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How to Unlock Comments in PDF? Stepwise Guide

PDF commenting is essential primarily for review, feedback, and broader collaboration. But document owners often disable commenting and annotation in PDF documents, stopping viewers from commenting, adding notes, and more. This may cause frustration, so follow this guide on how to unlock comments in PDF for improving communication, collaboration, and inserting feedback. It includes all the practical & advanced methods for adding comments to a locked PDF file with ease.

Why Can’t Add Comments to a PDF Document?

There are various reasons behind being unable to add comments, notes, and other annotations in PDF document. Below are the major causes for why can’t add comments in a PDF document:

• Sometimes the PDF file is secured with comment or annotation protection, preventing viewers from inserting any unwanted feedback.
• If your document has owner-level protection, it certainly limits user collaboration and the PDF’s accessibility when required.
• Lastly, if the PDF file is read-only, it prevents users from taking any action or modifying the comments.

Overall, these are the common reasons for “can’t add comment in PDF document”. Now, let’s understand the comment protection.

In summary, comment protection helps keep your document safe from unwanted feedback and collaboration. But it equally limits legitimate users from adding or updating the information for effortless communication. So, let’s move to learn more.

Why do Users Want to Remove Comment Restrictions from PDF File?

The comment protection in PDF documents often acts as a limitation, especially when deleting or inserting the necessary reviews. Here are the common reasons to add comments to a locked PDF file:

• Add Genuine Feedback: The editors or writers need to share genuine feedback or suggestions on an academic or other document. The comment protection causes a barrier; removing the limitation allows viewers to add a review without changing the existing document structure and formatting.
• Foster Team Collaboration: After unlocking commenting in the PDF document, the team can make suggestions, improve communication, and deliver desired outputs. In other words, it fosters collaboration and productivity.
• Easy Communication with Client: Comment lock prevents clients from adding revisions and leaving suggestions. Once you unlock PDF for editing and commenting, clients and marketers can easily review the document while adding feedback and more without delay.

Overall, these are the benefits of removing the comment restrictions from PDF document. Now, let’s move to understand how to check comment or annotation protection.

How Can I Check Comment Restriction in PDF?

1. To check whether the PDF locked with comment protection, use Adobe Acrobat Reader.
2. Navigate to the File feature and then, the Properties function.
3. After this, Security > look for Document Restriction Summary.
4. Here check- Comment: Allowed or Not.
   

If it shows “Not Allowed”, it means the document is protected with comment security. Now, look for ways to add comments in a locked PDF document.

Now, let’s walk through the methods.

#1 How to Remove Comment Restrictions from PDF with Adobe Acrobat?

To unlock all comments in PDF document, try the Adobe Acrobat tool. It is a professional yet advanced utility for adding comments to a locked PDF document. This is a comprehensive solution for managing documents when secured with a strong password and owner permissions.

In other words, the tool is useful for removing all types of owner protection, allowing users to add and delete comments without affecting the existing formatting. Now, follow the detailed steps to add comments to a locked PDF using Acrobat:

1. To unlock comment protection, open Adobe Acrobat.
2. Pick File and look for the Properties feature > click Security.
3. After this, use No Security to enable commenting in the PDF document.
4. Now, allowing PDF commenting and pressing OK to save the changed settings with ease.

#2 How to Add Comments to a Secured PDF File – Free Online Websites

To unlock comments in PDF documents, online tools are the best choice for everyone; ideal for beginners and professional users. Without installing any software and signups, you can remove all owner-applied protection, such as commenting and annotation, in a single attempt.

These free tools are simple and accessible on all devices—no size limitation. Now, follow the quick steps on how to add comments to a locked PDF using online websites:

1. Search for any free online platform on your device.
2. After this, use drag or drop to browse PDF with comment protection.
3. Now, provide the password > hit the Start button to begin the process.

Working Guide on How to Remove Comment Restrictions from PDF

1. Install the offline automated utility on your desired system.
2. From the dual option, click Add Files to upload multiple files.
   
3. Provide the password in the display column> tab Save button.
   
4. To browse the path for the output file, click Change and then, hit Unlock.
5. Now, view all the PDF files for commenting or adding feedback.

Wrap Up!

In the above guide, we have shared 3 ways on how to unlock comments in PDF document. You can choose any of these solutions to enable commenting in PDFs. Both Adobe and online tools have major limitations; it is suggested to use automated software. It is offline, cost-saving, and useful for removing comment protection in batch mode.