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How to Comment on a Secured PDF – Lock/Unlock PDF Comments

  author
Written By Kumar Raj
Anuraag Singh
Approved By Anuraag Singh
Published On October 6th, 2023
Reading Time 8 Minutes Reading

Adding comments to PDF document has now become a day-to-day necessity for users. However, as we know PDF files are more popular because of the different types of security in them. Restrictions on PDF cause difficulty for the users to perform any action on them.  So, this post will let users know how to comment on a secured PDF file in a proper way. We will also explain how to lock comments on PDF after completing your task.

Table of Contents:

Enable Comment on Protected PDF Using Reliable & Low Cost Tool

In order to perform any action on the restricted PDF file, a user needs to unlock it first. Now, to make PDF free from comment security, take the help of a professional solution.

PDF Password Remover is one such popular application to remove all types of restrictions from a secured PDF file. It let users remove comment restriction from PDF file in just a few simple clicks. The software is designed in such a manner that it does not require Adobe Acrobat installed on the local machine.

It can easily remove owner-level security and enables you to comment on protected PDF without any trouble. A user can run this tool on any version of Microsoft Windows OS. After completing the process to delete security, users can add comments to protected PDF files.

The tool is also available for Mac Users as Well

Steps to Unlock Comments in PDF File

1- Launch and run the tool on Windows OS.

comment on a secured pdf

2- Browse PDF files by clicking on Add Files / Add Folder option.

inserting PDF files

 3- Choose either the Save or Print option & click on Change to select the destination.

set the file location to save

4- Hit the Unlock button & start the process.

comment on a secured pdf

Note: Users can also check the commenting permissions by opening the file in Adobe Reader >> Properties >>Security. They can notice that before it was “Not Allowed” and after using the tool it will be changed to “Allowed”.

unlock comments in pdf

Now, to know how to add comments, continue reading the post below.

Comment on a Secured PDF After Unlocking It

Whenever a user communicates with colleagues related to the material in a PDF, adding comments to PDF documents is more convenient instead of somewhere else. Therefore, to know how to add comment on a locked PDF document, a user can use Adobe Acrobat Reader DC.

Different Types of Commenting

#1: Using Annotation and Markup Tool: Adding comments to PDF documents can be easily done by using annotation and drawing markup tools. These tools are not visible, a user needs to look for them in the Comment feature in the secondary toolbar. Now, to make these annotation and markup tools visible follow the steps mentioned below:

    • Open PDF file and click on Tools >> Comment in order to open the Comment toolbar.
    • After that, choose any desired annotation tool.
    • To add drawing markup tools, open the Comment toolbar, and click on the Drawing Tools icon from the toolbar. Choose Expand Drawing Tools option to add them to the secondary toolbar.

#2: Add Sticky Notes: Comments are basically notes or drawings, which make it easy for the users to communicate their ideas to the users. It is also helpful in giving feedback for the particular PDF file. 

With the Sticky Note tool, users can add comment on a secured PDF file. After removing the security with the help of the tool described above a user can easily add a sticky note to secure PDF by Adobe Acrobat Reader DC. To do so, follow the steps mentioned below:

    • Open the Comment toolbar and choose the Sticky Note tool option.
    • After that, click on the location where you want to place the sticky note.
    • Now, you can type text in the pop-up note. You can choose the text from PDF also to copy it into the note.

Edit a Sticky Note Comment

    1. You simply need to double-click on the sticky note icon.
    2. Now, to change the size, either drag the lower left or lower right corner.
    3. To alter the formatting of the text, you have to click on the Text Properties icon.
    4. Then, choose the text and the property from the toolbar.
    5. At last, click outside the sticky note to save the changes.

#3 Add a Text Comment: A user can add text comment on a secured PDF by typing anywhere in the PDF file as a text comment. To do so, follow the steps mentioned below:

      1. First of all, click on the Add Text Comment tool from the Comment toolbar to add text as a comment
      2. After that, click on the page in the PDF to point the cursor
      3. Then, you have to specify the font size, font, and all other attributes related to the text.

#4 Add a Line, Shape, Arrow: A user can take the help of a drawing tool in Adobe in order to add a line, rectangle, or any other shape. After that, type a text message in the pop-up note. Follow the steps mentioned below:

    1. Navigate to Tools >> Comment option.
    2. Then, from the Comment toolbar, click on the Drawing Tools.
    3. Now, you can choose any of the drawing markup tools like Rectangle, Oval, Arrow, Line, Polygon, Pencil, or Eraser.
    4. After that, you can draw any line, arrow, or shape using dragging them where it is required.
    5. Now, you can change the size of the markup also. Simply, click on it and drag one of its handles and adjust it accordingly.

#5 Add a Text Box: A user is allowed to add a TextBox also directly to comment on a secured PDF file. Follow the below-mentioned steps for the same:

    1. Go to the Comment toolbar, select Add Text Box tool.
    2. After that, you need to click anywhere in the PDF file.
    3. Then, select the Text Properties icon from the Comment toolbar. Next, choose the color, alignment, and other font attributes.
    4. Now, you can type the text, which you want to add. Then, click outside the text box in the PDF file.
    5. If you want to delete it, just click on it the text box and press the Delete button.

Apart from all this, a user can add audio and image also as a comment in the PDF file.

Note: From the above-discussed sections, we came to know about the best professional tool that can enable commenting in PDF documents. But, this tool also comes with a kit, consisting of 6 software to organize PDF files. With these different tools, multiple tasks can be performed by the user on the PDF documents. Also, this small kit is now available only for $49. So grab it as soon as possible.

Also Read: Split PDF into Odd and Even Pages Time Saving Approach

How to Lock Comments in PDF?

Many times, a user wants to unlock comments in PDF, then add and edit comments as required, and finally lock comments in PDF again. We have included this section for these users. The process to unlock and add comments is explained above. So that leaves us with locking them again. Here is the process:

  1. Open the PDF file in Adobe Acrobat.
  2. Go to File > Properties or Document Properties.
  3. Go to Security.
  4. Select Password Security in the dropdown.
  5. In the Changes Allowed drop-down list, select one of the first 3 options to lock PDF comments.
  6. Enter the permission password and confirm it.
  7. Click OK on all windows to close them.
  8. Save the PDF file.
  9. That’s it! You now have locked comments in PDF file.

Conclusion

To comment on protected PDF is one of the important necessities among users because it is one of the best ways of expressing views in PDF. But, firstly, it is needed to enable commenting in PDF file & for that users can opt for the professional solution. After that, they can add the different types of comment on a secured PDF and make it easier for others to understand your point of view.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q- Which is the cheaper and more reliable tool to unlock comments in PDF?

To add comments like sticky notes, shapes using a drawing tool, etc., you can use the above software by SysTools. It is available for both Mac and Windows.

Q- Why I cannot add a sticky note to a PDF document?

It’s because your PDF file is restricted for commenting. So first u need to enable permissions for commenting.

Q- How can I enable commenting on protected PDF documents?

There are two ways one is by using a manual (Adobe Acrobat Pro DC) and another is by using a third-party tool (PDF File Restriction Remover) to enable commenting on secured PDF documents.

  author

By Kumar Raj

A versatile writer with the vast knowledge of technology helps to reduce the gap between a user and technology. Provides easy and reliable ways to resolve multiple technical issues, which users encounter in their day-to-day life.