Comments and Mentions

Comments keep feedback right next to the content it’s about. Instead of sending screenshots back and forth, your team talks about a design, an idea or an email on the item itself.

In a comment you can:

• @mention a teammate so they get a notification.
• Reply to start a thread.
• React with an emoji.
• Record a voice message instead of typing.
• Resolve a comment once it’s dealt with.
• On a design, pin a comment to an element or a spot on the canvas.

Everyone in the brand can see and add comments. Comments are part of the brand, not private to you.

Where you can comment

Blogs and AI Design requests don’t have comments.

Quick start (5 minutes)

1. Open a design, idea, document or other item from the table above.
2. Click its Comments tab.
3. Type your feedback in Add a comment…, like Can we try the logo in white?
4. To get a teammate’s attention, type @ and pick their name from the list.
5. Click Comment.

Your teammate gets a notification in their bell. See Notifications.

Add a comment

1. Open the item and click Comments.
2. Click in the box that says Add a comment….
3. Type your comment. You can use bold, italics and lists.
4. Click Comment.

New comments show at the top. If there are more than 10, click the load more button at the bottom to see older ones.

Example: on a design for a café’s weekend special, the owner writes: “Love it. Can the price be bigger? People should see $4.50 from across the room.”

Reply to a comment

Replies keep a conversation together, so feedback doesn’t get lost.

1. Under the comment, click Reply. If it already has replies, the link says how many, like 2 Replies.
2. The thread opens. Type in Add a reply….
3. Click Comment.
4. Click ← Back to Comments to return to the full list.

The person who wrote the original comment gets a Comment Reply notification.

@mention a teammate

Mention someone when you need them to see a comment or do something.

1. In the comment box, type @.
2. Start typing their username, like @jam.
3. A list of matching teammates in this brand appears. Click the right person.
4. Finish your comment and click Comment.

The person gets a You are tagged in a comment notification with a preview of what you wrote. If you edit a comment and add a new mention, the newly mentioned person is notified too.

Good to know:

• You mention people by username, not by their full name. Each person sets their username on My Account.
• You can only mention people who are members of the brand.
• Mentions work for usernames made of letters, numbers, underscores, dots and dashes, like jamie_lee or jamie.lee. A username with any other symbol won’t get a notification.

Example: “@sam_photos can you reshoot this with the morning light? Due Friday.”

React with an emoji

Reactions are a quick way to say “got it” or “love this” without writing a reply.

1. Under the comment’s text, click the smiley face with + (Add reaction).
2. Pick 👍, ❤️, 🎉, 😂, 👀 or ✅.

Each reaction shows a count. Hover over it to see who reacted. Click a reaction you added to take it back.

Example: the designer reacts with ✅ to show the change is done, and 👀 to show she’s looked at a comment but hasn’t acted on it yet.

Record a voice message

Sometimes it’s faster to say it than type it.

1. In the comment box, click the microphone (Record a voice note).
2. If your browser asks, allow microphone access.
3. Speak. A red dot and a timer show while you record.
4. Click the timer button to stop.
5. Listen to the preview. Click the trash can to throw it away and try again.
6. Add some text if you like, then click Comment.

Your voice message shows as a small audio player in the comment. A voice message can be up to 10 MB, which is several minutes of talking.

Voice messages work on ideas, designs, documents, marketing emails, tasks and boards. They aren’t available on transcript scenes.

Resolve a comment

Resolve a comment once the feedback is handled. It keeps the list focused on what’s still open.

1. Under the comment, click Resolve.
2. The comment moves out of the main list and gets a green Resolved label.

To see resolved comments, click Show resolved at the bottom of the list. The number in brackets shows how many there are. Click Hide resolved to hide them again.

To bring a resolved comment back, click Show resolved, then Reopen under the comment.

Anyone in the brand can resolve or reopen a comment. Hover over Resolved to see who resolved it. You can resolve a whole thread, but not a single reply.

Edit or delete your own comment

You can only edit comments you wrote. You can delete your own comments, and the brand’s Owner and Admins can also delete anyone else’s, including guest comments left through a share link. Owners and Admins see Delete under every comment.

Edit a comment

1. Under your comment, click Edit.
2. Change the text.
3. Click Save, or Cancel to keep the original.

Delete a comment

1. Under your comment, click Delete.

2. Click Delete again to confirm, or Cancel to keep it.

Deleting a comment also deletes all the replies under it. The confirmation tells you how many replies will go with it.

Pin a comment to a design

On a design, you can point at exactly what you mean. Use the two buttons next to Comment in the design editor’s Comments tab.

Point at an element

1. Click the layers button (Reference an element).
2. A list of the elements on the current page appears, like text boxes, images and shapes. Hover over one to highlight it on the canvas.
3. Click the element. A small chip with its name is added to your comment.
4. Click Comment.

Pin to a spot on the canvas

1. Click the location pin (Pin comment to a spot on the canvas).
2. You’ll see Click on the canvas to pin your comment · Esc to cancel.
3. Click the spot you mean. A Page chip, like Page 2, is added to your comment.
4. Click Comment.

