Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated June 24, 2023)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365
Excel allows you to add comments to the cells in your workbook. At some point you may want to view your comments. Simply follow these steps:
Figure 1. The advanced options of the Excel Options dialog box.
There are three possible settings for comments (see step 4). The three radio buttons are as follows:
The exact names of these options will vary, depending on your version of Excel. This is because in approximately early 2022 Microsoft added the concept of threaded comments and renamed the older comments as notes. Thus, if the three options don't refer to notes, then you know you are using a version of Excel that doesn't support the newer threaded comments.
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (6251) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Viewing Comments.
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Want your comment boxes to appear someplace other than the right side of a cell? You may be out of luck, and here's why.
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2023-10-26 15:22:46
J. Woolley
@Selie
My Excel Toolbox includes the CommentDisplayMode macro to cycle through the three comment display mode options (none, indicator only, indicator and unthreaded comment). The keyboard shortcut is Ctrl+T C D.
Here is an abbreviated version:
Sub CommentDisplayMode()
With Application
.DisplayCommentIndicator = Choose((.DisplayCommentIndicator + 2), _
xlCommentAndIndicator, xlCommentIndicatorOnly, xlNoIndicator)
End With
End Sub
And see https://sites.google.com/view/MyExcelToolbox
2023-10-25 15:35:35
Selie
Why is there no option to have "indicators Only, nothing on hover"?
I do need to know what cells in my sheet have a comment, so having an indicator there is great!
The constant accidental popups however when I am actively formatting my work is driving me nuts!
it seems like a logical next step in the line of options too, its just strange that the option isn't there.
2023-06-24 10:03:57
J. Woolley
Click Alt+R+T+T to view each comment (note) on a worksheet one at a time.
Click Alt+R+T+S to view all comments (notes) on the worksheet.
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