PowerPoint 2013

Introduction

Video: Reviewing Presentations

Watch the video (3:34). Need help?

Before presenting your PowerPoint presentation, you might decide to ask someone else to look over it. The two of you might even collaborate on a presentation. If you were revising a hard copy of a report, you might add comments in the margins or compare your rough and final drafts side by side. You can also do these things in PowerPoint using the Comments and Compare features.

Optional: Download our practice presentation for this lesson.

Commenting on presentations

When you are revising or collaborating on a presentation, you might want to make notes or suggestions without actually changing anything on the slide. Using comments allows you to take note of anything on a slide without altering the slide itself. Comments can be added and read by the original author or any other reviewers.

To add a comment:

1. Select the text or click on the area of the slide where you would like the comment to appear.
2. Select the Review tab, then locate the Comments group.
3. Click the New Comment command.
   
   Clicking the New Comment command
4. The Comments pane will appear on the right side of the window. Type your comment.
   
   Typing a comment
5. Press Enter or click anywhere on the slide to return to your presentation.
   
   

Added comments show up as small thumbnails rather than full-sized notes. To read a comment, just click the thumbnail to open the Comments pane.

Clicking a comment to open the Comments pane

To edit a comment:

1. Select the comment you would like to edit by clicking the comment thumbnail.
   
   Clicking the comment thumbnail
2. The Comments pane will appear. Click the comment to edit it.
   
   Clicking the comment
3. Make the desired changes.
   
   Editing a comment
4. Press Enter or click anywhere on the slide, and the comment will update to reflect your edits.
   
   The edited comment

To respond to a comment:

1. Click the thumbnail of the comment you want to edit. The Comments pane will appear.
2. The selected comment will be highlighted. Click Reply...
   
   Responding to a comment
3. Type your comment.
   
   Typing the response
4. Press Enter or click anywhere on the slide. The new comment will appear below the original comment, and a new thumbnail will appear on the slide.
   
   The finished response

To delete a comment:

1. Select the comment you wish to delete.
2. From the Review tab, click the Delete command.
   
   The Delete Comment command

To delete multiple comments, simply click the Delete drop-down arrow and select Delete All Comments and Ink on This Slide or Delete All Comments and Ink in This Presentation.

Deleting all the comments in a presentation

Comparing presentations

If you are collaborating on a presentation or even just asking someone else to review your presentation, you might want to use the Compare feature. The Compare feature combines two versions of the same presentation. This allows you to see the differences between the two and decide which changes to include in the final version of your presentation.

To compare two presentations:

Before you start, you'll need to have one version of the presentation open. When you're ready to compare, you'll select the second version.

1. Select the Review tab, then locate the Compare group.
2. Click Compare.
   
   The Compare command
3. A dialog box will appear. Browse for and select the desired file.
   
   Browsing for the desired file
4. Click Open.
5. The Revisions pane will appear, allowing you to compare the two presentations.
   
   

Click the buttons in the interactive below to learn how to review comments and changes using the Compare feature.

Ending the Review

When you are satisfied with the changes you have accepted, click End Review. Only the changes you have accepted will show up in your presentation.

Reviewing Pane: Details Tab

In the Reviewing Pane, the Details tab lists every change that has been made to that slide, as well as all the comments. Click a change to see its location on the slide.

Reviewing Changes in the Slides Tab

Some changes, like Inserted or Deleted slides, will show up on the Slides tab on the left. Click the revisions icon to see the change, and click the check box if you would like to accept it.

Reviewing Comments

Compare also allows you to view Comments from the person who reviewed your presentation. To read a comment, click the comment thumbnail.

Reviewing Changes on the Slide

Click the revisions icon anywhere it appears on a slide to see the changes that have been made in that spot. Check the check box next to each revision you would like to accept. To reject a change, simply leave the check box unchecked.

Reviewing Pane: Slides Tab

In the Reviewing Pane, the Slides tab lets you view the revised version of each slide. Click the slide to see a larger preview of what the revised slide will look like in your presentation, or click the check box to accept all revisions to the slide.

Next Change

Click Next to view the next change in the presentation. You can also click Previous to view the previous one.

Accepting Multiple Changes

In addition to reviewing changes individually, you can also accept multiple changes at once. Click the Accept drop-down arrow and select either Accept All Changes to This Slide or Accept All Changes to the Presentation.

Compare

To Compare your presentation with another file, click Compare, then browse for and open the desired file.

Challenge!

1. Open an existing PowerPoint presentation. If you want, you can use our practice presentation for this lesson.
2. Select text on any slide, and add a comment.
3. Edit the comment you just added.
4. Delete all comments in the presentation.