How do I annotate slides in Google Slides?

During a presentation: open the slideshow, hover the bottom-left corner, open the three-dot menu, and select Turn on the pen. Before sharing: use Insert → Comment (Ctrl+Alt+M) to pin a note to any element. Reviewers need Commenter or Editor access and a Google account to add comments — there is no guest-comment option in Google Slides itself.

Can I annotate a slide deck without editing it?

In Google Slides, set the sharing permission to Commenter — they can add notes but not change slides. In PowerPoint, there's no comment-only permission: sharing a link gives edit access. The workaround most designers use is exporting the deck as a PDF and sharing that instead, so the source file stays untouched.

How do I let a client mark up a slide deck without a Google account?

Google Slides requires a Google account to leave comments — non-account holders can only view. To get client feedback without an account requirement, export the deck as a PDF and share it via a browser-based review tool where they can click and annotate directly on the slide, no sign-up needed.

How do I annotate a slide deck on a Mac?

Keynote: open the presentation and press A during the slideshow for the annotation toolbar. Google Slides and PowerPoint for Mac both work the same as Windows for comments (Insert → Comment or Review → New Comment). For marking up an exported PDF version, open it in Preview and press Shift ⌘ A for the Markup Toolbar.

How do I save annotations after a PowerPoint presentation?

When you end the slide show, PowerPoint shows a dialog: 'Do you want to keep your ink annotations?' Click Keep. The drawn marks are saved as ink shapes on the slides and are visible to anyone who opens the file after that. If you click Discard, all drawings are lost — there's no undo after closing.

How do I collect feedback from multiple people on the same slide deck?

Emailing a .pptx creates a version problem immediately — each person annotates their own copy and you end up merging four files. Google Slides handles this better: share with Commenter access and everyone's notes land in the same file. For non-Google clients or situations where you can't share the source, export as PDF and use a shared review link so all comments are on the same version.

drafty

How to annotate a slide deck

Quick answer

To annotate a slide deck live, press Ctrl+P in PowerPoint or turn on the pen in Google Slides' presenter toolbar. To add comments before sharing, use Review → New Comment (PowerPoint) or Insert → Comment (Google Slides). To let a client annotate without accessing your source file, export as PDF and share a review link — they pin notes to the exact slide, no account needed.

Step 1

During a live presentation

PowerPoint: start the slide show (F5), press Ctrl+P to switch to the pen. Draw on the slide in real time — Ctrl+E erases, Ctrl+L gives you a laser pointer. When you exit, PowerPoint asks whether to keep the ink; click Keep to bake the marks onto the slides as shapes. Google Slides: click the Slideshow button, then hover the bottom-left corner and open the three-dot menu → Turn on the pen. In Keynote on Mac, press A to open the annotation toolbar during a presentation and draw with your trackpad or mouse. All three are free and work offline.

Step 2

Before sharing — adding slide comments

PowerPoint desktop: go to Review → New Comment. A panel opens on the right; click the spot on the slide you mean, type your note, and click Post. Comments appear as small icons on the slide, visible to collaborators in the panel. Google Slides: select any element, then Insert → Comment (Ctrl+Alt+M). One thing most people miss: in both tools, comments are hidden during the actual presentation — they only show in edit mode. Reviewers need edit or comment access to see them, which means sharing your source file.

Step 3

Sharing for a client to annotate — the access problem

Google Slides: click Share, set the permission to Commenter. This lets the client open the file and add comments without editing slides. The catch: they need a Google account to do it, and they land inside your Drive. PowerPoint's sharing has no comment-only level — anyone with the link can also edit. Keynote via iCloud has a similar gap. The version-control problem is real too: if you share the .pptx and the client opens it in Google Slides, formatting often shifts. Exporting the deck as a PDF first sidesteps the compatibility issue — the client sees exactly what you designed.

Step 4

Export, then share a review link (no source file exposed)

File → Export → PDF (PowerPoint, Keynote, or Google Slides all support this). This produces a single-file snapshot of the deck exactly as you designed it. From there, drop it into a link-based review tool — the client opens the URL in any browser, clicks the exact slide, and pins a comment to the specific chart or headline they mean. No account, no Google Drive access, no way to accidentally edit slide 7. Their notes land in one threaded place. Most designers working with clients find this cleaner than sharing the live file: you stay in control of the source, they stay focused on feedback.

The faster way

If you're sending the deck to a client for sign-off — not using it yourself — the quickest setup is to export as PDF and drop it into Drafty. Share the link. Your client clicks the exact slide element and pins a note right there, no account required. Every comment is anchored to the spot they mean, threaded, and in one place — not spread across a reply-all email chain about "the graph on the second-to-last slide."

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Questions

How do I annotate slides in Google Slides?: During a presentation: open the slideshow, hover the bottom-left corner, open the three-dot menu, and select Turn on the pen. Before sharing: use Insert → Comment (Ctrl+Alt+M) to pin a note to any element. Reviewers need Commenter or Editor access and a Google account to add comments — there is no guest-comment option in Google Slides itself.
Can I annotate a slide deck without editing it?: In Google Slides, set the sharing permission to Commenter — they can add notes but not change slides. In PowerPoint, there's no comment-only permission: sharing a link gives edit access. The workaround most designers use is exporting the deck as a PDF and sharing that instead, so the source file stays untouched.
How do I let a client mark up a slide deck without a Google account?: Google Slides requires a Google account to leave comments — non-account holders can only view. To get client feedback without an account requirement, export the deck as a PDF and share it via a browser-based review tool where they can click and annotate directly on the slide, no sign-up needed.
How do I annotate a slide deck on a Mac?: Keynote: open the presentation and press A during the slideshow for the annotation toolbar. Google Slides and PowerPoint for Mac both work the same as Windows for comments (Insert → Comment or Review → New Comment). For marking up an exported PDF version, open it in Preview and press Shift ⌘ A for the Markup Toolbar.
How do I save annotations after a PowerPoint presentation?: When you end the slide show, PowerPoint shows a dialog: 'Do you want to keep your ink annotations?' Click Keep. The drawn marks are saved as ink shapes on the slides and are visible to anyone who opens the file after that. If you click Discard, all drawings are lost — there's no undo after closing.
How do I collect feedback from multiple people on the same slide deck?: Emailing a .pptx creates a version problem immediately — each person annotates their own copy and you end up merging four files. Google Slides handles this better: share with Commenter access and everyone's notes land in the same file. For non-Google clients or situations where you can't share the source, export as PDF and use a shared review link so all comments are on the same version.

Keep exploring

How to annotate a PDF How to annotate a PowerPoint Design feedback tool Review a website

Stop emailing files back and forth.

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