Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Excel in Microsoft 365. If you are using an earlier version (Excel 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Excel, click here: Searching Comments.

Searching Comments

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated February 17, 2022)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Excel in Microsoft 365


1

When I am creating a worksheet, it is not unusual for me to add all sorts of comments to various cells. This is a great way to keep notes and to document exactly what is going on in the worksheet. There have been workbooks I have created that include scores of comments.

If you are like me, then what is out of sight is often out of mind. This means that I can forget what I put in all the comments or—worse yet—I may remember that something is in a comment, but I don't remember the cell to which that comment is attached. Subsequently finding the right comment can be perplexing.

Fortunately, Excel makes it quite easy to search through comments in a worksheet. Simply follow these steps:

  1. Press Ctrl+F to display the Find tab of the Find and Replace dialog box.
  2. Click the Options button, if necessary, to make sure that the dialog box displays all the searching options. (See Figure 1.)
  3. Figure 1. The Find tab of the Find and Replace dialog box.

  4. In the Find What box, enter what you want to find in the comments.
  5. Using the Look In drop-down list, select Comments.
  6. Click on Find Next.

Excel locates any cells that have comments that include the desired text. The cell is selected, but the comment is not displayed. Depending on your version of Excel, you may need to close the Find and Replace dialog box in order to display the comment for the cell.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (7852) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Excel in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Searching Comments.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Keeping the Flash Drive Occupied

Working on a document stored on a flash drive can have some unintended consequences. Here's some help in understanding ...

Discover More

Negating a Cell Using a Macro

There are two ways to create macros: recording them or writing them from scratch. Some things cannot be done in a macro ...

Discover More

Adjusting Navigation Pane Font Size

The Navigation pane can be quite handy for quickly jumping to different areas of your document. If the size of the text ...

Discover More

Program Successfully in Excel! John Walkenbach's name is synonymous with excellence in deciphering complex technical topics. With this comprehensive guide, "Mr. Spreadsheet" shows how to maximize your Excel experience using professional spreadsheet application development tips from his own personal bookshelf. Check out Excel 2013 Power Programming with VBA today!

More ExcelTips (ribbon)

Changing the Comment Font

When you add a comment to a worksheet, Excel uses a default font and size for the text. If you want to make changes to ...

Discover More

Editing Comments and Notes

Comments and notes can be very helpful in a worksheet. After they are added, you may want to change what they contain. ...

Discover More

Adding Comments to Protected Worksheets

When you protect a worksheet, Excel stops users from editing or otherwise making changes to the data in the worksheet. If ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is two less than 9?

2018-08-11 11:15:10

J. Woolley

You might be interested in these macros for managing comments:
<pre>
<a href="http://www.contextures.com/excelcommentmacros.html" target="_blank">http://www.contextures.com/excelcommentmacros.html</a>
</pre>


This Site

Got a version of Excel that uses the ribbon interface (Excel 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the menu interface.

Newest Tips
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.