Import and Export PDF with annotations

sahil48
edited March 21, 2022
Is there a way to export a PDF with the annotations embedded in the PDF so you can read it on other PDF readers with the annotations.

Can a PDF with annotations made with another PDF reader be imported into Zotero?
  • warguelles
    edited March 21, 2022
    https://www.zotero.org/support/kb/annotations_in_database#interacting_with_embedded_annotations
  • sahil48
    Thanks warguelles. Looking at Data Portability, must you export the entire PDF library, or can a single PDF be exported with annotations?

    Thanks.
  • adamsmith
    You can export individual or any number of PDFs with annotations. Just try it out.
  • verazorita
    When Zotero exports a pdf with annotations, does it modify anything else from the file?

    Would it be the same pdf document with the same image quality?
  • adamsmith
    It should in all expectation be the same PDF and the way PDF annotations work in the file format, I'd think that would be pretty reliable, but it's certainly _possible_ you might see something else.
  • verazorita
    So the best practice would be to keep the original file just in case...

    How could I handle this redundancy within the program? Two pdfs under the same entry?
  • adamsmith
    No, there's no need for that: Zotero keeps the original file -- if you export _without_ annotations (or just use Show file), you'll definitely get the exact same file.
  • khenggel
    May I also ask the following, just to make sure I understood correctly and won't accidentally delete all my annotations:

    When using the "Import annotations..." functionality, it copies all annotations stored in the PDF document itself into zotero's annotations DB. As a result, I can see each annotation twice in zotero's integrated PDF viewer.
    Therefore, if I proceed (after the import) to delete all comments in the PDF itself (e.g. in Adobe Acrobat), all comments will still be visible inside zotero. Thus, I will have successfully moved the comments from the PDF file to the zotero DB.
    Is this correct?

    I have tried it with one PDF and this seems to be correct. But I'd just wanted to make double sure because moving the annotations back into the zotero DB is a key step of my workflow to expand already annotated PDFs.
Sign In or Register to comment.