You see the label “Pending Review” next to a comment on a Notion page, but you never set up any approval workflow or review process. This status appears automatically and can confuse team members who expect comments to be visible immediately. The cause lies in Notion’s comment moderation settings, which apply to specific workspace roles and guest access levels. This article explains why the label appears, how to remove it, and how to prevent it from showing again.
Key Takeaways: Why “Pending Review” Comments Appear Without a Workflow
- Settings & Members > Settings > Comment Moderation: Controls whether comments from guests and members require approval before becoming visible.
- Workspace role of the commenter: Guest accounts and members with restricted permissions may have their comments held for review by default.
- Page-level permission overrides: A page set to “Can comment” or “Can view” can trigger moderation even when the workspace setting appears off.
Why “Pending Review” Comments Appear Without an Explicit Workflow
Notion’s comment moderation feature is a workspace-level setting that applies to all pages unless overridden. When enabled, comments from guests or specific member roles are not published immediately. Instead, they enter a “Pending Review” state until a workspace owner, admin, or a member with Can edit permission approves them.
The confusion arises because the moderation setting is not labeled as a “workflow.” It is a simple toggle that controls comment visibility. If you see “Pending Review” on a comment, the moderation feature is active for that commenter’s role. The setting can be enabled by default for new workspaces or turned on accidentally during initial setup.
How Comment Moderation Works in Notion
When a workspace owner enables comment moderation, all comments from guest accounts are held for review. Members with Can comment permission on a page may also have their comments moderated if the workspace setting is configured to require approval for all comments. The commenter sees “Pending Review” immediately after posting. The page editor sees no visible notification; they must manually check the comment list to find pending items.
The Difference Between “Pending Review” and a Workflow
Notion’s built-in approval workflows, such as those in databases with a “Status” property, are separate from comment moderation. A database workflow requires a property column and automations. Comment moderation is a simple toggle in workspace settings. If you see “Pending Review” on a comment but no workflow exists in the page, the cause is always the comment moderation setting.
Steps to Remove “Pending Review” From Comments
- Open workspace settings
Click Settings & Members in the left sidebar. Then click Settings in the top navigation bar. - Locate the Comment Moderation toggle
Scroll down to the Comment moderation section. You will see a toggle labeled Moderate comments from guests and another labeled Moderate all comments. - Turn off moderation for guests or all comments
If you want guests to post comments without review, set Moderate comments from guests to off. If you want all members and guests to post without review, ensure Moderate all comments is also off. - Approve existing pending comments
Go to any page that has comments with the “Pending Review” label. Hover over the comment and click the checkmark icon to approve it. You can also click the three-dot menu on the comment and select Approve.
If the Setting Is Already Off
- Check page-level permissions
Open the page where the comment appears. Click Share in the top-right corner. Under Page permissions, verify that the commenter’s role is set to Can edit or Full access. If the role is Can comment or Can view, comments may still be moderated even if the workspace setting is off. - Change the page permission
Click the permission dropdown next to the person’s name and select Can edit. This bypasses any moderation rules that apply to lower permission levels. - Ask the commenter to repost
After changing the permission, ask the commenter to delete the original pending comment and post a new one. The new comment will appear immediately.
If Notion Still Shows “Pending Review” After Changing Settings
Comment Was Posted Before Setting Was Changed
Comments that entered “Pending Review” before you turned off moderation will not automatically become visible. You must approve each pending comment manually. Use the steps above to approve them individually.
Guest Account Has No Edit Permission on Any Page
If a guest is invited to a workspace but only has Can comment permission on every page, the workspace setting may still moderate their comments even if you turned off the guest moderation toggle. Grant the guest Can edit on at least one page to bypass this restriction.
Browser Cache or Extension Interference
Rarely, a browser extension or cached page state can cause the “Pending Review” label to persist visually even after the comment is approved. Refresh the page by pressing Ctrl+F5 on Windows or Cmd+Shift+R on Mac. If the label remains, clear the browser cache for the Notion site and reload.
Comment Moderation vs Database Workflow: Key Differences
| Item | Comment Moderation | Database Workflow |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Workspace settings > Comment moderation | Database property column > Status or Select |
| Purpose | Control visibility of comments from guests or members | Track approval stages for database items |
| Trigger | Posting a comment | Changing a property value or running an automation |
| Visible label | “Pending Review” on the comment itself | Status property value on the database row |
| Roles affected | Guests and members with Can comment or Can view | All editors who change property values |
| Approval action | Click checkmark or Approve on the comment | Change status property or run an automation |
Understanding this distinction prevents wasted time looking for a workflow that does not exist. If you see “Pending Review” on a comment, the fix always involves workspace comment moderation settings or page-level permissions, not database automations.
Conclusion
You can now identify why a Notion page comment shows “Pending Review” even when no workflow was set. The cause is always the comment moderation toggle in Settings & Members > Settings. Turn off moderation for guests or all comments to prevent future holds. Approve existing pending comments manually after changing the setting. For persistent cases, grant the commenter Can edit permission on the page. An advanced tip: use the Moderate all comments toggle only when you need strict control over feedback from external collaborators; leave it off for internal team pages to keep discussions flowing.