Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Excel in Microsoft 365, and 2021. 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: Keyboard Shortcut for Comments.

Keyboard Shortcut for Comments

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated December 9, 2023)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Excel in Microsoft 365, and 2021


3

Larry often adds comments to cells in his worksheets. He wonders if there is a keyboard shortcut for adding those comments.

The answer to this question depends on what Larry means by "comment." The traditional comment you added to a cell is, in the latest versions of Excel, known as a note. Comments are now threaded in nature, much like they are in Word.

Normally, if you want to insert a comment (not a note) you would select the cell, display the Review tab of the ribbon, and then click the New Comment tool, in the Comments group. If you prefer to not take your hands off the keyboard, however, you can press Alt+R and then press the C key. If you use this shortcut in older versions of Excel (ones that use traditional comments), then a comment is added.

You can also use Alt+I and then press M. Doing this adds a note in newer versions of Excel and a comment in older versions of Excel.

Another method to insert a comment (now called a note) is to simply press Shift+F2. This shortcut produces the exact same result as Alt+R, M method—it opens a comment (note) box in the current cell. (If one already exists in the cell, then it is opened; if one does not exist, one is added and opened.)

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (12317) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Excel in Microsoft 365, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Keyboard Shortcut for 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

Setting Line Spacing in the Equation Editor

The Equation Editor can be a great boon when you need to include complex mathematical equations in your document. The ...

Discover More

Printing a Worksheet List

Want a list of all the worksheets in your workbook? Here's a short, handy macro that will place all the worksheet names ...

Discover More

Omitting Page Numbers on Some Pages

Excel doesn't allow for as robust of headers and footers as Word does. Even so, there are some things you can do to ...

Discover More

Create Custom Apps with VBA! Discover how to extend the capabilities of Office 2013 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Access) with VBA programming, using it for writing macros, automating Office applications, and creating custom applications. Check out Mastering VBA for Office 2013 today!

More ExcelTips (ribbon)

Static Sizes for Comment Boxes

Adding comments to your worksheet can be helpful in documenting what the worksheet contains. If you want to make sure ...

Discover More

Linking Comments to Multiple Cells

In Excel, single comments are associated with single cells. If you want to have a comment be linked to multiple cells, ...

Discover More

Moving Comment Background Pictures to Cells

When formatting comments, you can use a graphic as a background for the comment box. If you later want to move this ...

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 2 + 8?

2023-12-13 17:22:34

R. A. Williams

Also, a few words about how the threading aspect of (new) comments is used would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Bob Williams


2023-12-13 17:16:01

R. A. Williams

I believe there's a typo in this article (Keyboard Shortcut for Comments). In the 5th paragraph: Alt-R, M should be Alt-R, C, I think.
And thanks for your Tips service. I use it frequently.

Bob Williams


2023-12-13 10:31:12

Don Small

That last paragraph should read "same result as Alt+I, M method", not "same result as Alt+R, M method".


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.