Reviewing a document shared with you

Someone has sent you a Sidenote link and asked for your feedback. You do not need an account, there is nothing to download, and you will not be asked for a card. Open the link, type your name, and you can start commenting.

Opening the link

Click the link. You will see the document title and a short line: “You’ve been invited to review this document”. Type your name into the Your name box and click Start reviewing.

Your name is only there to label your comments, so the author knows who said what. Use whatever they will recognise you by.

You will also see a Sign in with Google button above the name box. That is only useful if you already have a Sidenote account and want the comments tied to it. If you do not, ignore it and use the name box.

If the sender set the link to view only, you will not be asked for a name at all. The document opens straight away.

If the document is password protected, you will be asked for the password before anything loads. Whoever sent you the link will have it.

Finding your way around

Along the top you will see the file name, a badge reading either Shared (comment) or Shared (view only), and your name under Reviewing as.

Comments already left on the document appear in the panel on the right, each one quoting the part of the document it refers to. Filter them by All, Open or Resolved to see where the review has got to.

Leaving a comment

The document opens in Browse mode so you can read it without leaving comments by accident. When you are ready to give feedback, switch to Comment mode.

1. Click Comment in the top right.
2. Click the exact thing you want to talk about: a heading, a paragraph, an image, a cell in a table. Anything you can see, you can comment on.
3. A comment box opens beside it, showing what you picked so you can check you have the right thing.
4. Type your comment. If it helps, tag it as a Bug, Suggestion, Question or Praise.
5. Click Comment, or press Cmd+Enter (Ctrl+Enter on Windows).

A numbered pin appears on the element and your comment joins the panel on the right. The author sees it pinned to the same spot, so there is no need to describe where you mean.

Replies and resolving

Click Reply under any comment to add to that thread, including threads started by other people. The reply box handles bold, italic, lists and links, and you can attach a file if a screenshot is easier than a description.

The tick beside a comment resolves it. The pin on the document turns green and the thread moves under the Resolved filter. Clicking the tick again reopens it. Usually the author resolves comments as they deal with them, but you can resolve your own if you change your mind.

What you can and cannot do

• On a comment link you can read the document, comment on any element, reply to any thread, label and attach files to comments, and resolve or reopen threads.
• You can delete your own comments from the … menu beside them. You cannot delete anyone else’s.
• On a view only link you can read the document and the comments already on it, but you cannot add or change anything.
• You cannot edit the document itself. Sidenote is for commenting on a document, not rewriting it.

Coming back later

The same link keeps working, so you can close the tab and pick the review up when you have more time. Nothing you have written is lost.

If you come back in a new browser session, you will be asked for your name again. Type the same name as before and your earlier comments are still there under it, along with any replies the author has added since.

Using Sidenote for your own work

If you want to collect feedback the same way, Sidenote is free to start. See Uploading documents and Sharing to send your first review link, or Teams if your whole team needs to work in one place.