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.
Create Custom Apps with VBA! Discover how to extend the capabilities of Office 365 applications with VBA programming. Written in clear terms and understandable language, the book includes systematic tutorials and contains both intermediate and advanced content for experienced VB developers. Designed to be comprehensive, the book addresses not just one Office application, but the entire Office suite. Check out Mastering VBA for Microsoft Office 365 today!
Need to know how many comments are in a worksheet? You can figure out the count manually, or you can apply the handy ...
Discover MoreOne of the pieces of information that Excel can maintain relative to a workbook is a set of comments of your choice. ...
Discover MorePasting the contents of a single cell into a comment is rather easy. Pasting the contents of a range of cells is a ...
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