Reviewing presentations with comments in Google Slides is the process of leaving feedback and assigning tasks at the text, image, or slide level without altering the slide content directly. The reviewer selects the target element, uses the comment icon on the toolbar, and tags a colleague when needed to create an action item. This workflow prevents revision chaos during presentation prep.
Independent of general presentation design advice, this guide focuses directly on reviewing, leaving feedback, tracking tasks, and resolving comments.
Prerequisites and Permission Levels for the Commenting Process
To leave comments or reply to existing ones in a presentation, you must have at least Commenter or Editor access to the file. Users with Viewer permissions only cannot add comments.
To verify your access level, click the Share button in the top right to check your permission type in the user list. If you want the team to perform only content review before starting a feedback session, granting participants Commenter permissions is the safest method to prevent slide elements from accidentally shifting. For teams that want to keep presenter text separate, this setup also preserves the distinction outlined in our guide on using Google Slides speaker notes.
Adding Comments Directly to Slide Elements
In Google Slides, comments can be anchored to a specific text snippet, image, table cell, or directly to the slide canvas. As explained in the Google Workspace help documentation, selecting an element and clicking the Add comment button on the toolbar opens the comment box.
To leave accurate feedback, follow these steps:
Select the text snippet, image, or slide object you want to review.
Click the Add comment icon on the top toolbar.
Type your feedback and then click the Comment button.
If you are evaluating the overall flow of the slide rather than a specific object, you can select the relevant slide and attach a comment to the slide as a whole. You can also add an emoji reaction to an existing comment by using the Add emoji reaction option on the comment card.
Assigning Tasks and Action Items with @ and +
To clarify who is responsible for addressing issues identified during the review, action items can be assigned. As outlined in the Google Workspace Support guide, typing @ or + in a comment followed by a colleague's name or email address prompts the system to suggest the relevant person.
After selecting the person, checking the Assign to [person's name] box that appears, and clicking the Assign button, the system sends an automatic email notification to that recipient. Once the user completes the task, they can complete the action by clicking the Mark as done icon in the top right corner of the comment card. If the task needs to be delegated to another team member, you can click Reply on the comment, enter another email using @ or +, and check the Reassign box.
Example Scenario: Reviewing a Product Launch Presentation
To make the process tangible, consider a hypothetical review session. In this fictional scenario, a marketing manager and a data analyst are collaborating on Slide 3:
Slide Title (Fictional): 2027 Q1 Growth Targets
Selected Element: The Annual 15% user increase text box below the chart.
Added Comment: @ahmet@ornek.com has this rate been updated against the latest market analysis report? Please confirm and add the source as a footnote if necessary.
Action Selection: The Assign to Ahmet box was checked, and the Assign button was clicked.
Reply and Resolution: After reviewing the data and adding the footnote, Ahmet replied to the comment with Verified and source added beneath the slide; he then closed the task by clicking the Mark as done button in the top right of the comment card.
With this method, it becomes clear who completed the revisions on the presentation, eliminating unnecessary email clutter and meetings.
The Comment Panel, Search, and Filtering Options
As a presentation expands, tracking open and resolved comments can become difficult. By clicking the Show all comments icon in the top right of the window, you can list the feedback history in a side panel.
Within the panel, you can use the search field to look for specific keywords or people's names. You can also use the filter options to view all comments, only those involving you, open discussions, or items marked as Resolved. If you need to reopen a closed topic, simply locate the resolved comment via the filter and click the Re-open option on the card.
Speeding Up Reviews with Keyboard Shortcuts
When focused on a selected comment in the Google Slides interface, you can navigate the review without a mouse using keyboard shortcuts. The primary shortcuts found in the Google documentation are:
Reply to the current comment: R
Move to the next comment: J
Return to the previous comment: K
Resolve the current comment: E
Exit the current comment: U
These keys increase navigation speed during intensive review processes where numerous slides are evaluated back to back.
Potential Errors and Troubleshooting
Here are common situations you might encounter when using the feedback system in Google Slides, along with their solutions:
Add Comment Button Is Inactive: You only have Viewer permissions in the file sharing settings. Request Commenter or Editor access from the file owner.
Email Notifications Are Not Delivered: The user may lack access to the file. When you tag someone who does not have access, the system prompts you to share the file with that person, provided you have sharing permissions.
Document Comment Limit Warning: When too many open or resolved comments accumulate, Google Slides may warn that the document comment limit has been reached. According to the official Google guide, you should resolve inactive comments or continue working by creating a fresh copy of the document from the File menu with resolved comments excluded.
Comments Disappeared: A user may have accidentally clicked Resolve. Check the Resolved filter in the top right panel. If you are experiencing issues with presenter text rather than in-slide annotations, consult the panel visibility steps in our guide on Google Slides speaker notes disappeared.
Verification and Review Checklist
Before concluding a review session, verify the following items:
Has all feedback been attached to the relevant slide element or directly to the slide?
Was the Assign box checked when assigning tasks to individuals?
Are there any unresolved open questions or actions remaining in the comment history panel?
Have completed tasks been marked as done to keep the workspace clean?
Before exporting and printing, has it been verified whether comments should or should not appear in the final presentation output based on your requirements?
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a resolved comment deleted permanently?
No, resolved comments are not deleted. By clicking the Show all comments icon in the top right and setting the filter to Resolved, you can inspect all past conversations and reactivate them with the Re-open option if needed. To permanently remove a comment, you must select Delete from the More options (three dots) menu on the comment card.
Do margin comments appear in the document when downloading the presentation as a PDF?
When downloading as a standard PDF from the File menu in the Google Slides web interface, slide margin comment bubbles are not printed on the PDF slide pages; comments function as a live collaboration layer. If you need to archive comment history, open and resolved comment records can be retrieved by exporting your Google Slides data through Google Takeout.
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