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If you highlight while reading PDFs, upload the annotated file and Becoming extracts your highlights from it.

This is a one-time import, not a live sync. Upload a new copy whenever you want to bring in more highlights.

Import a PDF

Section titled “Import a PDF”
  1. In the web app, go to your Library.
  2. Click Add source and choose PDF.
  3. Upload your annotated PDF.
  4. Becoming extracts the highlighted passages and adds them to your library.

This import runs in the background, so you can keep using the app while it finishes.

The file must be a PDF, up to 50 MB.

Which annotations work

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Becoming reads highlights made in most common PDF tools, including:

  • Preview (macOS)
  • Adobe Acrobat
  • PDF Expert
  • Foxit
  • Xodo
  • Okular
  • PDF.js-based readers (many in-browser viewers)

If the highlights can’t be read

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Some PDFs store highlights in a way that can’t be extracted — for example, flattened or scanned files. When that happens, Becoming offers a manual paste fallback so you can add the passages yourself. See Paste Highlights.

What gets imported

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  • The highlights, underlines, and notes found in the PDF.
  • The document’s title, so it lands as a source in your library.

Highlights are deduplicated by content, so importing the same PDF twice never creates duplicates.

See also

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