Last updated on Feb 5, 2025

Learn how to share PDFs with others for reviewing and adding comments.

You can share only PDF files for reviewing and commenting. To share a non-PDF file, you must first convert it to a PDF. When you share a PDF for review, recipients receive an email with a link to the file. They need to sign in to review the document and add comments. Additionally, you can set custom access permissions when sharing PDFs.

  1. Open the document that you want to share and then from the top menu, select Share.

  2. To set custom access, select the Link settings option at the bottom and then select one of the following access options:

    • Anyone on the internet with the link to create a public link. Public links can be shared with large audiences without requiring sign-in but not for sensitive information.
    • People in <organization> with the link (For enterprise users only) to provide access to anyone within the organization.
    • Invited people only (For subscription users only) to share access with the invited collaborators only. Recipients need to request access to privately shared documents. The owner is notified of new requests and can grant or deny access via desktop or web, retaining full control over document accessibility.
    Note:

    For enterprise users, the Anyone in <organization> with the link option is selected by default. Enterprise admins can manage user access via the Adobe Admin Console. These settings are unaffected by the access controls in Acrobat.

    Document open view in Acrobat displays the 'Send settings' dialog with opitons to set custom share settings and Apply button.
    If you select the 'Invite people only' option, select Next to add the email addresses of the required participants.

  3. If you change the default access option, select Apply. Else, select Cancel to return to the Share dialog.

  4. In the Enter name or email field, enter the email addresses of recipients.  

  5. To set a review deadline, select Add deadline and then choose a date.

    Document open view in Acrobat shows an Invite members dialog with the option to 'Add deadline' highlighted in orange.
    Add the email addresses of recipients and optionally add a message for them. You can also chose to post the message as a comment by selecting the checkbox.

  6. Ensure the People can comment on this file toggle is turned ON.

  7. Select Invite.

    Tip:

    The shared document appears in your list of Shared by you documents, where you can track the status of shared documents.

Once the document is shared, the recipients receive an email notification with a link to open it. Recipients must sign in to review the document and add comments.

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