6 Solutions on How to Draw on a PDF on Mac/Windows/Online

Have you ever needed to draw on a PDF in order to highlight important parts, supplement contents, correct writing mistakes or illustrate your new ideas? Can’t find PDF software that includes rich brush tools at an affordable price, or even without paying for it? In this post, we explore 6 PDF solutions on how to draw on a PDF for Mac, Windows, even users who need free online ways.

For Mac Users:

For Windows Users:

Free Ways:

 Cisdem PDFMaster

Pick the Best Drawing Application

• Draw, highlight, underline, squiggly or strikeout the content on PDF.
• Insert objectives like different shapes, callouts, comments and images.
• Draw rectangle, circle, ovals, cloud, polygon, arrow, arc and more.
• Customize brush color, thickness, opacity and style.
• Create a new signature by drawing, typing or uploading.
• Remove any annotation you don’t want with the erase tool.
• Drawing tools and annotation tools are versatile and reliable.

Free Download   Free Download

Draw on a PDF with the Best Drawing App

If you are looking for a rich-featured and affordable drawing app on Mac or Windows device, don’t pass up Cisdem PDFMaster. This top drawing program provides more than 20+ drawing tools for you, including free hand, lines, shapes (rectangle, arrow, circle, arc, polygon, polyline), sticky notes, stamps, callout, etc. 

Colorful brushes make it more interesting when reading the PDF document. To differentiate the importance of content, you can customize the thickness of the brush freely. Can’t draw regular shapes? Just choose the shapes you want in the toolbar to insert. Furthermore, if you need to supplement some contents but there is not enough space to add, insert sticky notes and input your new ideas with ease. 

Easy Guide to Draw on a PDF on Windows/Mac:

1. Download and install Cisdem PDFMaster for free trial.
   Free Download   Free Download
2. Click on the Open Files icon and import your PDF file.
3. Go to Tools > Freehand.
4. Use the Free Hand tool to draw lines on PDF, or draw anything you want on the PDF. Here’s what you can do with PDFMaster:
   ►Annotate PDF: Underline text, strikeout text, highlight text, add notes, free text, insert text and replace text.
   ►Add Shapes: Add rectangle, circle, line and arrow.
   ►Others: Insert signature, stamps, images, file attachment, callout and others to your PDF with just a click.
5. Draw on the PDF on Mac, you can change the line color, or custom the opacity and stroke in the toolbar.
6. Now, just save the final result to your Mac/Windows.

Draw on a PDF on Mac Preview

When it comes to PDF solutions on Mac, Preview is definitely a hot topic. So we guess that you must be interested in this part. We’re sure you’ve used the drawing tools in Preview at one time or another when editing images. Actually, you can also draw on a PDF on Mac with Preview. If you need to erase the drawing, just press Delete on your keyboard, or right-click your mouse to remove it.

How to Draw on a PDF on Mac Preview?

1. Open the PDF with Preview to start drawing.
2. Click Show Markup Toolbar on the top.
3. Choose Sketch to draw freehand objects to the PDF document.
4. You can change shape style, border color, fill color and text style in the toolbar.

Draw on a PDF on Mac with Adobe Reader

Most PDF readers on the market come with a set of drawing tools. In addition to Preview, there are many famous PDF readers who support drawing on a PDF on Mac, such as Adobe Acrobat Reader, Foxit PDF Reader, Skim, etc. Here we will talk in detail about how to draw on a PDF on Mac with Adobe Acrobat Reader DC.

How to Draw on a PDF in Adobe?

1. Import the PDF you want to draw from your device folders or the cloud services.
2. Choose the Comment tool on the right pane.
3. Use the Pencil tool to draw lines, arrows, rectangles, different patterns, and it’s easy to change the line thickness, color and opacity.
   To remove some patterns by clicking the Pencil Eraser tool.
4. Finally, click on the Save file button to apply your drawing on the PDF.

Draw on a PDF on Windows 10/11 with PDF Annotator

We don’t ignore the needs of Windows users, so we pick powerful drawing tools — PDF Annotator. Different from other annotators, this program can hide all annotations with just a click. In addition to drawing tools, this Windows-only application also allows users to add images, combine PDF files, create & convert PDF, print PDF, present PDF, split PDF and rearrange pages.

How to Draw on a PDF on Windows 10/11?

1. Go to File > Open and choose a PDF document from your folder.
2. Click on the Tool tab, and choose the Pen tool from the drop-down menu. Up to 15+ drawing tools you can use in PDF annotator.
3. You can also find the drawing tools from the toolbar directly.
   On the left pane, versatile tool styles you can choose from. 
4. Finally, go to File > Save as to complete your changes.

Draw on PDF Online for Free

No need to download any PDF editor or PDF readers? As a free online PDF editor, PDF Bob can accommodate your drawing needs on PDF. Three tabs on the toolbar: Annotate, Edit and Mange Pages. However, the editing tool can’t edit or replace the existing text in PDF. When you are ready to export your file, there are three output formats you can choose: PDF, JPG and PNG. Set the filename and password also works.

How to Draw on a PDF Online for Free?

1. Upload a PDF file or drop it to PDF Bob from the hard drive.
2. Press on the Annotate tab and choose the Pencil tool on the left pane.
   Then you can draw lines, versatile shapes, arrows and different annotations on your PDF for free. 
3. Then click Export on the top-right corner to save the annotated PDF.

Draw on a PDF in Google Drive

Most users are used to storing PDF files in Google Drive, actually the features of Google Drive are much more than that. Open the PDF file stored in it with Google Docs, and you will get the opportunity to edit and draw the document. There are many created shapes, arrows, bubbles, lines for you to choose from, and you can even do mind maps. 

How to Draw on a PDF in Google Drive?

1. Log into your Google Drive, open a PDF file with Google Docs.
2. Go to Insert > Drawing > New to open the drawing panel.
3. There are versatile shapes, arrows, callouts and equations you can choose. 
   And you can draw line, arrow, elbow connector, curved connector, curve, polyline and scribble.
4. If you want to add text in different styles, go to Actions > Word art and enter the text into the appearing text box. 
   Change the font, size, color, and other text styles as you like.
5. Then click Save and Close.

Now, start drawing on a PDF...

After learning about those methods to draw on a PDF on Mac/Windows/Online, you absolutely find the one you like. Not all of them will suit every user, so you should free try them and pick your favorite. Now, start drawing on your PDF...