Every highlight from all of your PDFs, in one place.
You've annotated a stack of PDFs for your literature review. Import them into the app and get every highlight and comment — with the source file, page number, and context — in one place.
The treatment effect remains significant after controlling for firm size and industry fixed effects...
p. 14 · smith-2024-methods.pdfPrior work has not adequately addressed selection bias in observational designs...
p. 8 · chen-review-2023.pdfComment: Compare with Johnson et al. — different sample frame
p. 31 · garcia-dissertation-ch2.pdf
Your highlights are stuck in separate files
You highlight and comment as you read. When it's time to write — the literature review, the dissertation chapter, the brief — every one of those annotations is still locked inside its own PDF.
So you open each file, copy the quote, paste it into Word or Excel, and repeat. Before long you're skimming instead of reading, dropping comments, and losing the page numbers you'll need for citations.
Import once. Work from one list.
PDF Highlights App runs on your Mac or Windows machine. Import the PDFs you've already annotated, and it extracts every highlight and comment — no opening files one at a time.
Each entry keeps its source file, page number, and surrounding context, so every quote is citation-ready when you sit down to write.
Four steps. No account, no setup.
- 01
Import your PDFs
Add the annotated PDFs you've been working through into a project.
- 02
Highlights are extracted
Every highlight and comment from each imported file is pulled into the app automatically.
- 03
Work from one list
Browse and organize every annotation together — each with its source file, page, and context.
- 04
Use them when you write
Pull quotes into your draft from one place — instead of reopening PDFs one by one.
No cloud, no account required, no one-file-at-a-time
- All local
- No upload, no AI, no account. Your PDFs never leave your machine — which matters when they're client files or unpublished research.
- Flexible pricing
- Monthly, yearly, or lifetime. Start small, or buy once and own it.
- Reader-agnostic
- If your reader writes standard PDF annotations — including Adobe, Preview, and Zotero — the app extracts them.
- Many PDFs, one place
- Import as many annotated files as you need. Work from one highlight list — not one export per PDF.
For work that spans many annotated PDFs
- Literature reviews and dissertation chapters
- Legal research and case preparation
- Due diligence and document review
- Any deadline that depends on quotes you've already highlighted
Simple plans. Start monthly or buy once.
| Plan | Price | % off vs monthly |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly | $10/mo | — |
| Yearly | $80/yr | 33% off ($120 → $80) |
| Lifetime | $199 | ~17 months of monthly |
Questions researchers actually ask
Does this work with highlights made in Zotero, Adobe, or Preview?
Yes. Those readers save highlights as standard PDF annotations inside the file, which is exactly what the app reads. If the highlight is in the PDF, it gets extracted.
Does it read comments too, or only highlighted text?
Both. Highlighted passages and their attached comments come out together, side by side, in the list.
Is my data sent anywhere?
No. Processing runs entirely on your computer. Nothing is uploaded to any server, ever.
What do I get after importing?
A unified list of highlights and comments inside the app — each with source file, page number, and text — ready to browse and organize as you write.
What happens to my license if I switch computers?
The license moves with you. Install the app on your new Mac or Windows machine and keep working — no extra charge.
Does it work on Mac and Windows?
Yes. One purchase covers the desktop app on both platforms.
Stop retyping quotes from PDFs.
Import your annotated PDFs and work from one highlight list. Plans from $10/mo — or $199 lifetime.
Get PDF Highlights App