Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 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: Keyboard Shortcut for Comments.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated December 9, 2023)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365
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, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Keyboard Shortcut for Comments.
Solve Real Business Problems Master business modeling and analysis techniques with Excel and transform data into bottom-line results. This hands-on, scenario-focused guide shows you how to use the latest Excel tools to integrate data from multiple tables. Check out Microsoft Excel Data Analysis and Business Modeling today!
Need to print out comments, but in a way that you control what is included in the printout? Here's a way you can extract ...
Discover MoreComments and notes can be very helpful in a worksheet. After they are added, you may want to change what they contain. ...
Discover MoreThere are three different ways that Excel allows you to display any comments that are in your worksheet. Here's how you ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
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".
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.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 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:
Comments