PowerPoint Export to PDF With Comments Visible: How to Configure

You have a PowerPoint presentation with review comments from colleagues, and you need to share the slides as a PDF file that includes those comments. By default, PowerPoint exports to PDF without comments, which forces recipients to open the original PPTX file to see feedback. This article explains how to configure the export settings so that comments appear as annotations in the final PDF file. You will learn the exact menu path, the correct file type selection, and how to verify the output.

Why PowerPoint Exports PDF Without Comments by Default

PowerPoint treats comments as a separate layer that is not part of the slide content. When you export to PDF, the default setting publishes only the slides themselves. The comments layer is excluded to keep the PDF file size smaller and to avoid showing internal editing notes to external recipients. This behavior is controlled by the Publish what option inside the PDF export settings dialog. The default value is Slides, which omits comments, notes, and handouts. To include comments, you must change that option to Comments before completing the export.

The same setting applies whether you use the Export command on the File tab or the Save As command. Both paths lead to the same Options dialog where the Publish what dropdown menu is located. No other setting in PowerPoint controls comment visibility in PDF output. If you skip this option, the PDF will contain only the slide visuals, and all comment markers will be absent.

Steps to Export a PowerPoint Presentation to PDF With Comments Visible

1. Open the presentation and review comments
   Open the PPTX file in PowerPoint. On the Review tab, click Show Comments to verify that comments exist. If the Comments pane is empty, no comments will appear in the PDF regardless of the export setting.
2. Go to File > Export and choose Create PDF/XPS
   Click File in the top-left corner, then click Export in the left navigation pane. Click the Create PDF/XPS Document button. A Publish as PDF or XPS dialog opens.
3. Click the Options button in the dialog
   In the lower-right section of the dialog, click the Options button. This opens the Options dialog where the Publish what setting is located.
4. Change Publish what to Comments
   In the Options dialog, locate the Publish what dropdown menu. Click the dropdown arrow and select Comments. Leave all other settings at their defaults unless you need to change page range or output type. Click OK to close the Options dialog.
5. Name the file and click Publish
   Back in the Publish as PDF or XPS dialog, choose a save location, enter a file name, and click Publish. PowerPoint exports the presentation to PDF with each comment rendered as a PDF annotation icon on the corresponding slide.

Alternative Method Using Save As

1. Click File > Save As
   Select a folder location. In the Save as type dropdown, choose PDF.
2. Click Options before saving
   Click the Options button next to the Save button. The same Options dialog appears. Change Publish what to Comments and click OK.
3. Click Save
   The PDF is created with comments included.

Common Issues When Exporting PDF With Comments

Comments appear as icons but the text is hidden

PDF readers display comment icons by default. To read the comment text, the recipient must click the icon. This is standard behavior. The comment text is embedded in the PDF metadata and appears in a pop-up window when the icon is clicked.

Comments are missing from the PDF despite changing the setting

Open the original PPTX file and confirm that comments are stored in the Comments pane, not in text boxes on the slide. Text boxes are part of the slide content and always export. Comments from the Review tab are separate objects. If you see comments as text boxes, they are not real comments and will not appear as annotations. Delete those text boxes and insert proper comments using Review > New Comment.

PDF file size is too large after including comments

Comments add minimal size because they are text-based metadata. If the PDF is large, the cause is usually high-resolution images or embedded fonts. To reduce size, use File > Export > Create PDF/XPS > Options and enable ISO 19005-1 compliant PDF/A. This compresses images and removes non-essential data.

Comments are visible in PowerPoint but not in the published PDF

This happens when you use the Print command to create a PDF instead of the Export or Save As method. The Print dialog does not have the Publish what option. Always use File > Export or File > Save As with the PDF format to access the Options dialog.

PowerPoint Export Options for Comments: PDF vs Other Formats

Item	PDF Export (with Comments)	PPTX File (Original)
Comment visibility	Annotations in PDF viewer	Comments pane in PowerPoint
Editable comments	No — read-only annotations	Yes — can be edited or deleted
File size impact	Minimal increase	No change
Recipient requirement	Any PDF reader	PowerPoint or PowerPoint Viewer
Setting required	Publish what > Comments	None — comments are native

The PDF export with comments is intended for review distribution where recipients do not have PowerPoint. If recipients need to add or reply to comments, send the original PPTX file instead.

You can now export any PowerPoint presentation to PDF with comments visible by using File > Export > Create PDF/XPS > Options and changing Publish what to Comments. To verify the result, open the PDF in Acrobat Reader and confirm that comment icons appear on the slides. For presentations that require both slide content and reviewer feedback in a single portable file, this export method is the correct configuration. As an advanced tip, combine this setting with the Document properties option in the same Options dialog to include the presentation title and author metadata in the PDF output.