PDF layers overview

PDF layers are optional content groups in a PDF that store elements such as artwork, text, and annotations at separate levels. They help you to view, navigate, and print layered content independently. Layers can have default visibility settings, and Acrobat provides tools to manage them, including renaming, merging, flattening, and modifying properties.

Common uses for PDF layers

PDF layers are commonly used in files created with applications such as InDesign, AutoCAD, and Visio. These applications export layered PDFs so that visual, technical, or versioned information can be organized and displayed selectively.

Work with PDF layers

Acrobat supports several high-level capabilities for working with layered PDFs, including:

• Show or hide layers to control what appears in the document
• Change layer properties, including visibility, print settings, and export settings
• Reorder layers to change how content is visually stacked
• Import layers from other files or add new layers to existing documents
• Merge or flatten layers to make the combined content permanent
• Edit content associated with individual or shared layers
• Combine multiple-layered PDFs into one file while preserving layer groups

When you edit layered content, edits affect only the layer the content belongs to, and visible selections span all visible layers. You can work across multiple layers simultaneously while maintaining the layer structure.