User Guide
  2. Introduction to Acrobat
    1. Access Acrobat from desktop, mobile, web
    2. Introducing the new Acrobat experience
    3. What's new in Acrobat
    4. Keyboard shortcuts
    5. System Requirements
  3. Workspace
    1. Workspace basics
    2. Opening and viewing PDFs
      1. Opening PDFs
      2. Navigating PDF pages
      3. Viewing PDF preferences
      4. Adjusting PDF views
      5. Enable thumbnail preview of PDFs
      6. Display PDF in browser
    3. Working with online storage accounts
      1. Access files from Box
      2. Access files from Dropbox
      3. Access files from OneDrive
      4. Access files from SharePoint
      5. Access files from Google Drive
    4. Acrobat and macOS
    5. Acrobat notifications
    6. Grids, guides, and measurements in PDFs
    7. Asian, Cyrillic, and right-to-left text in PDFs
  4. Creating PDFs
    1. Overview of PDF creation
    2. Create PDFs with Acrobat
    3. Create PDFs with PDFMaker
    4. Using the Adobe PDF printer
    5. Converting web pages to PDF
    6. Creating PDFs with Acrobat Distiller
    7. Adobe PDF conversion settings
    8. PDF fonts
  5. Editing PDFs
    1. Edit text in PDFs
    2. Edit images or objects in a PDF
    3. Rotate, move, delete, and renumber PDF pages
    4. Edit scanned PDFs
    5. Enhance document photos captured using a mobile camera
    6. Optimizing PDFs
    7. PDF properties and metadata
    8. Links and attachments in PDFs
    9. PDF layers
    10. Page thumbnails and bookmarks in PDFs
    11. PDFs converted to web pages
    12. Setting up PDFs for a presentation
    13. PDF articles
    14. Geospatial PDFs
    15. Applying actions and scripts to PDFs
    16. Change the default font for adding text
    17. Delete pages from a PDF
  6. Scan and OCR
    1. Scan documents to PDF
    2. Enhance document photos
    3. Troubleshoot scanner issues when scanning using Acrobat
  7. Forms
    1. PDF forms basics
    2. Create a form from scratch in Acrobat
    3. Create and distribute PDF forms
    4. Fill in PDF forms
    5. PDF form field properties
    6. Fill and sign PDF forms
    7. Setting action buttons in PDF forms
    8. Publishing interactive PDF web forms
    9. PDF form field basics
    10. PDF barcode form fields
    11. Collect and manage PDF form data
    12. About forms tracker
    13. PDF forms help
    14. Send PDF forms to recipients using email or an internal server
  8. Combining files
    1. Combine or merge files into single PDF
    2. Rotate, move, delete, and renumber PDF pages
    3. Add headers, footers, and Bates numbering to PDFs
    4. Crop PDF pages
    5. Add watermarks to PDFs
    6. Add backgrounds to PDFs
    7. Working with component files in a PDF Portfolio
    8. Publish and share PDF Portfolios
    9. Overview of PDF Portfolios
    10. Create and customize PDF Portfolios
  9. Sharing, reviews, and commenting
    1. Share and track PDFs online
    2. Mark up text with edits
    3. Preparing for a PDF review
    4. Starting a PDF review
    5. Hosting shared reviews on SharePoint or Office 365 sites
    6. Participating in a PDF review
    7. Add comments to PDFs
    8. Adding a stamp to a PDF
    9. Approval workflows
    10. Managing comments | view, reply, print
    11. Importing and exporting comments
    12. Tracking and managing PDF reviews
  10. Saving and exporting PDFs
    1. Saving PDFs
    2. Convert PDF to Word
    3. Convert PDF to PPTX
    4. Convert PDF to XLSX or XML
    5. Convert PDF to JPG
    6. Convert PDF to PNG
    7. Convert or export PDFs to other file formats
    8. File format options for PDF export
    9. Reusing PDF content
  11. Security
    1. Enhanced security setting for PDFs
    2. Securing PDFs with passwords
    3. Manage Digital IDs
    4. Securing PDFs with certificates
    5. Opening secured PDFs
    6. Removing sensitive content from PDFs
    7. Setting up security policies for PDFs
    8. Choosing a security method for PDFs
    9. Security warnings when a PDF opens
    10. Securing PDFs with Adobe Experience Manager
    11. Protected View feature for PDFs
    12. Overview of security in Acrobat and PDFs
    13. JavaScripts in PDFs as a security risk
    14. Attachments as security risks
    15. Allow or block links in PDFs
  12. Electronic signatures
    1. Sign PDF documents
    2. Capture your signature on mobile and use it everywhere
    3. Send documents for e-signatures
    4. Create a web form
    5. Request e-signatures in bulk
    6. Collect online payments
    7. Brand your account
    8. About certificate signatures
    9. Certificate-based signatures
    10. Validating digital signatures
    11. Adobe Approved Trust List
    12. Manage trusted identities
  13. Printing
    1. Basic PDF printing tasks
    2. Print Booklets and PDF Portfolios
    3. Advanced PDF print settings
    4. Print to PDF
    5. Printing color PDFs (Acrobat Pro)
    6. Printing PDFs in custom sizes
  14. Accessibility, tags, and reflow
    1. Create and verify PDF accessibility
    2. Accessibility features in PDFs
    3. Reading Order tool for PDFs
    4. Reading PDFs with reflow and accessibility features
    5. Edit document structure with the Content and Tags panels
    6. Creating accessible PDFs
    7. Cloud-based auto-tagging
  15. Searching and indexing
    1. Creating PDF indexes
    2. Searching PDFs
  16. Multimedia and 3D models
    1. Add audio, video, and interactive objects to PDFs
    2. Adding 3D models to PDFs (Acrobat Pro)
    3. Displaying 3D models in PDFs
    4. Interacting with 3D models
    5. Measuring 3D objects in PDFs
    6. Setting 3D views in PDFs
    7. Enable 3D content in PDF
    8. Adding multimedia to PDFs
    9. Commenting on 3D designs in PDFs
    10. Playing video, audio, and multimedia formats in PDFs
    11. Add comments to videos
  17. Print production tools (Acrobat Pro)
    1. Print production tools overview
    2. Printer marks and hairlines
    3. Previewing output
    4. Transparency flattening
    5. Color conversion and ink management
    6. Trapping color
  18. Preflight (Acrobat Pro)
    1. PDF/X-, PDF/A-, and PDF/E-compliant files
    2. Preflight profiles
    3. Advanced preflight inspections
    4. Preflight reports
    5. Viewing preflight results, objects, and resources
    6. Output intents in PDFs
    7. Correcting problem areas with the Preflight tool
    8. Automating document analysis with droplets or preflight actions
    9. Analyzing documents with the Preflight tool
    10. Additional checks in the Preflight tool
    11. Preflight libraries
    12. Preflight variables
  19. Color management
    1. Keeping colors consistent
    2. Color settings
    3. Color-managing documents
    4. Working with color profiles
    5. Understanding color management

