Sharing of notes and annotations explained

Collaborative annotations are a powerful way to discuss and review PDFs with colleagues. But you'll also want to keep personal notes and ideas private.

Paperpile lets you do both: collaborate with shared annotations and maintain private notes and annotations that only you can see. This guide explains how notes and annotations work in different sharing scenarios.

Notes and annotations in references shared via a share link

When you share references with a private share link, recipients can view the PDFs but your annotations remain private by default. You can share your notes and annotations by turning on the option in the sharing dialog. See Choose options for your share link.

Notes and annotations in shared folders

When you share your folder with others

When you share a folder, your notes and annotations remain private by default. Turn on Share notes and annotations in the sharing dialog to make them visible to others.

To share your notes and annotations:

1. Find the shared folder in the sidebar and select Share from the three-dot menu
2. Turn on Share notes and annotations in the sharing dialog

When annotation sharing is enabled, collaborators can see your annotations on PDFs in that folder. Collaborators with at least “Editor” permissions can add and edit annotations. To learn more about collaborator permissions, see Permissions in shared folders and libraries.

When someone shares a folder with you

You can annotate PDFs in folders shared with you if you have at least “Editor” permissions. Your annotation experience depends on the folder owner's settings.

If the shared folder owner enabled annotation sharing:

• You can see annotations from the owner and other collaborators
• You can add your own annotations that others will see if you have at least “Editor” permissions

If the shared folder owner has not turned on annotation sharing:

• You can view PDFs but cannot see anyone's annotations
• You can create your own private annotations by adding the reference to your personal library

Notes and annotations in shared libraries

In shared libraries, notes and annotations work differently than in shared folders:

• Shared library annotations are always shared with anyone in the shared library. Everyone with access to the shared library can see annotations on PDFs in that library. Users with at least “Editor” permissions can add and change annotations.
• Shared library annotations are independent of the annotations from your library or other users’ personal libraries. In the shared library settings, there is no option in the sharing dialog to keep annotations private within a shared library.
• Your personal annotations stay private. You can always add any reference from a shared library to your personal library and create private annotations there.

Notes and annotations in your personal library

References in your personal library are completely private. Your notes and annotations are only visible to you and never shared with others unless you explicitly choose to share them.

Switching between shared and private annotations

When you open a PDF that exists in both your personal library and a shared location, you can choose which annotations to view. This lets you work on the same PDF with both collaborative and private annotations.

In the PDF viewer toolbar, click the Shared button to switch between:

• Private: shows only your annotations from your personal library—no one else can see them.
• Shared: shows annotations visible to all members of a shared folder or shared library.

If you select Private but don't have a personal copy yet, Paperpile will prompt you to add the reference to your library first.

Important things to know about shared and private annotations

PDFs can exist in multiple places

A reference can be in your personal library, multiple shared folders, and shared libraries at the same time. Each location can have a different set of PDF annotations.

When you open the PDF, pay attention to which version you're viewing. In the PDF toolbar, click the Shared button to select the version you want to work with.

Choose to open PDFs from different locations

Depending on where you open a PDF, it opens in different annotation modes by default:

• From your personal library: Opens with your private annotations
• From a shared folder: Opens with collaborative annotations (if enabled by owner)
• From a shared library: Opens with collaborative annotations

Always check which annotation mode you're in before adding annotations.

You can always choose to view and annotate a private copy

You can always annotate a private copy in your personal library, regardless of where the reference is shared.

• In the PDF viewer toolbar, click on the Shared button and switch to Private mode
• Your annotations are saved to your personal library copy
• These annotations remain private even if you're viewing the PDF from a shared location

Live copies vs. independent copies

Whether a reference is a live copy or independent copy doesn't affect how annotations work. Annotations are always:

• Collaborative within shared locations where annotation sharing is enabled
• Private within your personal library

The sharing mode only affects metadata and file syncing, not annotation behavior. See Sharing modes: “live” and “independent” copies for more details.

Common questions

How do I know which annotation mode I'm in?

Look at the top right of the PDF viewer toolbar for the annotation mode button. It shows whether you're viewing collaborative annotations or your private annotations.

Why don't I see annotations I expected?

The annotations you see depend on where you opened the PDF. If you opened it from a shared folder with annotation sharing disabled, you won't see any annotations. Ask the folder owner to turn on the Share notes and annotations option in the share dialog, or open the same PDF from your personal library or a different shared location.

Can I see who added which annotation?

Yes. Each annotation shows the author’s name and date of creation in the left sidebar of the PDF viewer. Sticky notes also display profile pictures in the comments panel on the right of the viewer. See Annotate PDFs collaboratively with others and Add notes and annotate PDFs for more details.

Can I disable annotations in a shared folder after I've already shared it?

Yes. Go to the folder's sharing dialog and turn off Share my annotations and notes. Existing PDF annotations won't be deleted but will no longer be visible to collaborators.

Can I annotate a PDF without others seeing my notes?

Yes. You can always annotate a private copy in your own library. If the reference isn't already in your personal library, switch to Private in the PDF viewer to add it and start annotating privately.