upload_file Getting Started

Click the Open button or drag and drop a file onto the upload area to begin annotating. LanaPDF supports PDF, PNG, JPEG, and TIFF files.

draw Drawing Tools

• pan_tool Select & Move: Click this tool to select any annotation and drag it to a new position. You can also highlight and copy embedded PDF text directly on the page. Use Ctrl/Cmd+C to copy and Ctrl/Cmd+V to paste copied content as a new annotation. Double-click text annotations to edit them. Selected shapes show resize handles for easy resizing.
• stylus Pen: Draw freehand lines and sketches. Click and drag across the document to create custom drawings.
• ink_highlighter Highlighter: Create semi-transparent highlighting effects. Perfect for emphasizing important text or sections.
• ink_eraser Eraser: Remove unwanted annotations. Click on individual items or drag across multiple annotations to erase them.
• text_fields Text: Add text annotations anywhere on the document. Click to place a text box, type your content, and click outside or press Escape to confirm.
• rectangle Rectangle (Hollow): Draw rectangular outlines. Click at one corner and drag to the opposite corner. Resize by selecting and dragging the blue handles.
• magnification_large Rectangle (Solid): Create filled rectangles for covering or emphasizing areas. Resize by selecting and dragging the blue handles.
• circle Circle: Draw circles by clicking at the center and dragging outward to set the size. Resize by selecting and dragging the blue handles.
• east Arrow: Draw directional arrows. Click at the starting point and drag to the endpoint. Resize by selecting and dragging the blue handles.
• horizontal_rule Line: Draw straight lines between two points. Resize by selecting and dragging the blue handles.
• counter_1 Numbered Bubble: Create numbered circles (1, 2, 3, etc.) for sequential marking. The counter automatically increments with each bubble.
• content_cut Cut & Move: Draw a dotted rectangle around any content (PDF text, images, or annotations), cut it out, and place it anywhere on the document. Like old-school MS Paint! The selected area shows animated "marching ants" while selecting.
• content_copy Copy & Paste: Similar to Cut & Move, but leaves the original content intact. Draw a rectangle to select an area, then click anywhere to paste the copy.
• text_fields Text Recognition (OCR): Click "Text Recognition" in the Tools menu to make scanned documents or image-based PDFs selectable. Once processed, you can copy text just like a normal PDF.
• delete_sweep Clear Page: Remove all annotations from the current page only. Other pages remain unaffected.

palette Customizing Your Annotations

• Colors: Choose from preset colors or use a custom color picker for text and shapes. The active color is shown as a swatch in the Color dropdown button.
• Brush Size: Adjust the thickness of pen, highlighter, and shape outlines using the slider (1-20px).
• Opacity: Control transparency of your annotations (10-100%). Lower values create more subtle marks.
• Text Settings: Customize font size (8-72px), font family (40+ Google Fonts + web safe fonts), and apply bold, italic, or underline formatting.
• Numbered Bubbles: Adjust bubble radius (15-50px) and manually set or reset the counter as needed.
• Active Tool Indicator: The Tools dropdown button shows the name of your currently selected tool (e.g., "Select", "Pen", "Rectangle").

zoom_in Navigation & Viewing

• Page Navigation: Use the arrow buttons or page dropdown in the right panel to move between pages.
• Zoom Controls: Click the zoom in/out buttons or use +/- keys for 20% zoom steps. For fine control, use Ctrl/Cmd+Scroll (5% steps). Hold Space and drag to pan the document (both horizontally and vertically when zoomed in).
• Pages View: Click the "Pages" button to see all pages as thumbnails. You can reorder pages by dragging and dropping them.
• Thumbnails: The right panel shows small previews of each page for quick navigation.

more_horiz Additional Actions

• Undo: Revert the most recent action. Works across all pages and keeps a history of up to 50 actions.
• Redo: Restore an action that was undone. Available immediately after using Undo.
• Print: Print the current page with all annotations included.
• Clear All: Remove all annotations from all pages in the document. This action can be undone.

save Saving Your Work

Click the Save button when you're finished annotating. Enter a filename (or use the auto-generated name) and click Save. Your annotated document will be downloaded as a PDF with all annotations permanently embedded.

tips_and_updates Tips & Tricks

• Hold Shift while drawing shapes to constrain proportions (perfect circles and squares).
• Use the Select tool to reposition annotations without redrawing them.
• Adjust opacity before drawing to create layered effects.
• The numbered bubble counter can be reset or manually adjusted at any time.
• Text boxes can be resized by dragging the resize handle before typing.
• Double-click text annotations with the Select tool to edit their content.
• Use the Pages modal to reorder pages in multi-page documents.
• Drop Images: Drag and drop an image file from your desktop directly onto the PDF canvas to add it as an annotation. You can then move and resize it like any shape.
• Shape Resizing: Select any rectangle, circle, arrow, or line with the Select tool to see blue resize handles. Drag any handle to resize the shape from any direction.
• Toolbar Indicators: Check the Tools and Color dropdown buttons to see your currently active tool and selected color.
• Return Home: Click the LanaPDF logo in the header to return to the file upload page. You'll be prompted to confirm since unsaved work will be lost.

keyboard Keyboard Shortcuts

Tool Selection:

• S: Select & Move tool
• P: Pen tool
• H: Highlighter tool
• E: Eraser tool
• T: Text tool
• C: Cut & Move tool
• V: Copy & Paste tool
• R: Rectangle tool
• F: Solid Rectangle tool
• O: Circle tool
• A: Arrow tool
• L: Line tool
• N: Numbered Bubble tool

Actions:

• Ctrl/Cmd+C: Copy highlighted PDF text or selected annotation
• Ctrl/Cmd+V: Paste copied annotation
• Ctrl/Cmd+Z: Undo last annotation
• Ctrl/Cmd+Y or Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+Z: Redo last undone annotation
• Escape: Deselect current tool, cancel drawing, or close modals
• Delete/Backspace: Remove selected annotation (in Select mode)
• + / =: Zoom in (20% steps)
• -: Zoom out (20% steps)
• Ctrl/Cmd+Scroll: Fine-grained zoom in/out (5% steps for precise control)
• Space+Drag: Pan/scroll the document (hand tool)
• Arrow Keys: Navigate between pages