Start with the receiving PDF.
- Open the PDF that should receive the comments. Choose Comments and expand Exchange comments.
- Choose Review an XFDF import. Select the local comment file. Pagekind keeps a copy of its contents with this PDF for review.
- Read the summary. Each incoming record is marked Will add, Already present or Needs attention. Unsupported records and conflicts remain visible. No comments have been applied.
An XFDF file contains comment data, not the PDF pages. A matching filename, document ID or page number does not prove that the comments belong to the open document. Check the actual pages before approving the import.
Read it. Locate it. Review the page.
- Select an incoming record. The Comment tab contains its complete words. Details shows its author label, exchange name, parent reference, decision and stored rectangle. Search narrows the list by words, author or name.
- Choose Show selected position. The receiving page appears with an outline at the record’s stored position. Zoom in to inspect nearby content. Hidden replies and decisions are identified; several records may share a position, and a PDF viewer may draw a smaller note icon.
- Review every affected page. After checking its incoming records, choose These comments belong on this page. Opening the review, selecting a record or previewing a page does not approve it.
- Choose Apply reviewed comments. Apply becomes available when every affected page has been reviewed and the complete packet is supported.
The first affected page is rendered when the review opens. The page selector lets you move between affected pages and shows which ones are reviewed. Comment and Details remain reachable in smaller windows; long comments and explanations can be scrolled.
Apply once, then save a copy.
A successful import adds the new supported records as one Undo step, including their replies and review decisions. Existing annotations and the original PDF remain intact. Undo restores the previous working PDF; Redo restores the imported set. Save the applied result when ready.
Exact duplicates are skipped. If every record is already present, Finish · already present completes the review without creating a PDF edit or an Undo step. A record with the same name but different content is a conflict, so Pagekind will not overwrite it.
If an operation is interrupted, follow the result-checking message before trying to apply again. Pagekind checks its saved operation record to avoid adding the same set twice.
Keep the review for later.
Keep for later closes the review window. Review kept import opens it again from the same PDF tab. When closing the document, choose to keep its review if you want to return through Recover. Recovery never applies incoming comments automatically.
The kept packet is a local copy. Editing or deleting the external XFDF file cannot change what is in that review. To choose different input, discard the kept import and select the new file. Discard import leaves the original PDF and external XFDF file unchanged.
When the import needs attention.
- The receiving PDF changed: discard the old review and inspect the incoming file again against the current PDF. Pagekind does not guess new page positions.
- A record conflicts or has an ambiguous parent: inspect its Details. Resolve the source conversation in its originating tool before importing again. Records are never silently overwritten or omitted.
- A packet is unavailable: reload the kept review or discard it and inspect the local XFDF again. Apply stays disabled when the complete packet cannot be read.
- A record is unsupported: the first import supports ordinary plain-text sticky notes, supported note styles, normal replies and Review decision chains. Rich text, custom appearances, popups, grouped records, attachments, broader annotation types and command packets remain unsupported.
Version 0.65.0 accepts bounded local XFDF files up to 4 MiB and 10,000 records, with a complete review model. The first writer supports unsigned, unencrypted receiving PDFs up to 128 MiB. Locked parents, unsupported page geometry and numeric values that cannot be preserved exactly can stop an import.
Comment author labels and dates are unverified metadata. Kept comment data stays locally with its workspace. No referenced website, file or action is opened; XML active constructs are refused. Pagekind does not upload or send your PDF or incoming comments.
See Inspect and export comment data to create an XFDF file from a supported Pagekind conversation. This engineering preview has independent saved-PDF checks; compatibility with every Acrobat or other producer workflow remains unverified.