Collaborate on a PowerPoint file by inserting comments

PowerPoint doesn’t have as complete a set of collaboration tools as Microsoft Word does. For example, you can’t track changes. But you can insert and reply to comments like you can in Word.

Here’s one scenario:

1. You can send your presentation to your boss, who inserts comments.
2. Your boss can send the presentation back to you and you can reply.
3. You can return the presentation to your boss to continue the conversation.

Here’s a slide that you might be working on. At the upper-left corner, you see the comment logo that appears when a slide has a comment. (I did this in PowerPoint 2013; it looks a little different in earlier versions.)

Here’s the procedure to insert a comment:

1. On the Review tab (have you ever looked at that tab?), click New Comment.
2. In PowerPoint 2007 and 2010, a box appears on the slide. The comment supplies the name of the currently logged-in user. In PowerPoint 2013, the Comments taskpane opens on the right. In all versions, you then just start typing what you wast to write.
3. Click off the comment when you’re done.

You can use the Review tab to edit or delete a comment as well as to navigate from comment to comment. In PowerPoint 2013, you can use either the ribbon or the taskpane.

Do you use comments? If not, can you think of a use for them in the future? Leave a comment!