# Read and annotate a PDF

> When you import a PDF, its pages are placed on the board as objects. PDF markup adds highlights, strokes, notes and shapes over those pages. It lets you review a specification or an article without…

Source: https://docs.vectorboard.app/en/documents-and-pdf/read-and-annotate-a-pdf/ · DOCUMENTS AND PDF

When you import a PDF, its pages are placed on the board as objects. PDF markup adds highlights, strokes, notes and shapes over those pages. It lets you review a specification or an article without rewriting the original document.

1. Drag the PDF onto the board or add it with **Insert**. Choose a column, row, grid or separate board pages layout.
2. Open the PDF pages panel to navigate with thumbnails and find the passage you need.

![PDF pages panel](https://assets.vectorboard.app/docs/fig/fig-912.webp)
*Navigate and search long PDFs*

3. Select or copy the text when it is available. Highlight words with Highlighter and add handwritten marks with Pen.
4. Place a note or another annotation on the page. Move the page to check that the annotations follow it.

![PDF markup](https://assets.vectorboard.app/docs/fig/fig-821.webp)
*Review a document*

5. To understand a passage, select it and choose **Ask AI**. Check the document and page cited in the answer.

> **Expected result:** You keep the PDF pages, their annotations and the project context.

> **Important:** A scanned page can be an image with no selectable text. Drawing a highlight does not change the words or make the text in an image searchable. Use the available text layer and check what you copy.