How to Add Comments in Google Docs (Tag, Assign, Resolve)

Comments are how feedback should work: pinned to the exact sentence it's about, with the conversation kept beside it instead of lost in an email thread. If you review client copy, send drafts to a VA, or ask a friend to check your CV, they'll save you a lot of back and forth.

Adding one takes seconds. The useful extras, like tagging someone so they get an email, or assigning a comment as a task, are what most people never discover. I'll cover the basics on each device first, then those.

Adding a comment in Google Docs on a computer

Google's Docs Editors Help gives these steps:

1. Select the text you want to comment on. It can be a word, a sentence or a whole paragraph.
2. Click Add comment in the toolbar.
3. Type your comment in the box that appears.
4. Click Comment.

Your comment appears in the margin next to the highlighted text, and the text stays highlighted so readers can see what it refers to.

Adding a comment in the Google Docs app on Android

1. Open the document and select the text.
2. Tap More.
3. Tap Add Comment.
4. Type your comment and tap Send.

Adding a comment on iPhone and iPad

1. Open the document and select the text.
2. Tap Add Comment.
3. Type what you want to say.
4. Tap Done.

The menus are laid out slightly differently between Android and Apple devices, which is why the steps don't match exactly. Google's help lists both.

Tagging someone in a Google Docs comment

This is the feature I'd want everyone to know. According to Google's help, type @ anywhere in a comment, then start typing a name or email address, and click the suggested person. They receive an email notification with your comment in it.

It's perfect when you need one specific person to look at one specific line, such as asking your designer whether an image caption fits, without making them read the whole document to find it.

Assigning a comment as a task in Google Docs

You can go a step further and turn a comment into an action item. Google says assigning tasks this way works with a work or school account. The steps:

1. Add a comment as usual.
2. Type the person's email address with @ or + in front of it.
3. Tick the Assign to box that appears.
4. Click Assign.

Google says the assignee gets an email. I use this when handing a draft to a client with two or three things only they can answer, such as a missing statistic or a quote. Each one is assigned, so nothing slips through.

Resolving and reopening Google Docs comments

When a comment's been dealt with, click it and then Resolve. It disappears from the margin, which keeps the document readable. Resolving doesn't delete the conversation. Google says you can find it again by clicking Comments, then choose Re-open if the issue comes back.

Action	What it does
Resolve	Hides the comment from the margin once it's handled
Re-open	Brings a resolved comment back, found through the Comments button
Reply	Keeps the conversation in one thread under the original comment
Emoji reaction	A quick acknowledgement without adding a reply

Google notes that emoji reactions need comment or edit permission, so viewers can't use them. The same goes for replies: you need permission to edit or comment. Handy extra: Google says you can reply to or close comments straight from the notification email, without opening the document.

Comments or suggestions in Google Docs?

People often mix these up. A comment is a note in the margin; it doesn't change the text. A suggestion is a proposed edit made in Suggesting mode, which you switch on by clicking Editing at the top right and choosing Suggesting. Google says the owner then accepts or rejects it. If you want to tell someone a sentence feels long, comment. If you want to show them the shorter version, suggest it.

For client work I tend to comment on anything that needs a decision and suggest anything that's a straightforward fix. It keeps the comment column for real questions.

Using Google Docs comments for feedback on CVs and client work

• Share as Commenter when you want feedback but no edits.
• Ask one question per comment so each one can be resolved separately.
• Tag the person who can answer, rather than leaving a general question.
• Resolve as you go, so the next reviewer sees only what's still open.

A word on tone, because comments can read more bluntly than you mean them. A note that says rewrite this lands very differently from one that says this paragraph could be shorter, could we lose the second sentence? When I'm reviewing someone's work, I try to leave at least one comment on a bit that works, too. It makes the critical ones easier to hear.

If you're asking friends or a mentor to review your CV this way, my guide to adding your LinkedIn profile to a resume is worth reading first, and my roundup of free resume templates gives you a cleaner starting document to comment on.

If you can't add comments in Google Docs

• No Add comment button: you probably have view-only access. Ask the owner to make you a Commenter or Editor.
• Can't react with an emoji: Google says reactions need comment or edit permission.
• Tagged person didn't get an email: check you clicked the suggested name after typing @, rather than just typing it.
• A comment vanished: it's probably been resolved. Click Comments to find it.

Frequently asked questions

How do I add a comment in Google Docs?

Select the text, click Add comment in the toolbar, type your comment and click Comment. On Android, tap More, then Add Comment; on iPhone and iPad, tap Add Comment.

How do I tag someone in a Google Docs comment?

Type @ in the comment, then their name or email, and click the suggested person. Google says they get an email notification.

Can I assign a comment to someone?

Yes, with a work or school account. Add their email with @ or + in front, tick Assign to and click Assign. Google says the assignee gets an email.

Where do resolved comments go?

They're hidden from the margin but not deleted. Click Comments to find them and choose Re-open if needed.

Why can't I comment on a Google Doc?

You likely have view-only access. The owner needs to give you Commenter or Editor access.