Annotations transform passive reading into active research. Highlight the passages that matter, color-code them by theme, attach your own notes to specific lines — then review everything in one organized list without scrolling back through the paper.
Highlighting text
Select any text in the PDF viewer. A floating toolbar appears with three options:
Chat — sends the selected text to the AI in the Ask tab, so your question is grounded in that exact passage
Highlight — marks the text with a color highlight and saves it as an annotation
Comment — highlights the text and opens a field for you to attach your own note
Color-coding your highlights
When you click Highlight, choose from multiple colors. Use different colors to organize by category — key findings in one color, methodology in another, passages to revisit in a third. The colors appear in the Annotations tab so you can filter at a glance.
Adding a comment to a highlight
Select text and click Comment. Type your note in the field that appears and save it. The comment stays attached to that passage and appears when you hover over the annotation in the document.
You can also add a comment to an existing highlight by clicking on it directly in the PDF.
Sending a selection to AI chat
The Chat option in the floating toolbar is one of the most useful things in the reader. Select any passage — a confusing methods section, a key finding, a table — and send it to the Ask tab as context. The AI will see the exact text you selected, not just your paraphrased question.
Tip: Combine highlighting and chat. Highlight important passages as you read, then later ask the AI "What do my highlights say about the study design?" — it can synthesize across your annotations.
Viewing all your annotations
The Annotations tab in the viewer sidebar lists every highlight and comment in reading order. Click any annotation to jump directly to that passage in the PDF. This is useful for reviewing your notes without scrolling through the entire document.
Managing annotations
Click an existing highlight in the document to see options for updating or deleting it.
If two highlights overlap, Anara merges them automatically. Any comments on the overlapping highlights are preserved.
If something isn't working
The floating toolbar isn't appearing. Try selecting text more slowly or with a slightly longer drag. The toolbar appears after you complete the selection.
Highlights aren't saving. Refresh the page and try again. If the document shows "Content unavailable" in the Full text column, text selection may be limited — see Understanding how Anara reads your documents.