Flatten annotations
Flattening turns saved annotations into part of the page content. The marks still look the same, but they can no longer be edited, moved or deleted. Use it before sharing a final copy when you do not want recipients to change or remove your markup.
Flatten a document
- Save your markup first, because only saved annotations are flattened.
- Choose Document ▸ Flatten annotations….
- Under Apply to, choose All pages or Current page.
- Choose Flatten.
If the document has unsaved changes, the dialog also offers Save first, which saves and then flattens.
What is and is not flattened
| Annotation | Result |
|---|---|
| Already saved in the file | Flattened |
| Drawn since the file was opened | Not affected; stays editable |
| Edited or deleted since the last save | Skipped; the dialog tells you how many. Choose Save first to flatten what you see |
If there is nothing to flatten you see "No saved annotations to flatten" (or "...on this page").
Undo and irreversibility
Flattening is one undo step while the document is open, and undo restores the annotations (see Undo and redo). Once you save and close the file, the change cannot be reversed. Keep an unflattened copy of the file before you flatten and save.
Important
A flattened mark can still be seen and copied by anyone. Flattening does not hide anything; to remove content permanently, use Redaction.
Note
Read-only documents cannot be flattened. Flattened marks are no longer editable in the Comments panel.
Author name
Annotations you save carry your author name. See Author name to change it.