Review a PDF hosted in Adobe Document Cloud

If the initiator shared the PDF using the Adobe Document Cloud review service, the email invitation includes a link to the review PDF. When you click the link, the PDF opens in a web browser. You can add comments in the PDF using the commenting tools available in the browser window. No sign-in required. From the web, you can also launch Acrobat Reader or Acrobat desktop application to add comments.

You can join the review in one of the following ways:

  1. In your review email invitation, click the link or the Review button.

    Note: Below is an example email invitation sent via Adobe Document Cloud. The invitation may look different if the initiator sent you a public link to the review PDF in an email.

    Review link in an email

  2. The PDF opens in a web browser. Enter as a guest, or sign in with your Adobe ID and password. Signing in allows you to use @ mention tags, edit or delete your comments anytime.

    Review in a web browser

  3. Add comments to the PDF using the commenting tools. All reviewers can see your comments.

    Adding comments

  4. While reviewing, you can also do the following:

    • Use the @ mention to get the reviewer's attention. Use of the @ mention sends a notification to the named reviewer.
    • Filter Comments () based on comment status like Unread, Resolved, @ mentions, or comment by a reviewer.
    • Use the Options Menu () to view all reviewers, copy shared link, remove yourself as a review participant, or report abuse.

  5. When you have finished your review, click Finished. A notification is shown in Acrobat and an email is sent to the initiator.

