You may already know how to convert PowerPoint files to PDF. If you don’t then please read this post on how to convert PowerPoint Files to .PDF format. Converting a PowerPoint file to PDF (including comments and ink markup) might seem difficult at first. But, its actually surprisingly simple once you know how to do it.

However, there are some options that most people don’t really know about. These options are usually hidden in menus and only used rarely. The option to convert a PowerPoint presentation to a PDF with comments and markup is one example. Lets find out how to include comments and markup when converting a PowerPoint presentation from PowerPoint to PDF.

What is a PDF?

The PDF format is used for sharing documents. PDF stands for Portable Document Format.

Why Convert PowerPoint Files to PDF?

PDF files can be be viewed on different devices and displays. The way the PDF document looks does not change from one device to another despite of varying hardware, operating system, screen size, etc.

PDF files are not just for text and images. They can also contain buttons, form fields, audio, and video.

 

How To Convert a PowerPoint Presentation into PDF With Comments and Ink Markup?

Open PowerPoint and open the file that you want to convert to PDF.

Click File to open a menu containing save options

PowerPoint Files -- File - FreePowerPointTemplates

Now, click Save As from the left hand menu

PowerPoint Files -- File - Save As - FreePowerPointTemplates

Click Browse to choose a location to save the file

PowerPoint Files -- File - Save As - Browse - FreePowerPointTemplates

Choose PDF from the list of available file formats, and click Save after naming the file and choosing its location.

PowerPoint Files -- File - Save As - Browse - PDF - FreePowerPointTemplates

After selecting PDF as the preferred file type, click the Options… button as shown below

PowerPoint Files -- File - Save as - PDF - Options... - FreePowerPointTemplates

Under Publish options, make sure to check Include comments and ink markup, then click OK

PowerPoint Files -- File - Save as - PDF - Options... - Comments and Ink Markup - FreePowerPointTemplates

Select a location and a name. Click Save again to save the PDF file

This is what the resulting PDF looks like

PowerPoint Files -- File - Save as - PDF - Options... - Comments and Ink Markup - PDF - FreePowerPointTemplates

As you can see, the comments are not displayed properly. That “MA1” in the first slide was a comment. You can still make text boxes on the slides and insert the comment text in them. Or, add comments to the notes section of the slide(s).

(Please click here to download the PowerPoint Template used in this example)

Image: [CC BY 3.0] via Wikimedia Commons