Getting Started

Sidenote is a document review tool. Upload HTML pages, PDFs or images, share a link, and collect pinpointed feedback from anyone — no account required for reviewers.

This guide walks you through the basics in under five minutes.

Sign in

Sidenote uses Google sign-in. Click Get started on the homepage or go directly to your dashboard. You'll be prompted to sign in with your Google account — that's it, no passwords to remember.

Upload your first document

From the dashboard, click the Upload button. You can drag and drop a file or use the file picker. Sidenote supports three formats:

HTML files — full web pages rendered exactly as they'd appear in a browser, including CSS and embedded assets. This is the primary format for reviewing websites, emails, and web content.

PDF documents — rendered in-browser with full page navigation. Reviewers can annotate specific regions on each page.

Images — PNG, JPG, SVG, WebP, and GIF. Each image is displayed at full resolution. Reviewers draw rectangular regions to pin their feedback.

Once uploaded, your document appears in the dashboard with a status of Draft.

Share it for review

Open your document and click the Share button in the toolbar. Sidenote generates a unique link you can copy and send to anyone.

Reviewers don't need an account. They'll enter their name when they arrive, and their feedback is attributed to that name.

You can choose whether reviewers can leave comments or just view the document. On Pro and Team plans, you can also set a password or an expiry date on the link.