Sometimes you need more than just text highlights and comments on a PDF. Maybe you need to circle an important clause in a contract, draw an arrow pointing to a specific section, sketch a diagram on top of a floor plan, or just doodle a quick note. Whatever the reason, drawing on a PDF is easier than you might think — and you do not need expensive software to do it. Here is a complete guide to drawing on PDFs for free in 2026.
The Easiest Way: Browser-Based Tools
Microsoft Edge (Free, Built In)
If you use Windows, Microsoft Edge is surprisingly capable for PDF drawing. Open any PDF in Edge and you get access to a drawing toolbar at the top of the screen.
- Draw: Freehand pen drawing in multiple colors and sizes
- Highlight: Highlighter tool for marking text and areas
- Erase: Eraser for removing your drawings
- Add notes: Sticky notes and text annotations
This works great with a mouse, touchscreen, or stylus. Save the annotated PDF directly from Edge.
PDFgear (Free, All Platforms)
PDFgear is a genuinely free PDF editor (no watermarks, no trial limits) that includes a full drawing toolkit. You can draw freehand, add shapes (rectangles, circles, arrows, lines), and use a highlighter. It is available for Windows, Mac, and iOS.
- Freehand drawing with adjustable pen size and color
- Shape tools: rectangle, circle, line, arrow
- Text box annotations
- Highlighter and strikeout tools
- Save drawings permanently into the PDF
Online PDF Drawing Tools (No Download)
Canva
Canva is not just for social media graphics — it also lets you upload a PDF and draw on it. Import your PDF, use the drawing tools, shapes, and text features, then download the annotated version. The free tier is more than enough for basic annotation work.
PDFescape Online
PDFescape offers a free online PDF editor with drawing capabilities. Upload your PDF and use the freehand draw tool, add shapes, insert text, and add whiteout. The free version has a page limit (10 pages, 10MB max file) but works well for quick annotations.
Sejda PDF Editor
Sejda has an online PDF editor with a clean drawing tool. The free tier lets you work on documents up to 200 pages or 50MB with a 3-task-per-hour limit. You can draw freehand, add shapes, and type text directly onto the PDF.
Desktop Software for Advanced Drawing
Adobe Acrobat Reader (Free)
Adobe Acrobat Reader includes basic drawing and annotation tools for free. Use the Comment toolbar to access the drawing markups: pencil, shapes, lines, arrows, and polygons. You can also add sticky notes and text callouts.
The free version lets you draw and annotate. To save the drawings as a flattened PDF (where annotations become permanent), you may need to use Print to PDF as a workaround.
Xodo PDF Studio
Xodo offers both online and desktop PDF editing with robust drawing tools. The free version includes freehand drawing, shapes, text annotations, and highlighting. It syncs across devices via cloud storage, which is convenient if you start on your computer and finish on your tablet.
LibreOffice Draw (Free)
LibreOffice Draw can open PDFs and let you draw on top of them. It is fully free and open source. The drawing capabilities are extensive — you get a full vector graphics editor with shapes, lines, curves, text, and more. The main downside is that it may not preserve complex PDF formatting perfectly when you re-save.
Drawing on PDF on Mobile
iPhone and iPad
- Apple Markup: Open the PDF in Files app, tap the Markup button (pen icon) for instant drawing tools. Works with Apple Pencil on iPad.
- PDFgear for iOS: Free app with full drawing and annotation tools.
- Notability / GoodNotes: Premium note-taking apps that let you import PDFs and draw freely with Apple Pencil. Excellent for students.
Android
- Xodo PDF Reader: Free app with drawing, highlighting, and shape annotations.
- Adobe Acrobat Reader: Free drawing and commenting tools on Android.
- PDFgear for Android: Free drawing and annotation features.
- Samsung Notes: If you have a Samsung device with an S Pen, Samsung Notes handles PDF annotation beautifully.
Drawing Tools Comparison
| Tool | Platform | Free? | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Edge | Windows | Yes | Quick freehand drawing |
| PDFgear | Win, Mac, iOS | Yes | Full editing suite |
| Canva | Web | Freemium | Visual annotations |
| Sejda | Web | Freemium | Quick online edits |
| Adobe Acrobat | All | Freemium | Professional annotations |
| Xodo | All | Freemium | Cross-device syncing |
| Apple Markup | iOS/iPadOS | Yes | iPad with Apple Pencil |
| LibreOffice Draw | Win, Mac, Linux | Yes | Advanced vector drawing |
Tips for Better PDF Drawings
- Use a stylus or Apple Pencil: Freehand drawing with a mouse is painful. A stylus makes it feel natural.
- Choose contrasting colors: Red and blue show up well on most documents. Avoid yellow unless you are highlighting.
- Use shapes instead of freehand: Arrows and circles look cleaner than hand-drawn ones. Use shape tools when precision matters.
- Zoom in for detail: Most tools let you zoom to 300% or more. Draw at high zoom for precision, then zoom out to check the result.
- Flatten when done: If you need to share the annotated PDF and want the drawings to be permanent (not editable annotations), use a flatten option or print to PDF.
Final Thoughts
Drawing on a PDF does not require Adobe Pro or any paid software. Free tools like Edge, PDFgear, and Sejda handle drawing annotations perfectly well for most use cases. For mobile users, Apple Markup and Xodo are excellent free options. Pick the tool that matches your platform and start annotating — your contracts, designs, and documents will be much clearer with visual marks on them.