Pins show on the canvas with the commenter’s photo or initials. If several comments point at the same element, the pin shows a number. Click a pin to open the comment. Click a chip inside a comment to jump to that element or page.

Pins for resolved comments are hidden. If the page a pin was on is deleted, the chip shows Removed pin.

Example: a client pins a comment on the headline: “Can this say ‘Grand Opening’ instead of ‘Now Open’?” The designer clicks the chip, and the headline is selected, ready to edit.

Comment on a transcript scene

Transcripts have comments per scene, so feedback stays with the part of the video it’s about.

1. Open the transcript and click a scene.
2. In the right panel, click Comments.
3. Type in Type to comment… and send it.
4. Use Reply, Edit and Delete under a comment, as with other comments.

You can @mention teammates here too. Read by shows how many people have seen the comment. Transcript comments don’t have reactions, Resolve or voice messages.

Find comments you haven’t read

Orsa marks comments you haven’t seen yet:

• In the design editor, a red dot on the Comments tab.
• On the Ideas board, a message icon on ideas with comments you haven’t read.
• On a comment, Unread replies instead of the reply count.
• On a transcript, a small number on the open scene when it has unread comments.

Comments count as read once you open the item’s comments.

The Unread Comments widget on Home

Add the Unread Comments widget to Home to see, in one place, unread comments from the last 7 days across your brands. They’re grouped by item.

• Click an item’s name to open it in a new tab.
• Click Mark read to clear a comment from the widget.

See Your Home Page.

Who gets notified about comments

Good to know:

• You never get notified about your own comments.
• If you created the item and you’re @mentioned, you get one notification, not two.
• New Comment isn’t sent for transcript scenes.
• Comment notifications appear in the bell only. Orsa doesn’t email them.
• You can turn off New comments on My Account. Mentions and replies can’t be turned off.

See Notifications.

Comments from people outside your team

You can let clients or partners comment on a design without an Orsa account. Create a Can comment share link and send it to them. Their comments show in the design’s Comments tab with (guest) after their name, like Maria (guest).

See Sharing with Share Links.

Ideas for using comments

Collect client feedback in one place. Ask your client to leave comments on the design instead of emailing you.

Example: a bakery owner pins three comments on her Mother’s Day post: one on the photo, one on the price and one on the logo. The designer works through them and clicks Resolve on each one.

Hand off work with a mention. When your part is done, mention the next person.

Example: on a marketing email, the copywriter writes “@alex_design copy is final, ready for images.” Alex gets a notification and opens the email.

Give quick feedback on the go. Record a voice message when it’s easier to explain out loud.

Example: a gym owner records 30 seconds on how the trainer should sound in the Reel script, instead of writing a long paragraph.

Close the loop with reactions. Use ✅ when a change is done and 👀 when you’ve seen a comment.

Tips for the best results

• Keep one topic per comment. It’s easier to reply to and resolve.
• Pin feedback on designs. “This text” is clear when the comment points at it.
• Resolve, don’t delete. Resolved comments keep a record of what was decided. Deleting also removes every reply.
• Use usernames people can be mentioned with. Letters, numbers and underscores only, like sam_photos. Ask your team to check theirs on My Account.
• Mention the person who needs to act. The item’s creator hears about every comment, but other teammates only hear about it when you mention them.
• Check the Unread Comments widget daily. It catches comments you weren’t mentioned in.

Common questions

My teammate isn’t in the @mention list. The list shows members of the brand you’re working in. Check they’ve accepted the invitation. See Inviting Your Team. The list also matches the start of the username, not the full name.

I mentioned someone but they didn’t get a notification. Check their username only has letters, numbers, underscores, dots or dashes. Mentions don’t work for usernames with other symbols. Also check you picked them from the list or typed the username exactly.

I don’t see Edit or Delete on a comment. You can only edit your own comments. Members can only delete their own comments; Owners and Admins can delete anyone’s. To hide someone else’s comment once it’s handled, click Resolve.

A comment disappeared from the list. Someone resolved it. Click Show resolved at the bottom of the comments to see it, and Reopen to bring it back.

I see “Microphone access is blocked — allow it for this site in your browser”. Your browser is blocking the microphone. Allow microphone access for Orsa in your browser’s site settings, then try again.

I see “No usable microphone was found”. Connect a microphone or headset, or check that another app isn’t using it.

I see “Voice recording is not supported in this browser”. Try a recent version of Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari.

My voice message didn’t post. Voice messages can be up to 10 MB. Record a shorter message and try again.

Can I delete a guest’s comment? If you’re an Owner or Admin, yes: click Delete under it. Members can’t, but anyone can click Resolve to move a guest’s comment out of the main list.

Can I turn off comment notifications? You can turn off New comments on My Account. Mentions and replies always reach you. See Notifications.

Do comments get emailed? No. Comment notifications only appear in the bell in Orsa.

Can I comment on a blog or an AI Design request? Not yet. Comments are available on ideas, designs, documents, marketing emails, tasks, boards and transcript scenes.