How to Accept All Comments at Once in a PDF
Question details
The user wants to accept all comments or edit marks in a PDF simultaneously, similar to accepting tracked changes in Microsoft Word.
- Product
- Adobe Acrobat Pro / PDF Editors
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Reviewing a PDF document containing hundreds of comments or text edit annotations.
- Observed behavior
- The user is looking for a one-click 'Accept All' button for PDF comments but cannot find a feature equivalent to Word's Track Changes functionality.
Before proceeding, it is important to understand that PDF comments function as overlay annotations rather than integrated text edits, so structural changes often require access to the original source document.
Address PDF Comments Manually
Since PDFs do not support 'Accept All' for text edits, comments must be reviewed and applied individually.
Unlike Microsoft Word, PDF editors treat comments and edit marks as visual annotations overlaid on the document, not as tracked changes to the underlying text. Therefore, there is no 'Accept All' button that automatically alters the PDF text.
To apply the suggested changes directly in the PDF, you must manually edit the text based on the reviewer's comments.
Open your PDF in Acrobat or your preferred PDF editor and navigate to the Comments pane on the right-hand side to view all annotations in a list.
Click on each comment to see the suggested edit. Switch to the 'Edit Text & Images' tool to manually type in the corrections or delete text as outlined by the comment.
Once a manual edit is complete, right-click the comment in the list and select 'Resolve', or simply delete the comment to keep track of your progress.
Apply Changes in the Original Source Document
If the PDF has hundreds of comments, it is exponentially faster and safer to make the changes in the original formatting software.
Use WPS Office to Convert PDF to Word and Manage Edits
Since PDFs cannot inherently 'accept all' comments, the smartest workaround is to convert the PDF to a Word document using WPS Office. You can then use traditional text editing tools, apply changes, and export it back to PDF in minutes.
- 1. Open PDF in WPS: Launch WPS Office and open your PDF file containing the comments.
- 2. Convert to Word: Navigate to the 'Tools' tab and select 'PDF to Word' to convert the file into an editable document.
- 3. Apply Changes: Open the converted document in WPS Writer. Apply the edits efficiently, utilizing the application's robust word processing capabilities.
- 4. Export Back to PDF: Once all edits are finalized, go to 'Menu' > 'Export to PDF' to generate your updated, clean PDF document.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why doesn't Adobe Acrobat have an 'Accept All' button for text edits?
PDFs are a fixed-layout format designed for final viewing, not structural editing. Comments are transparent overlays rather than structural text changes. The software cannot automatically reflow the underlying text to accommodate arbitrary insertions or deletions across pages like a word processor can.
Can I export PDF comments directly back to Microsoft Word?
Yes, if you originally created the PDF from Word, Acrobat allows you to export comments back to the Word document. You can then review and apply these comments using Word's 'Acrobat Comments' feature, provided the original source file has not been modified since the PDF was generated.
How do I hide all comments in a PDF when printing?
To print a PDF without showing the comments, open the print dialog and look for the 'Comments & Forms' dropdown setting. Change the selection from 'Document and Markups' to 'Document' only, and the annotations will be excluded from the physical printout.
