# Using PDF file annotations

**URL:** <https://discourse.jabref.org/t/using-pdf-file-annotations/3167>\
**Category:** Help\
**Created:** [January 24, 2022, 11:00pm UTC](https://discourse.jabref.org/t/using-pdf-file-annotations/3167 "2022-01-24T23:00:22Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 8\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![johnk1](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/discourse.jabref.org/johnk1/32/1238_2.png) [@johnk1](https://discourse.jabref.org/u/johnk1)\
**Post date:** [January 24, 2022, 11:00pm UTC](https://discourse.jabref.org/t/using-pdf-file-annotations/3167/1 "2022-01-24T23:00:22Z")

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Hi,  
Firstly I would like to say thank you for developing such an excellent research tool.

Is there any way of including data from PDF annotations in exports?  
Alternatively is there any way of importing PDF annotations into the Comments field?

Thanks,  
John

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**Author:** ![ThiloteE](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/discourse.jabref.org/thilotee/32/1008_2.png) [@ThiloteE](https://discourse.jabref.org/u/ThiloteE)\
**Post date:** [February 11, 2022, 2:45am UTC](https://discourse.jabref.org/t/using-pdf-file-annotations/3167/2 "2022-02-11T02:45:21Z")

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1. Export to where?

2. I think, with Biblatex, annotations are stored in the `annotation` or `annotations` field. I am not sure, if this is done automatically after having attached a pdf file to an entry, but as long as they are present (you should see it, if you check your library file in `{} biblatex source` tab), you could try to append them to the comments field.  
You can find this under `edit > Manage field names & content`  
 ![image](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/uploads/jabref/original/2X/1/1646d0dff4c2c1507e6d6fe722a2d9ca03e44fb3.png)

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**Author:** ![Siedlerchr](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/discourse.jabref.org/siedlerchr/32/216_2.png) [@Siedlerchr](https://discourse.jabref.org/u/Siedlerchr)\
**Post date:** [February 11, 2022, 7:55pm UTC](https://discourse.jabref.org/t/using-pdf-file-annotations/3167/3 "2022-02-11T19:55:27Z")

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@ThiloteE@johnk1 The PDF annotations are not stored anywhere in the bibtex file. They are just cached in memory.  
If you comment/mark/highlight something in an attached PDF file, they can be viewed in the entry editor.

But I agree this would be a useful feature to either store them in the bib file or to have an option to export them.  
I think there have been similiar feature requests.

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**Author:** ![ThiloteE](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/discourse.jabref.org/thilotee/32/1008_2.png) [@ThiloteE](https://discourse.jabref.org/u/ThiloteE)\
**Post date:** [February 12, 2022, 12:32am UTC](https://discourse.jabref.org/t/using-pdf-file-annotations/3167/4 "2022-02-12T00:32:29Z")

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oh no 😕  
Sorry, I should have done more testing for this.

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**Author:** ![johnk1](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/discourse.jabref.org/johnk1/32/1238_2.png) [@johnk1](https://discourse.jabref.org/u/johnk1)\
**Post date:** [February 13, 2022, 11:36pm UTC](https://discourse.jabref.org/t/using-pdf-file-annotations/3167/5 "2022-02-13T23:36:03Z")

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Hi,  
Thanks for you help. That makes sense. I will have a search for the existing feature request and see what the status is.  
Kind regards,  
John

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**Author:** ![johnk1](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/discourse.jabref.org/johnk1/32/1238_2.png) [@johnk1](https://discourse.jabref.org/u/johnk1)\
**Post date:** [February 13, 2022, 11:56pm UTC](https://discourse.jabref.org/t/using-pdf-file-annotations/3167/6 "2022-02-13T23:56:08Z")

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Hi,  
I have searched in the following locations and was unable to find an existing feature request:

> **[Issues · JabRef/jabref](https://github.com/JabRef/jabref/labels/type:%20feature)**
>
> Graphical Java application for managing BibTeX and biblatex (.bib) databases - Issues · JabRef/jabref

> **[Issues · JabRef/jabref](https://github.com/JabRef/jabref/labels/type:%20enhancement)**
>
> Graphical Java application for managing BibTeX and biblatex (.bib) databases - Issues · JabRef/jabref

> **[Features](https://discourse.jabref.org/c/features/6)**
>
> You are missing an important feature? Let us know!

I’ll try to find time to do some more analysis on this.  
What I need to understand is what would be the best approach to add this feature.  
Would it be better to expand the bibtex data format to allow PDF Annotations to be stored directly or would it make more sense to have some kind of an import function to copy PDF Annotations into Comments?  
With the second option I can see updates becoming problematic unless it overwrites all comments which may not be desirable.  
Thanks again,  
John

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**Author:** ![ThiloteE](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/discourse.jabref.org/thilotee/32/1008_2.png) [@ThiloteE](https://discourse.jabref.org/u/ThiloteE)\
**Post date:** [February 14, 2022, 4:34am UTC](https://discourse.jabref.org/t/using-pdf-file-annotations/3167/7 "2022-02-14T04:34:15Z")

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I wonder, would enabling this feature by default add to existing performance issues for large libraries? If that were the case and if this feature were to be implemented, maybe it would make sense adding it just as a preference that disables and enables storing annotations in the library file (in a bib(la)tex formated way)?

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**Author:** ![su\_xin](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/discourse.jabref.org/su_xin/32/1797_2.png) [@su\_xin](https://discourse.jabref.org/u/su_xin)\
**Post date:** [January 22, 2024, 2:22am UTC](https://discourse.jabref.org/t/using-pdf-file-annotations/3167/8 "2024-01-22T02:22:02Z")

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you may need a pdf annotation software, such as Adobe Acrobat, Xodo, or Foxit. pctechtest