How to annotate a Google Doc
To annotate a Google Doc, highlight the text you want to comment on and press Ctrl+Alt+M (or ⌘+Option+M on Mac) to add an inline comment. For suggestions without editing directly, switch to Suggesting mode under Tools → Suggesting. To highlight text with color, select it and click the highlight icon in the toolbar. All three work in a browser with no extra software.
Add an inline comment (the main way)
Select the word, sentence, or paragraph you want to annotate, then press Ctrl+Alt+M on Windows or ⌘+Option+M on Mac. A comment box opens on the right margin — type your note and press Ctrl+Enter to post. You can tag someone with @theirname and Google sends them a notification email. Comments stay visible without altering the document text, and anyone with at least Commenter access can reply in the same thread. To resolve a comment once it's addressed, click the checkmark — it disappears from view but stays in the comment history if you need it later.
Use Suggesting mode for tracked changes
Go to the pencil icon in the top-right corner and switch from Editing to Suggesting (or use Tools → Suggesting). Every change you make from this point — typing, deleting, reformatting — appears as a color-coded suggestion rather than a permanent edit. The document owner then accepts or rejects each one. This is the closest Google Docs equivalent to Track Changes in Word. It is especially useful when reviewing a draft for a client: your suggested rewrites show up clearly, and the client decides what to keep. Note: the reviewer still needs at least Commenter access on the doc to suggest edits.
Highlight text with color
Select the text you want to mark, then click the highlight color button in the toolbar (the A with a colored bar underneath — look for the one that changes the background color, not the text color). Pick a color from the dropdown. Highlights in Google Docs are persistent — they stay in the document even after you close it, and anyone else with access sees them. A common pattern is to use yellow for questions, blue for approved passages, and red for sections that need a rewrite. Combine highlights with inline comments for a faster review workflow: highlight the section, then drop a comment explaining what needs to change.
Draw on a Google Doc with the Drawing tool
Go to Insert → Drawing → New. The drawing editor opens with tools for shapes, lines, text boxes, and freehand scribble (the squiggle icon). Draw your annotation, then click Save and Close — the drawing is embedded into the document as an image. This approach works well for annotating diagrams, maps, or layouts you've pasted into the doc. The downside: the drawing is static and can't be edited inline like a comment — to change it, you double-click the image and reopen the editor. For most text feedback, inline comments are faster.
When your client doesn't have a Google account
Google Docs commenting requires a Google account. If you set the doc to 'Anyone with the link can comment,' people without accounts can leave comments — but they show up as 'Anonymous Animal' (a random beast like 'Anonymous Hedgehog') with no way to track who said what. For client sign-off, that anonymity is a problem. One workaround: ask the client to create a free Google account. Another: set link access to 'Viewer' and ask them to email their notes back — but then you're reconciling two sources. A third option is to share the document as a standalone link through a tool that supports named guest commenting, so each note is attributed even without a Google sign-in.
If the whole point is getting a client's feedback on a doc you wrote — a brief, a proposal, a copy draft — the friction of Google account setup or anonymous hedgehogs is a real issue. Drop the doc into Drafty as a canvas and share the link: your client clicks the exact sentence they mean and pins a named comment right there, no Google account required. Every note lands in one thread, you see who said what, and you can reply inline. No version confusion, no 'see my comments in the attached.'
Open a live demoQuestions
- Can someone comment on a Google Doc without a Google account?
- Yes, if you set sharing to 'Anyone with the link can comment' — but they'll appear as an anonymous animal (like 'Anonymous Hedgehog') with no identity attached. If you need to know who said what, they'll need a Google account or you'll need a different tool.
- What is the difference between commenting and suggesting in Google Docs?
- Comments are notes pinned to a selection — the document text doesn't change. Suggestions (via Suggesting mode) actually propose edits to the text itself, shown as colored insertions and deletions that the owner can accept or reject, similar to Track Changes in Word.
- How do I highlight text in a Google Doc?
- Select the text, then click the highlight color button in the toolbar — it's the 'A' icon with a colored background bar, not the text color 'A'. Pick a color from the dropdown. The highlight is saved to the document and visible to anyone with access.
- How do I draw on a Google Doc?
- Go to Insert → Drawing → New. Use the shape, line, and scribble tools to annotate, then click Save and Close to embed the drawing as an image. To edit it later, double-click the embedded image to reopen the drawing editor.
- How do I annotate a Google Doc on my phone?
- Open the Google Docs app, tap the pencil icon to enter edit mode, select the text you want to comment on, and tap Insert → Comment from the menu that appears. You can also switch to Suggesting mode by tapping the three-dot menu → Suggest changes.
- Can multiple people annotate a Google Doc at the same time?
- Yes — Google Docs supports real-time collaboration. Multiple people can add comments, highlights, and suggestions simultaneously. Each commenter's notes appear on the right margin with their name and timestamp, and you can reply to or resolve each thread independently.
Keep exploring
Stop emailing files back and forth.
Share one link. They comment on the exact spot — no account, always the current version.