Work with notes in Photoshop

Last updated on Oct 4, 2026

Add annotations to specific areas in your image for review comments, production notes, and team feedback.

Notes in Photoshop attach to specific coordinates on your canvas rather than as individual layers. They appear as small, non-printable icons that don't print and remain visible across all layers at their placement.

Use notes for review workflows, production annotations, or documentation that references specific image areas. Unlike layer comments, notes remain in place even when you flatten or merge layers, keeping their context throughout your editing process.

You'll find the Notes tool in the same toolbar slot as the Eyedropper tool. Customize each note with your name and a color to help distinguish between reviewers or annotation types in collaborative projects.

Add notes

Select and hold the Eyedropper tool in the toolbox, then choose the Note tool.

In the Options bar, enter your name in the Author field.

Select the Color box to open the Color Picker and choose a color for the note icon.

Select where you want to place the annotation on your canvas.

Type your comment or annotation text in the Notes panel that appears.

The icon remains visible on your canvas at the selected location. You can create as many notes as needed throughout your image.

View and edit notes

Select the Note tool from the toolbox.

Double-click any note icon to open it for editing in the Notes panel.

Alternatively, select Window > Notes to display the Notes panel.

Use the forward and back arrows in the Notes panel to navigate through all notes in your document.

Edit the note text directly in the panel, then click outside the text area to save changes.

Control notes visibility

Select View > Show > Notes to toggle note visibility on or off.

Tip

You can also use View > Extras to show or hide notes along with other on-canvas elements like guides, grids, and selection edges.

Delete notes

Select the Note tool from the toolbox.

Select the note icon you want to remove.

Select the Delete icon in the Notes panel.

To remove all notes at once, select Clear All in the Options bar.

Import notes

Select File > Import > Notes.

Navigate to and select the PDF or FDF file containing the notes you want to import.

Select Load.

The imported notes appear at the same locations where they were saved in the source PDF. This helps when reviewers without Photoshop access have added comments to a flattened PDF version of your multilayer design. You can view their feedback in the context of your original working file.

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