How do I migrate comments embedded in an existing PDF into zipBoard?
You currently can't convert them automatically. If you upload a PDF that already has comments in it (from Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Collaborative Review, or another PDF tool), those comments show up in the PDF's own comment list, not in zipBoard's task/comment list. There's no bulk or one-click way to turn them into real zipBoard annotations today. To get that feedback working as an actual zipBoard comment, with threading, assignment, status, and notifications, you'll need to re-create it directly in zipBoard.
Why existing PDF comments don't just "become" zipBoard comments
zipBoard's comments live in their own structured layer, a record of who said what, where on the page, and its current status (Open, Changes Requested, Resolved, and so on). That structure is what makes assignment, filtering, threading, and notifications possible.
Comments that were already embedded in a PDF by another tool aren't stored that way, they're part of the PDF file itself. When you upload that file, zipBoard keeps them visible, but they stay in the PDF's own native comment list rather than moving into zipBoard's task/comment list. There's currently no feature that reads those existing items and turns them into zipBoard annotations, whether one at a time or in bulk.
How to bring your existing PDF feedback into zipBoard
Right now, there's one way to do this: re-create each comment directly inside zipBoard.
- Upload your PDF to zipBoard as usual. Any comments already in the file will still be visible in the PDF's own comment list, so you can reference them.
- Open the file in the zipBoard reviewer and use the annotation tools to drop a new comment at the same spot on the page as each existing one.
- Copy the original comment text across and assign it to the right reviewer if needed.
- Once you've re-created what you need, treat the original PDF comments as reference only, they won't update, resolve, or notify anyone as you work through the review in zipBoard.
If you're dealing with a large volume of existing comments, there isn't a shortcut for this today, worth flagging to your zipBoard contact if this is a recurring need.
Use case: migrating off Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Collaborative Review
Documentation teams moving off a self-hosted Adobe Collaborative Review setup, common for hardware, semiconductor, and other regulated technical-documentation teams working out of FrameMaker or similar authoring tools, often bring over PDFs with a large backlog of existing review comments. Those comments stay visible for reference after upload, but getting them working as live, trackable zipBoard comments currently means re-creating them directly in zipBoard rather than relying on an automatic conversion.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will my existing PDF comments disappear when I upload the file to zipBoard?
No. They stay visible in the PDF's own comment list exactly as they were. They just won't appear in zipBoard's own task/comment list, and they won't behave like a zipBoard comment, no replies, no status, no assignee, no notifications.
Where do my existing comments actually show up after I upload?
In the PDF's own native comment list, not zipBoard's task/comment list. The two are separate.
Can I bulk-convert existing PDF comments into zipBoard comments?
Not currently. There's no bulk import or conversion path for this today, each comment needs to be manually re-created using zipBoard's annotation tools to become a real, trackable zipBoard comment.
Does this apply to comments added by tools other than Adobe?
Yes, the same behavior applies to any PDF that arrives with comments already embedded in it, regardless of which tool created them.
Have PDFs full of existing feedback you need to bring into a live review? Start a free zipBoard trial and get your team commenting in real time — no more static markup that goes nowhere.