To repeat the same result when you remove PDF annotations, start with the same unchanged PDF and use the fixed Remove PDF Annotations workflow: it reports page-level entries and, when any are found, deletes the Annots key from every page before creating a new local download. The repeatable result is the defined operation and its expected visible and interactive outcome, not a promise that two output files will be byte-for-byte identical. Page count, page order, page boxes, rotation, and existing content streams stay in place, while normal text, images, and vector shapes already painted into a page remain. One run handles one non-empty PDF no larger than 25 MiB. Before removal, check the reported annotation count and number of affected pages. Afterward, inspect the downloaded file for both appearance and behavior: a link may stop being clickable while its blue, underlined display text stays visible, and a flattened highlight may remain because it is page artwork rather than an annotation. Keeping the original source and repeating the same inspection, removal, and verification sequence makes the outcome easier to compare without overwriting anything.
What the repeatable result includes
For an accepted PDF containing annotation entries, the operation follows one rule across the document: remove the Annots entry from every page dictionary. Its scope covers every entry exposed through those page arrays rather than only objects that resemble visible comments. Repeating the workflow from the same unchanged source therefore targets the same page-level structures.
The preservation guarantee is narrow but clear. Page count, page order, page boxes, rotation, and existing content streams remain in place. That does not create a blanket guarantee that every byte or higher-level PDF structure is identical between separate runs. The download receives -annotations-removed in its filename, and the source file remains untouched.
| PDF feature | Defined action | Expected result |
|---|---|---|
| Page-level link annotation | Its page reference is removed when the page's Annots entry is deleted. | The clickable region is no longer supplied by the annotation, although its visible display text can remain. |
| Comment, markup, popup, stamp, or attachment annotation | Its page annotation reference is removed. | The interactive object is removed; any separate copy already painted into normal page content remains. |
| Form-field widget | The widget loses its page annotation presence. | The field is no longer present as a page widget, but a flattened appearance or painted value can remain. |
| Normal page content | Existing content streams are preserved. | Text, images, and vector shapes remain in their existing page content. |
Prepare a repeatable source file
Begin each comparison with the same unmodified source rather than an earlier download. The tool's documented scope is one local PDF at a time, and the original is never overwritten. That makes it possible to repeat the process from a stable baseline. For multiple documents, run the workflow separately on each file.
| Input condition | What happens | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Non-empty PDF no larger than 25 MiB | The document is loaded and inspected for page annotations. | Review the annotation total and affected-page total before removing anything. |
| No annotation entries found | The tool says none were found and does not create a replacement file. | Keep the source and determine whether the visible feature is actually flattened page content. |
| Empty file, non-PDF selection, file over 25 MiB, encrypted PDF, damaged cross-reference data, or unsupported document | A visible error is shown. | Correct the input condition; password protection is not bypassed. |
File loading, inspection, modification, serialization, and download creation happen inside the browser. The document is not uploaded to Lizely. That local processing supports a private workflow, but it should not be confused with security sanitization or permanent redaction.
Run the annotation-removal workflow
- Choose the source PDF. Select one non-empty PDF no larger than 25 MiB. Keep the selected file unchanged so it can serve as the baseline for another run.
- Review the detection results. Check both the number of annotation entries and the number of pages containing at least one entry. Do this before modifying the document.
- Remove the page annotations. Select Remove page annotations. The tool deletes the Annots key from every page dictionary and serializes a new PDF instead of overwriting the source.
- Download and inspect the new copy. Download the generated PDF, then check its visible content and interactive behavior. The generated filename adds -annotations-removed to the original base name.
If the detected count is zero, the tool deliberately avoids producing an unchanged replacement. If annotations are present, the new download is the only file created for that run, while the original remains available for comparison.
To reproduce a run, repeat the same count-review, removal, download, and inspection sequence from the same source file. Feeding the previous download back into the workflow is not a like-for-like repetition because that file is already the result of the deletion. Selecting another file also clears the earlier inspection and download state, and an older asynchronous job cannot replace a newer selection.
Distinguish interactive objects from painted content
A PDF annotation is an interactive object associated with a page, not simply any mark that looks handwritten, highlighted, stamped, or underlined. This distinction explains why removing an annotation does not always change the page's appearance. For example, removing a link annotation can leave its blue, underlined text visible because the text belongs to the normal content stream while only the clickable region came from the annotation.
A highlight presents the opposite possibility. If it is still a highlight annotation, its page annotation reference is removed. If it has already been flattened into page artwork, it is no longer controlled by an annotation array and remains visible. The same rule applies to completed form values that have already been painted onto the page.
Form widgets require particular care because they are page annotations, so their interactive page presence is removed by the same rule. The document catalog can still contain form-related structures, however, and the tool does not repair, flatten, or fully delete an AcroForm definition. If current field appearances must become permanent page content before annotation removal, use Flatten PDF first. If the form's field structure must remain valid, use a dedicated form editor instead of treating broad annotation removal as form repair.
Verify the same behavior on every run
Open the downloaded file in the PDF viewer or workflow that will actually use it. On the pages identified during inspection, confirm that intended link regions no longer respond, review comments and popups no longer appear as page annotations, and form widgets are no longer interactive. Then inspect the visible pages to confirm that ordinary text, images, vector artwork, flattened highlights, and painted values remain where expected.
Use the same review checklist for later runs: record the initial annotation and affected-page counts, apply the fixed removal operation, test the relevant interactions, and review the visible result. A leftover mark is not automatically an annotation-removal failure; it may be page content. PDF viewers can interpret interactive structures differently, so behavior in the target viewer is more useful than a generic visual assumption.
For a repeatable comparison, keep the source and generated download as separate records. Evaluate the documented operation and observed behavior rather than expecting a checksum match that the product does not promise.
Recognize jobs this method cannot prove complete
Remove PDF Annotations is not a redaction or sanitization product. Deleting page references does not prove that referenced objects, prior revisions, metadata, attachments, scripts, hidden layers, embedded files, or recoverable source information have been purged from every byte. Do not use it to remove confidential information. A sensitive disclosure requires a purpose-built redaction workflow that permanently removes the content and validates the final file.
The tool also does not remove painted watermarks, edit metadata, clean malware, repair damaged PDFs, or promise archival conformance. Its appropriate role is narrower: disabling link regions, clearing review comments, or stripping page widgets in a local workflow where those documented limitations are acceptable. The most consistent result comes from applying that exact page-annotation rule to the same unchanged source and checking the same visible and interactive outcomes each time.