# PDF Annotation Extractor

> PDF Annotation Extractor (at https://pdfannotations.com) is a privacy-first, local online tool that extracts highlights, comments, and nested discussions from PDF documents. It processes files entirely in your browser memory via WebAssembly—ensuring 100% privacy with zero data uploads.

- Live site: https://pdfannotations.com
- Pricing: Generous Free tier available with no account required for core extraction tools. Premium features available via subscription (see [Pricing Details](https://pdfannotations.com/pricing/)).
- 100% Local & Secure: Zero data upload. All PDF parsing and extraction happens directly in the user's browser using WebAssembly.
- Built for Knowledge Management (PKM): Easily move PDF highlights into tools like Obsidian and Notion.
- Multilingual: Full support for 11 languages (English, Chinese, Spanish, Japanese, French, German, Portuguese, Italian, Korean, Russian, and Indonesian).

## How It Works
1. Upload
Drag & drop or select your PDF file.

2. Extract
Auto-detects highlights, notes, and comments.

3. Customize
Filter by color or annotation type.

4. Export
Save to Markdown, Notion, CSV, and more.

## Main Tools & Core Capabilities

- [PDF Highlight and Annotation Extraction](https://pdfannotations.com/export-pdf-annotations/): The primary tool to extract both highlighted text, underlines, and comments from your PDF documents rapidly and securely.
- [Extract Highlights Only](https://pdfannotations.com/export-pdf-highlights/): A dedicated tool specifically optimized for extracting just the highlighted texts and markups across the document.
- [Extract Comments & Nested Replies](https://pdfannotations.com/export-pdf-comments/): Automatically extract sticky notes, comments, and nested reply chains/discussions from PDFs, maintaining the exact context of the conversations.

## Engine Features

- Intelligent Extraction Modes: Choose between "Exact Extraction" (extracts the exact highlighted words) and "Full-Sentence Extraction" mode (intelligently expands the highlight to capture the complete sentence context).
- Batch Multi-File Processing: Process and extract annotations from multiple PDF files simultaneously in one batch, saving you time.
- Page Range Selection: Select specific page ranges to extract annotations only from the parts of the document you actually need.
- Annotation Editing and Deletion: Edit extracted texts, correct OCR or parsing mistakes, or delete unwanted highlights directly within the tool before exporting.
- Filter and Group by Color: Filter your extracted annotations by their highlight color (e.g., only show red highlights) or group them efficiently, allowing you to organize your reading themes.
- Custom Export Templates: Personalize exactly how your exported data looks. Use customizable template variables to design standard output blocks.

## Supported Export Formats

- [Notion and Obsidian Export](https://pdfannotations.com/export-pdf-annotations/): One-click ready outputs strictly formatted for PKM tools like Notion and Obsidian.
- [Markdown, CSV, and Text Export](https://pdfannotations.com/export-pdf-annotations/): Export all processed annotations to universally accepted formats like Markdown (.md), plain text (.txt), and CSV.
- [JSON Export for Developers](https://pdfannotations.com/export-pdf-annotations/): Provides raw structured JSON exports detailing exact spatial coordinates, color hex codes, nested replies, and metadata for developers aiming to automate workflows.

## Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: Is my data truly safe?**
A: Yes, 100%. We process all files locally in your browser using WebAssembly. Your documents never leave your device and are never uploaded to any server. You can verify this by turning off your internet—the tool will still work.

**Q: Is there a file size limit?**
A: No arbitrary limits. Since processing happens locally on your device, the only limit is your browser's available memory. Files under 100MB run instantly.

**Q: Does it support scanned PDFs?**
A: Currently, we support text-based PDFs (documents with a selectable text layer). For scanned images without OCR, you will need to run OCR software first.

**Q: How do I import the results into Obsidian or Notion?**
A: Simply export as Markdown (for Obsidian) or CSV/Notion Block. For Obsidian, you can drag the `.md` file into your vault. For Notion, you can paste the blocks directly or use the "Merge with CSV" feature in a database.

**Q: Which languages are supported?**
A: Our native extraction engine supports all major language scripts (including English, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean) for processing your PDFs, while the tool's interface is fully localized in 11 languages.