# PDFs and highlights

> Read PDFs on every device, and on Mac, find words, highlight passages and comment on them.

- Page: https://resurf.so/guides/pdfs
- Section: Browse and read
- Works on: Mac, iPhone, iPad
- Last checked against the app: 2026-10-17
- Find: `⌘F` on Mac

## Read a PDF

On Mac:

1. Open a PDF. The bar at the bottom has page controls, zoom and find.
2. Use the chevrons to go to the previous or next page. Or type a number in the **Page** field and press `↩`.
3. Click **Zoom out** or **Zoom in**, or the fit button for **Fit page**, **Fit width** or **Actual size**.

On iPhone and iPad:

1. Open a PDF and scroll through its pages.
2. Pinch to zoom in and out.

On Mac, `⌘=` and `⌘−` zoom the whole window, not the PDF. Use the zoom buttons in the bar.

## Find in a PDF

On Mac:

1. Press `⌘F`, or click the magnifier in the bar: **Find in PDF**.
2. Type what you're looking for.
3. Press `↩` for the next match, `⇧↩` for the previous, and `Esc` to close.

Video: [A research paper open as a PDF capture: paging, finding “germline”, and highlighting a sentence.](https://resurf.so/guides/clips/clip-pdf.mp4)

For a PDF open beside the list, click into the PDF first. Otherwise `⌘F` searches the library.

## Highlight and comment

On Mac:

1. Select text in the PDF.
2. Click **Highlight** in the bar above the selection.
3. Or click **Comment**. Info opens with the quote. Type your comment and send it; the highlight is made when you send.
4. Click a highlight to **Add comment**, or click its trash button to remove the highlight and its comment.

Highlights and their comments are listed under **Comments** in Info. See [Comments](https://resurf.so/guides/comments).

## Questions

### Can I highlight on iPhone or iPad?

No. Highlighting and commenting in a PDF are on Mac only. iPhone and iPad show PDFs to read.

### How do I change a highlight's comment?

Click the highlight in the PDF and choose Add comment. The comment box opens with the current text.

## More guides

- Previous: [Read links](https://resurf.so/guides/reader.md)
- Next: [Write notes](https://resurf.so/guides/notes-and-highlights.md)
- [Layouts and sorting](https://resurf.so/guides/layouts.md): Choose how the library shows your captures, how big the tiles are, and what order they come in.
- [Covers and appearance](https://resurf.so/guides/appearance.md): Set the theme, the window color and how cards look, and choose what a link's cover shows.
- [Open and peek](https://resurf.so/guides/peek.md): Open a capture to read it, open it beside the library, or peek at it without leaving the grid.
- [Move between captures and zoom](https://resurf.so/guides/next-and-previous.md): Step to the next or previous capture without going back to the library, and zoom the whole window on Mac.
- [Read links](https://resurf.so/guides/reader.md): A saved link opens as the live page, and the reader shows the article as clean text at a size you like.
- [Write notes](https://resurf.so/guides/notes-and-highlights.md): Write and format notes in a markdown editor, and on Mac, highlight passages and comment on them.
- [Video and audio](https://resurf.so/guides/video-and-audio.md): Play videos, audio files, voice notes and YouTube links right inside the capture.
- [Comments](https://resurf.so/guides/comments.md): Every capture has a comment thread in Info, and your highlights from notes and PDFs land there too.
- [Command bar](https://resurf.so/guides/command-bar.md): Search your library and run commands from the keyboard: go somewhere, add a filter, switch the theme or open a setting.
- [Every guide](https://resurf.so/llms.txt)