<!--
{
  "availability" : [
    "iOS: 11.0.0 -",
    "iPadOS: 11.0.0 -",
    "macCatalyst: 13.1.0 -",
    "macOS: 10.13.0 -",
    "tvOS: 11.0.0 -",
    "visionOS: 1.0.0 -"
  ],
  "documentType" : "symbol",
  "framework" : "PDFKit",
  "identifier" : "/documentation/PDFKit/PDFAnnotationKey/appearanceDictionary",
  "metadataVersion" : "0.1.0",
  "role" : "Type Property",
  "symbol" : {
    "kind" : "Type Property",
    "modules" : [
      "PDFKit"
    ],
    "preciseIdentifier" : "c:@PDFAnnotationKeyAppearanceDictionary"
  },
  "title" : "appearanceDictionary"
}
-->

# appearanceDictionary

A dictionary that contains properties for controlling the annotation’s visual appearance.

```
static let appearanceDictionary: PDFAnnotationKey
```

## Discussion

PDFKit typically generates this property when saving a PDF document. If present, PDFKit uses the contents of the dictionary to render the annotation. PDFKit clears this value if either of the following occurs:

- The appearance changes and PDFKit must rerender the annotation, such as if the color changes.
- Explicit removal of the value occurs to allow use of the annotation’s properties for rendering.

---

Copyright &copy; 2026 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. | [Terms of Use](https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/terms/site.html) | [Privacy Policy](https://www.apple.com/privacy/privacy-policy)