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Notes on Highlights ​

Every highlight you create in Web Highlights can carry a note. Notes let you capture your own thoughts alongside the text you've highlighted — whether that's a quick reaction, a summary, a question to follow up on, or a connection to something else you've read.

Adding a Note ​

  1. Click any highlight on a webpage, PDF, or YouTube transcript
  2. The highlight popup appears — click the note icon or the "Take a note..." area
  3. Write your note in the rich-text editor
  4. Your note is saved automatically as you type

You can also add notes from the sidebar or the web app by clicking on any highlight in your library.

The Notes Editor ​

Web Highlights uses a rich-text editor that supports:

  • Bold, italic, and strikethrough formatting
  • Headings
  • Bullet and numbered lists
  • Blockquotes
  • Inline code

The editor saves your changes automatically with a short delay, so you never lose your work.

Where Notes Appear ​

Your notes show up everywhere your highlights do:

  • Sidebar — Notes appear below each highlight when you expand it
  • Web app — Notes are visible in the highlight detail view and in search results
  • Exports — Notes are included when you export to Markdown, Notion, or Capacities
  • Learning cards — If you use spaced repetition, your notes appear on the back of flashcards

Notes in Your Workflow ​

Research & Study ​

Add context to highlights as you read — "this contradicts the Smith (2024) paper" or "use this quote in chapter 3." When you review your highlights later, the notes remind you why you highlighted something, not just what.

Annotating Articles ​

Notes turn Web Highlights into a full annotation tool. When you read an article online, you can highlight key passages and attach notes that capture your analysis, questions, or connections to other sources. This is how effective annotation works:

  1. Highlight the passage that matters
  2. Annotate — write your reaction, question, or summary in the note
  3. Tag the page with a topic (see Tags & Organization) for easy retrieval
  4. Export your annotated article to Markdown or Notion for further processing

For Students ​

Notes are especially useful for academic work. Here are a few annotation patterns students use:

  • Source tracking — Note the page number, author, or publication alongside each highlight for citation later
  • Critical reading — Write notes that question the author's reasoning or compare arguments across sources
  • Exam prep — Use notes on the back of flashcards (spaced repetition) to test yourself on highlighted material
  • Collaborative annotation — Share a page with highlights and notes so study partners can see your analysis

Summarizing ​

Use notes to write one-sentence summaries of each highlight. When you export a page, these summaries form a condensed version of the original content.

Connecting Ideas ​

Tag your highlighted pages with tags and write notes that reference other sources. Over time, your Web Highlights library becomes a connected knowledge base.

Plan Availability ​

Notes are available on all plans, including the free tier.

Common Questions ​

Can I add notes to PDF highlights?

Yes. Notes work the same way on PDF highlights as they do on web page highlights. Click any highlight in the PDF to open the note editor.

Can I add notes to YouTube transcript highlights?

Yes. When you highlight text in a YouTube transcript, you can attach a note just like any other highlight.

Are my notes included in exports?

Yes. Notes are included in all export formats — Markdown, Notion, Capacities, PDF, and HTML.

Is there a character limit for notes?

There is no strict character limit. The rich-text editor supports long-form notes with formatting, so you can write as much as you need.

Can I search my notes?

Yes. Notes are searchable in the web app. Use the search bar to find text within your notes across your entire library.