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Add circles to a PDF

Drag an ellipse around anything on the page, set its border and fill, and fine-tune its size and position.

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What it does

Add circles to PDF, explained

To circle something on a PDF, choose the ellipse tool and drag a box around the item; the editor draws an ellipse that fits that box. Make the box square for a true circle or stretch it to wrap a whole line of text.

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Circling is the fastest way to say “look here” — a total on an invoice, a measurement on a plan, an answer on a test, a person in a photo. It works the same on digital PDFs and scans because it does not depend on selectable text.

Border and fill are separate. A thin colored border with no fill keeps whatever is inside readable. A translucent fill (low opacity) shades an area, like a soft highlight on a drawing. A solid fill hides content visually — but never use it to hide sensitive information, since the content underneath remains in the file; Redact PDF is for that.

Circles are part of the markup set; pair one with an arrow or note when the reason is not obvious.

How to do it

Add circles to a PDF in 4 steps

  1. 1Your PDF

  2. 2Mark it up

  3. 3Notes on the page

  1. 1

    Upload the PDF

    The ellipse tool is selected when the editor opens.

  2. 2

    Drag around the item

    The ellipse fills the box you drag; keep the box square for a circle.

  3. 3

    Style it

    Choose border color and thickness, an optional fill and its opacity.

  4. 4

    Position precisely

    Drag to move, use the handles to resize, and zoom in for small targets; then download.

Example

Before and after

Before

A one-page scanned electricity bill where the customer wants to dispute a single line item.

After

The disputed $84.20 “service adjustment” line circled with a 2 pt red border and no fill, plus an arrow to a note reading “Not authorized — see email of 9/30”.

Settings & formats

What you can control

Border
Stroke color and width, or no border for a filled shape.
Fill and opacity
No fill, a translucent tint, or a solid color.
Size and position
Handles on all sides; positions are stored in PDF points so the download matches.

Input

PDF

Output

PDF

Good to know before you start

  • A filled ellipse only covers content visually; the text or image underneath is still in the file. Use Redact PDF to remove information.
  • Circles are positioned on the page, not linked to the words they surround.
  • Only ellipses and rectangles are available as closed shapes; for irregular outlines use the pen.

Add circles to PDF: questions people ask

How do I draw a perfect circle?

Drag a square box; the ellipse fits it exactly. You can type equal width and height in the shape settings if you need precision.

Can I circle text on a scanned PDF?

Yes. Shapes do not need a text layer, so they work on scans and photos.

Can I change the circle color after drawing it?

Yes. Select it and change border, fill or opacity at any time before you download.

Can I use a filled circle to hide something?

Only visually. The content underneath stays in the PDF and can be extracted, so use Redact PDF for anything private.

Can I draw rectangles too?

Yes. The rectangle tool is next to the ellipse and has the same border and fill options.

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