How to Stop Google Slides From Suggesting Contacts When You Type a Name in a Comment

To stop Google Slides from suggesting contacts when you type a name in a comment, open a presentation on a computer, click Tools > Preferences, uncheck Suggest contacts in comments, and click OK. If that checkbox is not in your Preferences window, type names without the @ or + symbol and trim your Google Contacts instead.

This guide covers Google Slides in a desktop web browser such as Chrome, Edge, Firefox, or Safari, as of October 2026. The parts about mentioning and assigning people follow Google’s Use comments, action items, & emoji reactions help page. Google’s current help pages do not describe the Suggest contacts in comments checkbox itself, so treat it as a setting that may or may not appear for your account.

What You Need Before You Start

• A computer. The Preferences window is part of the Slides menu bar in a web browser.
• A Google Account that is signed in. Preferences belong to your account, not to one presentation.
• Any presentation you can open. You only need a file open to reach the Tools menu. A blank presentation works.

A quick definition: a contact suggestion is the small list of people that drops down under the comment box while you type. Clicking a name in that list is called a mention. A mention adds that person to the comment.

How to Stop Suggesting Contacts in Google Slides Comments

1. Go to slides.google.com and open a presentation.
2. Click Tools in the menu bar at the top of the window. If you do not see a menu bar, the menus may be hidden. Press Ctrl + Shift + F to show them again.
3. Click Preferences near the bottom of the menu. A small window opens.
4. Stay on the General tab and look for Suggest contacts in comments.
5. Click the box to remove the check mark.
6. Click OK to save the change and close the window.

There is no separate save button. The change applies when you click OK. If you click Cancel or close the window another way, the box goes back to how it was.

How to Check That It Worked

1. Select a slide, a text box, or an object.
2. Click Add comment in the toolbar.
3. Type the first few letters of a coworker’s name, without any symbol in front of it.
4. Watch the area under the comment box. With the setting off, no list of people should drop down.
5. Click Cancel if you do not want to keep the test comment.

If a list still shows up, reload the browser tab and try again. Then go back to Tools > Preferences to confirm the box stayed unchecked.

What This Setting Does and Does Not Change

• It is about suggestions, not comments. You can still write, edit, reply to, and resolve comments the same way.
• It does not remove the @ method. Google’s instructions for sending a comment to a specific person are to type @ and a name or email address, then click the suggested person. Expect a list to appear when you type @ on purpose.
• It does not change who can read a comment. Comments are part of the file. People who can open the presentation with comment or edit access can read them.
• It does not delete anyone from your contacts. The people are still saved in your Google Account.

If You Do Not See the Checkbox

Google changes the Preferences window from time to time, and its help pages do not list this option today. If your General tab does not have Suggest contacts in comments, these approaches still work.

Type names without a symbol

Google documents @ as the way to add a person to a comment, and @ or + in front of an email address as the way to assign a task. Leave both symbols out when you only want to refer to someone. For example, write “Dana already approved this chart” instead of “@Dana already approved this chart.”

Dismiss a list you did not want

If a list opens while you type, do not click a name in it. Keep typing, or press Esc to close the list, and then finish your sentence. A person is only added when you pick them from the list. Before you click Comment, read the text once more to make sure no name turned into a highlighted mention. If one did, delete it and retype the name.

Remove people you no longer want suggested

Google says suggested contacts include people you added yourself and people saved automatically after you interacted with them. Its Change who’s saved & suggested as contacts page explains how to control both groups. Google describes this for “some Google services” and does not name Slides, so the effect on comment suggestions is not guaranteed.

Warning: deleting a contact removes that person’s saved details from Google Contacts everywhere you use that account, including Gmail and your phone if it syncs. Only delete entries you really do not need.

1. Go to contacts.google.com and sign in.
2. Click the contact you want to remove.
3. At the top right, click More, then Delete.
4. On the left, click Other contacts to see people Google saved for you automatically, and remove any you do not want there.
5. To stop new people from being added, open your Google Account, select People & sharing, open Contact info saved from interactions, and turn off Save contact info when you interact with people.
6. If you use Gmail, open Gmail settings on a computer and choose an option under Create contacts for auto-complete, then click Save changes.

Not sure what is in your address book? See how to view your Google Contacts list, including the Other contacts section.

In a work or school account, the list can also include people from your organization’s directory. You cannot remove those yourself. Your Google Workspace administrator controls that directory.

How to Mention Someone on Purpose

When you do want someone to see a comment, add them to it. Google says they will receive an email notification with your comment.

1. Select the slide, text, or object you want to comment on.
2. In the toolbar, click Add comment.
3. Type your comment. Anywhere in it, type @ and the person’s name or email address.
4. When the correct person is suggested, click their name.
5. Click Comment.

If the person does not have permission to open the file, Google says they can ask you to share it. If they have set an out of office status and you can view their calendar, Slides shows a notice in the comment as you add them.

Assign an action item instead

An action item is a comment that is assigned to one person as a task. Google lists this for work or school accounts. Add the person’s email address with @ or + in front of it, check the box next to Assign to [name], and click Assign. The person gets an email. They can click Done on the comment when the task is finished.

How to Turn Contact Suggestions Back On

Open any presentation, click Tools > Preferences, check Suggest contacts in comments, and click OK. Nothing is lost while the setting is off, so you can switch back at any time.

Troubleshooting

• There is no Tools menu. You may be in the mobile app, in slideshow mode, or have the menus hidden. Leave the slideshow with Esc, or press Ctrl + Shift + F to show the menu bar.
• Add comment is missing or gray. You probably have view-only access. Ask the owner to make you a commenter or an editor.
• The file is a PowerPoint file. Menus can differ while you edit a .pptx file in Slides. Open a regular Google Slides presentation to change your preferences.
• Suggestions come back on another account. The preference is saved to the account you changed it in. Repeat the steps for each Google Account you use.
• Someone was added by mistake. Click More on the comment and choose Edit or Delete. An email that already went out cannot be recalled.
• You get too many comment emails yourself. That is a separate setting. See how to turn off Google Drive email notifications.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does Google Slides show my contacts when I type in a comment?

Slides offers people from your Google contacts so you can add someone to a comment quickly. Google says these suggestions are based on signals such as contacts you have saved, starred, or emailed recently.

Will someone be notified if I only type their name?

Google’s help page describes an email notification when you add a person to a comment by typing @ and clicking their name, or when you assign them an action item. A name typed as plain text, with no person selected from the list, is ordinary comment text.

Does this preference apply to every presentation?

Preferences in Slides are saved to your Google Account, so you set them once instead of per file. If you notice suggestions again later, open Tools > Preferences and check that the box is still clear.

Does changing it in Slides also change Google Docs or Sheets?

Do not count on it. Each editor has its own menus, and Google does not document this option as shared between them. Check Tools > Preferences in Google Docs separately if you want the same behavior there.

Can I turn off contact suggestions in the Google Slides app on a phone?

Google’s instructions for the Android, iPhone, and iPad apps cover adding comments and mentioning people with @, but they do not list a Preferences menu like the one on a computer. Use a web browser on a computer to look for the setting.

Can other people see who Slides suggests to me?

The list is drawn from your own account, and it only appears on your screen while you type. Collaborators see the finished comment, including any person you actually added to it.

Working with comments in Slides? Next, learn how to create a link to a comment in Google Slides, or save your presentation as a PDF when you are ready to share a finished copy.