How to Work Through a Large Number of Comments in a PDF Review

To work through a large number of comments in a zipBoard PDF review, filter the document and comments panel by task status so you only see what still needs action. Then jump from each task to its annotation, reply to or resolve it in the sidebar, and assign the rest as tasks. When you're done, download the annotated PDF to share or keep a record.

How do I show only the comments that still need action?

Filter the review view by task status so the PDF and the comments panel only show the items you choose, such as Open or In Progress.

1. Click the filter icon in the review view toolbar.
2. On the Task tab, check the statuses you want to see (for example, Resolved/Fixed, Open or In Progress).
3. Under Filter Settings, make sure Filter document and comments panel is checked, so the filter applies to both the document and the comments panel.
4. Click Apply.

To reset, click Clear all at the bottom left of the filter panel. Guest reviewers can apply these filters without signing up or logging in. Learn more in How to Filter Task Status in Review View.

How do I know a filter is on?

When any User, Color, Type, Status or Task filter is applied, the Filter button is highlighted with a blue border, even if nothing currently matches. The highlight stays visible after you close the filter menu. It also stays if you reopen a PDF with a saved Task filter, but it resets when you open a fresh document from a share link. When no filter is applied, the button returns to its default look.

Filtering in the project task list

Outside the PDF, you can filter tasks in your project's task panel by status (for example, Pending, In Progress, Completed or Approved, or your own custom statuses). You can combine the status filter with others, such as task owner or priority, then click Apply. See How to Streamline Your Workflow Using Status Filters in zipBoard.

How do I jump straight to the right annotation?

Each PDF annotation creates a linked task in your project's task list, so you can search and filter comments across multiple PDFs without opening each file.

1. Find the item in your project's task list.
2. From that task, click Review / View Annotation.
3. The PDF review board opens and highlights that exact annotation, with the nearby context visible.

This works in Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Edge, and you can review multiple PDFs in separate tabs without data conflicts. Inside the PDF, clicking a comment in the sidebar also jumps the document to that annotation. Learn more in Quickly Navigate to the Right Annotation in PDF Reviews.

How do I work through and close comments in the sidebar?

The review sidebar lists every comment on the PDF in two tabs: Active Comments (unresolved feedback) and Resolved Comments (feedback marked complete). From either list, you can open the task, edit, delete or reply to a comment, and show up to 5 replies.

• Search: type at least 2 characters in the search bar to find comments in both the active and resolved lists.
• Filter: use the filter menu to narrow comments by type or other criteria.
• Long lists: the sidebar loads 10 comments at a time. Scroll to load more.

To close an item:

1. Find the comment in the sidebar.
2. Click Resolve. The comment moves to the Resolved Comments tab and its annotation is hidden on the canvas.
3. To reopen it, click Resolve again. It moves back to Active Comments.

For PDFs, you can also mark comments as Completed. To view them, go to Filter > Status > Completed.

What you can see depends on your role. Collaborators, Admins, Super Admins, Owners and Managers can see and manage all comments, internal and external. Clients may see all comments or external ones only, depending on project settings. Guest users can't resolve or delete other people's comments and can't see internal comments.

Learn more in How to Use Comment Resolution and the New Sidebar in zipBoard and How to Review a PDF via a Share Link.

How do I turn feedback into assigned tasks?

In the PDF viewer, many annotation tools create a task automatically. When you save the annotation, a task panel opens where you can:

• Assign an owner
• Set priority
• Add context or instructions

To keep a long task list focused, use Free Text or stamps for labels that don't need to be tracked as work. Learn more in Creating Tasks from PDF Annotations.

How do I see who still needs to review the PDF?

Add the people whose sign-off you need as reviewers on the asset. Open the project, go to Uploads, click the asset to open its card, click + Reviewer and select the person. They become a Mandatory Reviewer: they get an email, and the asset appears in their My Work > Needs my review list until they complete their review.

To check progress, open the asset card from Uploads. It shows each collaborator, reviewer and client with their review status (Changes Requested, Feedback Given, Approved or Review Complete), plus an overall count such as "1 of 2 reviewers done." By default, the asset owner gets an email each time a reviewer changes their status or clicks Done reviewing.

When you upload a new version, each assigned reviewer's status resets to "Sent for review on [date]," guest reviewers reset to Pending, and the asset goes back into Needs my review for all mandatory reviewers.

Learn more in What Is a Mandatory Reviewer in zipBoard? (vs. Collaborators) and How to Track Reviewer Progress and Statuses in zipBoard.

How do I download the PDF with all its comments?

1. Open the project and click the PDF.
2. Click Review to open the file.
3. Click the Settings icon at the top-right corner of the review screen.
4. Select Download PDF. The downloaded file includes the annotations and comments added during the review.

Comments only appear in PDF readers that support annotated PDFs, such as Chrome or Adobe Acrobat. In Chrome, hover over an annotation to see its comment. Learn more in How to Download PDFs with Annotations and Comments in zipBoard.

Frequently asked questions

Why do I only see some of the comments in the sidebar?

When there are many comments, the sidebar loads 10 at a time. Scroll to load more. Also check whether the Filter button has a blue border, which means a filter is hiding some comments.

How do I clear all my filters at once?

Click Clear all at the bottom left of the filter panel to uncheck every option and return to the default view.

Can guest reviewers use the filters?

Yes. Guest reviewers can open and apply the review view filters without signing up or logging in.

Where does a comment go when I resolve it?

It moves to the Resolved Comments tab and its annotation is hidden on the canvas. Click Resolve again to move it back to Active Comments.