  1. In your review email invitation, click the link or the Open button. The PDF opens in a web browser.

  2. In the toolbar, click Open In Acrobat. The PDF is downloaded and opened in Acrobat Reader or Acrobat depending on which application is the default PDF owner.

    Review in desktop app

    Note:

    To join the review, you must have the latest version of Acrobat Reader or Adobe Acrobat installed. For more information, see Adobe Document Cloud review service | Open in Acrobat

  3. In Acrobat Reader or Acrobat, add comments to the PDF using the commenting tools. The comments are automatically saved, and all reviewers can see your comments.

    Note:

    If you are not connected to the Internet, you can still add comments to the PDF. The comments will be saved to the Document Cloud, whenever you connect to the Internet.

  4. While reviewing, you can also do the following:

    • Use the @ mention to get the reviewer's attention. Use of the @ mention sends a notification to the named reviewer.
    • Use Search Comments field to search for a specific term.
    • Sort Comments () based on page, author, date, type, unread status, or color.
    • Filter Comments () based on comment status like Unread, Resolved, Unresolved, @ mentions, or comment by a reviewer, comment types, and color.
    • Use the Options Menu () to edit, mark as unread, resolve, or delete the selected comment.
    • Check the review status for all the participants by clicking the reviewer avatar in the upper-left corner.
    Other review actions on a PDF

    A. Click to view all participants B. Annotation tools C. Click to toggle between managing the shared file and viewing comments D. Search comments E. Sort comments F. Filter comments G. @ Mention 

  5. When you have finished your review, click Done. The review PDF is closed. The initiator gets a notification in Acrobat/Reader and an email is sent.

Review a PDF hosted on SharePoint, WebDAV server, or a Network folder

When you receive an email invitation to a PDF review, the invitation typically includes the PDF as an attachment or provides a URL to the PDF. Alternatively, some invitations include a Forms Data Format (FDF) attachment. When opened, an FDF file configures your review settings and opens the PDF in Acrobat.

PDFs in a review have special features, including commenting tools and a document message bar with instructions. Use the commenting tools to add comments to the PDF and then submit them. Either publish the comments to a comment server where others can see them, or send comments as an email attachment to the review initiator.

Note:

It’s possible to receive a PDF that doesn’t include special features. If so, add your comments using tools in the Tools > Comment toolbar. Then save the PDF and send it back.

To review the PDF later, reopen it from the Tracker. Doing so ensures that your comments are added to the tracked copy of the PDF and that the initiator receives your comments. If you don’t send or publish your comments right away, save the PDF before you close it to avoid losing your comments. Until the initiator receives your comments, they appear only in your local copy of the PDF and aren’t visible to other reviewers.

  1. In your email application, open the PDF by clicking the URL or double-clicking the attachment (PDF or FDF).
  2. Do one or more of the following, if prompted:
    • Log in to Adobe Document Cloud with your Adobe ID and password.
    • Click Connect in the Shared Review dialog box.
    • Click OK in the Welcome To Shared Review window. This window shows the review deadline, participants, whether each reviewer has made any comments, and the comment server location.
    • Type your name, email address, company name, and job title.
  3. Save the file to a location that you can find easily, such as the desktop.

  4. Add comments to the PDF using tools in the Tools > Comment toolbar. To delete a comment, select it and press Delete. (You can only delete the comments that you made.)

  5. Do all of the following that apply:
    • If you’re notified that new comments from other reviewers are available, click the message. New comments appear in the PDF.
    • To find out if new comments are available from other reviewers, click the Check For New Comments button .

  6. Submit your comments by clicking Publish Comments or Send Comments To Review Initiator in the document message bar.

    When you send comments, a PDF containing your comments is sent as an email attachment to the review initiator. When you publish comments, your comments are saved to the comment server.

The options in the document message bar depend on how the initiator set up the review and whether you can access the comment server.

Check For New Comments

Prompts Acrobat to synchronize comments between the comment server and the local hard drive. If you don’t click this button, Acrobat checks for new comments every 10 minutes if the document is open and every hour if the document is closed.

Merge Comments

Copies the comments in the open PDF to your copy. This option is available only for PDFs you receive from reviewers in email-based reviews.

