Flatten / Remove Annotations - Free Online Browser Tool

Bake comments and markup into the page, or strip them away entirely, on the pages you choose.

Before sending a document out, you often want the markup gone: comments containing internal discussion, highlight markup, notes left by earlier reviewers. This tool strips all annotation objects — or bakes them into the page — giving you a clean file.

This flatten / remove annotations utility runs completely inside your web browser. Your document is opened locally and processed on your own device using JavaScript and WebAssembly, so your file is never uploaded to any server. There is no signup, no watermark and no limit on how many documents you can handle.

  • 100% client-side - files never leave your device
  • Instant processing, no upload wait
  • Works on desktop, tablet and mobile
  • Free forever, no account required

Common next steps: Flatten Form Fields, Bulk Keyword Redaction, Compress PDF, Strikethrough Text.

How to Use the Flatten / Remove Annotations Tool

Four steps, and the whole thing runs locally on your own device.

  1. Load the annotated PDF

    Drop in the document carrying markup you want gone.

  2. Choose remove or flatten

    Remove deletes the annotation objects entirely. Flatten draws their appearance into the page content so they stay visible but stop being interactive.

  3. Apply to the document

    The chosen treatment is applied across all pages, or across a page range if only part needs cleaning.

  4. Download the clean file

    Save the result and check a page to confirm it looks how you intended.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between removing and flattening?

Removing deletes the annotations, leaving clean page content. Flattening draws their appearance into the page, so the highlights remain visible but are no longer interactive objects.

Why does this matter before sharing a document?

Because comments often contain internal deliberation that was never meant for the recipient, and markup left by earlier reviewers can be confusing or embarrassing.

Does this affect the page content itself?

No. Only annotation objects are affected. Text, images, form fields and page structure are left untouched.

Will flattening change the file size?

Flattening converts lightweight annotations into page drawing content, so the file grows slightly. Removing them does not.

Can I target only certain annotation types?

Apply to a page range to limit it by location. Otherwise the treatment is applied across the annotation types present.