How to add a comment in Pages on Mac: select text, click Comment, then save

Start with your version. Apple's What's New page lists Pages 15.4 as the latest version, and it needs macOS 26 or later. The Mac App Store shows Pages 15.4.2, a bug-fix build that also needs macOS 26.0 or later. Pages 15 installs as its own app, Pages Creator Studio.app, and it sits next to Pages 14.5. Open the app from your Applications folder so you know which one you are using.

What you can attach a comment to

A comment needs a target. You can attach one to selected text, a table cell, or an object such as an image. Apple's guide names those three targets and no others. Pick the smallest target that still makes sense. A comment on one word tells the reader exactly what to change. A comment on a whole page makes them hunt for the problem.

A greyed-out Comment button usually means nothing is selected. A community responder on Apple's discussion forums said the Comment tool only works on a selected text target. One user had this with caption text. Commenting on the image, or replacing the caption with a text box, worked around it. That user did not say which Mac or Pages version they had, so treat this as a workaround.

The Comment button and the review toolbar

Pages gives you two ways in. The Comment button sits in the main toolbar. Add Comment sits in the review toolbar. That toolbar appears only when the document has comments or tracked changes. If you do not see Add Comment on a clean document, that is normal. Use the Comment button instead.

The review toolbar also holds Track Changes controls when they are showing. Apple says you can turn Track Changes on from Edit > Track Changes, or click Track Changes in the review toolbar. If you plan to mark up a draft that someone else will accept or reject, read the Track Changes steps first.

Reply to a comment, then edit or delete it

Replies keep a discussion in one place. To reply, click the comment marker or hover over the highlighted text. Click Reply, type your answer, then click Done. Each reply has its own down arrow beside its timestamp, with Edit Reply and Delete Reply.

Ownership rules decide who can change what. Only the author of a comment can edit it. You can delete a reply only if you wrote it, or if you are the document owner. Click Delete at the bottom of a comment, and the whole conversation goes if replies exist.

Two mistakes come up often. People delete the first comment to remove one reply, and lose the whole thread. Others try to fix a colleague's wording in place. Reply with the correction instead. That keeps the discussion in one thread, where the author will see it.

Find every comment in the Comments pane

Open the pane from the View menu button in the toolbar, then choose Show Comments Pane. Apple's text also uses Show Comments & Changes Pane. The same command sits in the menu bar View menu. Choose Hide Comments Pane when you want the page back.

Inside the pane, the disclosure arrow sorts comments by page or date. It can filter by author, and it can hide comments or changes. Sort by page when you work through a long report in order. Sort by date when you want to see what came in after the last review.

Keyboard help stops at navigation. Apple lists ⌥⌘K for the next comment and ⌥⇧⌘K for the previous one. Apple's shortcut list has no key for showing or hiding comments, so use the View menu for that job.

Mark up a draft faster with the keyboard

A keyboard routine works well for editing a draft. Select the words. Press ⇧⌘K to start a comment on the selection. Type your note. Press ⌘Return to save it. Your hands stay on the keys, and ⌥⌘K takes you to the next comment.

The selection step still matters, even with the shortcut. Apple describes ⇧⌘K as a new comment on the selection, so there must be a selection to attach to. Keep the selection tight. A short phrase gives your reader a clear target, and the note is easier to act on.

Print comments in Pages on Mac and change text size

Comments print only when you ask. Choose File > Print. In the pop-up menu below the page-selection controls, choose Pages. If you do not see that menu, click Show Details. Select Print comments, then click Print.

Printed comments sit in a left-hand column with numbered flags. The flags point to the marked text, so a reader on paper can match each note to the right spot. Comments can also go into a PDF export. Check the export options before you send the file.

If the text is hard to read on screen, change the comment size. Open Pages > Settings, click General, and use the Text Size pop-up menu. Apple says the change applies to all Pages documents, not just one file.

Comments in shared documents

Shared documents follow their own rules. Apple says up to 100 people can view and edit a shared Pages document at the same time. A shared file over 2 GB must be reduced in the app before you invite anyone. Apple Creator Studio subscribers get a 4 GB limit.

To invite people, sign in to your Apple Account and turn on iCloud Drive. Collaboration on a Mac needs macOS 26 or later and Pages 15.4 or later. Invitees may need an Apple Account and iCloud Drive, or the link may open for anyone, depending on the access settings.

Track Changes adds one more rule. If a document is shared on iCloud and change tracking is on, only people using Pages on a Mac, iOS device, or iPadOS device can edit. Everyone else using Pages for iCloud can only view. Pages for iCloud runs in a browser on a Mac with macOS 14.0 or later, or on Windows.

When comments vanish or stop saving

Sometimes comments disappear. One Apple Community thread describes comments that vanished, and new comments that would not add, after 52 comments. Suggested fixes were holding Shift while opening Pages, Safe Mode then Normal Mode, and copying the content into a new document. No accepted answer was marked.

An Apple Community Specialist said Apple's documentation lists no comment limit, and advised contacting Apple Support. That is the most reliable path for a stuck file. Save a copy of the document before you try any community fix, so the original stays safe.

A quick check before you share

• Select the text, cell, or object before you click Comment.
• Confirm the note appears in the Comments pane, not only on the page.
• Tick Print comments only if the reader needs the notes on paper.
• If Track Changes is on in a shared iCloud file, check who can edit before you invite people.
• Read each thread from top to bottom, and check the replies before you delete anything.

Where to go next

Once comments make sense, the next job is usually the layout. If the draft is headed for print, read the steps to add page numbers in Pages. For a long report, the Pages guide for writers covers templates and drafts.

Before you send the file, open the Comments pane one last time. Read each thread from top to bottom. Check the replies before you delete anything. That short pass catches most of the notes that would otherwise confuse the next reader.