How to comment on code in GitHub?

 

Step 1: Sign in to GitHub and open your repository

 

First, make sure you have a GitHub account and are signed in. Then navigate to the repository where you want to comment on code.

• Go to https://github.com/ and click Sign in.
• Select the repository from your dashboard or search bar.

 

Step 2: Commenting directly on a file in the repository view

 

You can leave inline comments on any file in the repository without creating a pull request.

• In the repository, click on the file you want to comment on.
• Hover over the line number where you want to add your comment. A blue ＋ icon appears.
• Click the ＋ icon to open the comment field.
• Type your comment and click Comment.

// Example screenshot of line comment in GitHub web UI:
// 1. File view with line numbers
// 2. Click the "+" next to the desired line
// 3. Add your comment in the textbox

 

Step 3: Commenting on code in a Pull Request

 

For a full code review experience, use pull requests to discuss changes before merging.

• Create a pull request by clicking New pull request in the repository.
• Select the base and compare branches, then click Create pull request.
• Go to the Files changed tab.
• Hover over the line number and click the ＋ icon to add an inline review comment.
• After adding comments on multiple lines, click Review changes and choose Comment, Approve, or Request changes.

# Terminal example: open pull request from a feature branch
git checkout -b feature-comment-demo
# make some changes
git add .
git commit -m "Demo comments"
git push origin feature-comment-demo
# Then open the PR on GitHub and leave inline comments.

 

Step 4: Adding comments within your code files before committing

 

You can also insert comments directly in your source code to explain logic. The syntax depends on the language.

• For JavaScript and many C-style languages:

// This is a single-line comment in JavaScript
function add(a, b) {
  return a + b; /_ inline comment explaining calculation _/
}

/\*
  This is a multi-line comment
  spanning several lines
\*/

• For Python:

# Single-line comment in Python
def add(a, b):
    return a + b  # inline comment

• After adding comments, stage and commit your changes:

git add path/to/file
git commit -m "Add explanatory comments to add() function"
git push origin your-branch

 

Step 5: Managing and resolving code comments

 

When working collaboratively, you’ll often need to track and resolve comments.

• In a pull request, navigate to the Conversation tab to see all review comments.
• Click Resolve conversation on comments you’ve addressed.
• Use @mentions (@username) in comments to notify collaborators.

 

Following these steps will help you leave clear, contextual comments on code in GitHub—either directly in files, during pull request reviews, or within your code before committing. Happy collaborating!