Giving reviews - GitHub Docs Skip to main content GitHub Docs Version: Free, Pro, & Team Search or ask Copilot Search or ask Copilot Select language: current language is English Search or ask Copilot Search or ask Copilot Open menu Collapse sidebar Expand sidebar Scroll breadcrumbs left * Home * Pull requests * Concepts * Give reviews Scroll breadcrumbs right Pull requests * * * Get started * About pull requests * About stacked PRs * About forks * Pull request quickstart * Stacked PRs quickstart * Review quickstart * Concepts * Write code * Help others review your changes * Give reviews * Resolve reviews * Deploy code * How-tos * Commit changes * Manage branches * Commit to PR branch from fork * Create a commit with multiple authors * Change a commit message * Compare commits * Troubleshoot commits * Create pull requests * Create a pull request * Create stacked PRs * Create a PR from a fork * Draft pull requests * Manage stacked PRs * Update the head branch * Change the base branch * Request a PR review * Stacked pull requests * Review pull requests * Check out a PR locally * Review proposed changes * Review stacked PRs * Review dependency changes * Comment on a PR * Approve PRs * View a PR review * Dismiss a PR review * Incorporate feedback * Merge and close * Resolve merge conflicts * Resolve merge conflicts in Git * Troubleshoot status checks * Troubleshoot stacked PRs * Merge a pull request * Merge PR with merge queue * Merge PR automatically * Merge stacked PRs * CI for stacked PRs * Revert a pull request * Close a pull request * Work with forks * Fork a repository * Configure a remote repository * Sync a fork * Allow changes to a branch * Detach a fork * Reference * Pull requests * Stacked pull requests * Stacked PRs CLI commands * Stacked PRs APIs and webhooks * Branches * Forks * Commits * Stacked PRs and other tools * Using query parameters to create a pull request * PR reviews * Status checks * Pull request merges * Merge conflicts * Manage and standardize pull requests * Tutorials * Stack pull requests * Roll out stacked PRs Giving reviews Provide feedback on pull requests by commenting on changes, suggesting edits, and approving or requesting updates before merging code. Copy as Markdown In this article * Commenting on changes * Requesting changes and approving * Reviewing changes with more depth * Further reading Reviewing pull requests is one of the main ways people collaborate on GitHub. When you review a peer's work, you help catch issues early, share knowledge, and decide whether a change is ready to merge. Commenting on changes Anyone with read access can review and comment on proposed changes. As a reviewer, you can: * Leave general feedback on the overall pull request. * Comment on specific lines to ask questions or explain concerns. * Suggest exact changes that the author can apply with a single click. Review conversations appear in the pull request timeline so the whole team can follow the discussion and track decisions. Requesting changes and approving When you finish a review, you submit it with a decision that tells the author what to do next: * Comment leaves general feedback without explicitly approving or requesting changes. * Approve signals that the changes are ready to merge. * Request changes flags feedback that the author should address before the pull request merges. Reviewing changes with more depth Thorough reviews go beyond reading the diff top to bottom. GitHub gives you tools to review large or complex changes with precision: * Review one file at a time , mark each file as Viewed to collapse it, and use the progress bar to track how much of the pull request you've covered. * Assess security and dependencies. Dependency review shows how a pull request changes dependencies and whether it introduces known vulnerabilities, and code scanning surfaces alerts on the proposed changes. * Automate reviews with Copilot. Copilot can perform automated code reviews on a pull request, comment on specific lines, and suggest changes, helping you catch common issues before a human reviewer looks at the code. Further reading * Quickstart for reviewing pull requests * Reviewing dependency changes in a pull request * About GitHub Copilot code review . Help and support Did you find what you needed? Yes No Privacy policy Help us make these docs great! All GitHub docs are open source. See something that's wrong or unclear? Submit a pull request. Make a contribution Learn how to contribute Still need help? Ask the GitHub community Contact support Legal * © 2026 GitHub, Inc. * Terms * Privacy * Status * Pricing * Expert services * Blog