Publish Comments

Available only in shared reviews. Uploads your new comments to the comment server. This button is disabled if the review has ended.

Save An Archive Copy

Available only in shared reviews, when a review has ended. Saves a copy of the document with review comments to your hard drive.

Send Comments

Creates an email message addressed to the review initiator that contains the commented PDF as an attachment. This option is always available for reviewers in email-based reviews. It appears in shared reviews if the reviewer has chosen to work offline or if an attempt to connect to the comment server has failed.

Status

An icon that displays the connected state of the comment server. The icon appears as the last attempt successful icon , the last attempt unsuccessful icon , or the attempting to connect icon . If you click the icon, a menu with additional options appears: Track Reviews opens the Tracker; Save As Archive Copy saves a copy of the PDF that is no longer connected to the review; Work Offline lets you work in offline mode, in which you can make comments but cannot publish them until you switch back to online mode. To switch to online mode, click Reconnect To Server.

When you participate in a shared review, Acrobat synchronizes published comments on your local hard drive with the comments on the server. Acrobat notifies you when new comments are available. Because synchronization continues after the PDF is closed, you’ll continue to receive notifications.

Messages in the notification area inform you when new reviewers join the review, when updates occur (multiple reviews), when deadlines change, and when synchronization attempts fail. They also inform you when a new broadcast subscription is added in the Tracker. You can change the frequency of messages and of comment synchronization, and you can manually trigger the synchronization process.

To view new comments in a shared review, you must be able to connect to the network where the comment server is located. If you can’t connect, check the server status in the Tracker to determine the cause of the problem.

  1. Click the Check For New Comments button  in the document message bar.

If you review a PDF offline or outside a firewall, or if you lose your connection to the comment server, you can send your comments in an email message.

  1. Choose File > Send File > Attach To Email.

  2. In the Send Email dialog box, select Default Email Application, or Use Webmail and choose you webmail client from the Select menu.

  3. Click Continue, and follow the onscreen instructions.

    Note:

    If the PDF exceeds the 5-MB file-size limit, Acrobat prompts you to send your comments in a Forms Data Format (FDF) file. The initiator can import this smaller file. To adjust the limit, open the Preferences dialog box and select Reviewing. Then enter the new value for Send Comments As FDF For Files Greater Than [#] MB.

When you participate in a review, you can receive comments from other reviewers. For example, if a reviewer can’t access the comment server, the reviewer can send you comments. As another example, suppose that you solicited feedback from people who weren’t initially invited to the review. Those reviewers can return a copy of the review PDF to you with their comments. By taking ownership of the comments, you can share them with everyone in the review.

  1. Open the PDF that contains comments.

  2. Do one of the following:
    • Click OK when asked if you want to publish comments for this reviewer. The published comments appear in the PDF. Your name appears in the title bar and the author’s name appears in the body of the comments, preceded by the text On behalf of.
    Note:

    To hide "On behalf of" text, in the Preferences dialog box under Reviewing, deselect Show “On Behalf of” text in comment when user takes ownership of comments in a shared review.

    • Click Yes when asked if you want to merge comments, or click Merge Comments in the document message bar and then click Send Comments. Add email addresses for other reviewers, as needed, and then click Send.
    • In Acrobat or Reader, open a copy of the PDF and choose Comment > Comments List > Options > Import Data File. Select a file with comments from reviewers. Add email addresses for other reviewers, as needed, and then click Send.

Only new or edited comments are published or sent.

Use the Tracker to reopen PDFs in an active review. The Tracker only displays PDFs that you’ve saved. If you didn’t save a PDF the first time you opened it, reopen the PDF from your email application.

  1. Choose View > Tracker.

  2. In the Tracker, double-click the PDF.

  3. Add new comments or edit existing comments. To delete a comment, select it and press Delete. (You can delete only comments that you made.)

    Acrobat removes deleted comments from the online PDF the next time it synchronizes comments. If you delete comments that you sent in an earlier email message, they aren’t deleted in the initiator’s document.

  4. Click Publish Comments in the document message bar.

    Only new or edited comments are published or sent.

More like this

Get help faster and easier

New user?

Quick links

View all your plans Manage your plans
View quick links
Hide quick links

Legal Notices    |    Online Privacy Policy