Insert comments and notes in Excel

1. Right-click the cell and then select New Comment.

2. Type your comment. You can @mention someone to address the comment to them - this sends them email notification of the comment.

3. Select the Post button (or press Ctrl+Enter).

4. If other people have something to add, they can right-click the cell and choose Reply to Comment.

• If you need to edit a threaded comment, rest your cursor over the cell. Then rest your cursor over the comment text itself, and select Edit. You can only edit comments you've created.

• If you need to delete a threaded comment, right-click the cell and then select Delete Comment.

• If you need to delete a reply, rest your cursor over the cell. Then rest your cursor over the reply text itself, and select Delete.

• If a comment thread is complete, then you can mark it as Resolved: rest your cursor over the cell, then select More ... > Resolve thread. The comment will still be viewable, but no further additions can be made to it unless it's reopened. Anyone who has write access to a workbook can resolve or reopen comments.

Notes don't have a Reply box. They are just for adding annotations or reminders in cells. If you don't need to have a discussion about the data, then use a note.

1. Right-click the cell and then click New Note (or press Shift+F2). 

2. Type your annotation text.

3. Click outside the cell.

If you need to edit the note, right-click the cell, and then click Edit Note. 

If you need to delete the note, right-click the cell and choose Delete Note. 

The Comments Task Pane shows you all the comments on the current worksheet, and lets you navigate to other worksheets to review those comments as well.

1. Select the first worksheet containing comments, and then on the ribbon, next to the Editing menu, select Comments.

2. Review the listed comments. Select a comment to see the cell containing it, and to make changes to the comment.

3. After you've reviewed all the comments on the sheet, at the bottom of the list select See more comments to see the next comment on another worksheet.

4. When you've reviewed the last set of comments you can go back to where you started: at the bottom of the list, select Return to first comment.

In Excel for Microsoft 365, there are two kinds of comments to choose from: comments and notes. For more information, see the difference between threaded comments and notes.

1. Select the cell or cells that contain the comments that you want to copy.

2. Press Ctrl+C.

3. On the Home tab, select the arrow below Paste, and then select Paste Special.

4. In the Paste Special dialog box, under Paste, select Comments, and then select OK.

5. To cancel the moving border, select another cell or press Esc.

By default, Excel displays an indicator when a cell contains a comment or a note. You can control how Excel displays comments and indicators in cells by changing the default settings to always show or hide the comments or notes.

1. Select the File tab, then select Options.

2. In the Advanced category, under Display, do one of the following:

   • To hide both comments and indicators throughout the workbook, under For cells with comments, show: select No comments, notes, or indicators.

   • To show indicators but display comments only when you rest the pointer over their cells, under For cells with comments, show: select Indicators only, and comments and notes on hover.

   • To always display both comments and indicators, under For cells with comments, show: select Indicators and notes, and comments on hover. 

Excel labels each comment with the name of the person who is currently logged in with their account. This cannot be changed by typing over it. However, notes are different. Excel labels notes by using a name that you specify in the Options dialog box. The following procedure explains how to change the name that appears on notes, not threaded comments.

1. Click the File tab and then click Options.

2. In the General category, under Personalize your copy of Microsoft Office, type a name in the User name box.

   Note: If the User name box is empty, Excel automatically sets the value of the User name box to your user name, and uses that name for the label.

1. Right-click the cell and then select New Comment.

2. Type your comment.

3. Select the Post button (or press ⌘+Enter).

4. If other people have something to add, they can right-click the cell and choose Reply to Comment.

• If you need to edit a threaded comment or reply, rest your cursor over the cell. Then rest your cursor over the comment text itself and select More ... > Edit comment. You can only edit comments you've created.

• If you need to delete a threaded comment, right-click the cell and then select Delete comment.

• If you need to delete a reply, rest your cursor over the cell. Then rest your cursor over the reply text itself and select More ... > Delete comment.

• If a comment thread is complete, then you can mark it as Resolved: rest your cursor over the cell, then select More ... > Resolve thread. The comment will still be viewable, but no further additions can be made to it unless it's reopened. Anyone who has write access to a workbook can resolve or reopen comments.

Notes don't have a Reply box. They are just for adding annotations or reminders in cells. If you don't need to have a discussion about the data, then use a note.

1. Right-click the cell and then select New Note (or press Shift+F2). 

2. Type your annotation text.

3. Click outside the cell.

If you need to edit the note, right-click the cell, and then select Edit Note. 

If you need to delete the note, right-click the cell and choose Delete Note. 

1. Select the cell or cells that contain the comments that you want to copy.

2. Press ⌘+C.

3. On the Home tab, select the Paste arrow, and then select Paste Special.

4. In the Paste Special dialog box, under Paste, select Comments and Notes, and then select OK.

5. To cancel the moving border, select another cell or press Esc.

By default, Excel for Mac displays an indicator when a cell contains a comment or a note. You can control how Excel displays comments and indicators in cells by changing the default settings to always show or hide the comments.

1. Select Excel > Preferences > View (under Authoring).

2. In the View dialog box, under For Cells with Comments, Show, do one of the following:

   • To hide both comments and indicators throughout the workbook, select No comments or indicators.

   • To show indicators but display comments only when you rest the pointer over their cells, select Indicators only, and comments on rollover.

   • To always display both comments and indicators, select Comments and indicators.

Excel labels each threaded comment with the name of the person who is currently logged in with their account. This cannot be changed by typing over it. However, notes are different. Excel labels notes by using a name that you specify in the Options dialog box. The following procedure explains how to change the name that appears on notes, not threaded comments.

1. Click Excel > Preferences > General.

2. In the General dialog box, under Personalize, type a name in the User name box.

   Note: If the User name box is empty, Excel automatically sets the value of the User name box to your user name, and uses that name for the label.

The Comments Task Pane shows you all the comments on the current worksheet, and lets you navigate to other worksheets to review those comments as well.

1. Select the first worksheet containing comments, and then on the ribbon, next to the Share menu, select Comments.

2. Review the listed comments. Select a comment to highlight the cell containing it, and to make changes to the comment.

3. After you've reviewed all the comments on the sheet, at the bottom of the list select See more comments to see the next comment on another worksheet.

4. When you've reviewed the last set of comments you can go back to where you started: at the bottom of the list, select Return to first comment.

1. Right-click the cell and then select New Comment.

2. Type your comment. You can @mention someone to address the comment to them - this sends them email notification of the comment.

3. Select the Post Comment button (or press Ctrl+Enter).

4. If other people have something to add, they can right-click the cell and choose New Reply.

• If you need to edit a threaded comment, rest your cursor over the cell. Then select the comment, select the More thread actions menu, and select Edit comment. You can only edit comments you've created.

• If you need to delete a threaded comment, right-click the cell and then select Delete Comment.

• If you need to delete a reply, rest your cursor over the cell. Then rest your cursor over the reply text itself, and select Delete.

• If a comment thread is complete, then you can mark it as Resolved: rest your cursor over the cell, then click More thread actions > Resolve thread. The comment will still be viewable, but no further additions can be made to it unless it's reopened. Anyone who has write access to a workbook can resolve or reopen comments.

1. Right-click the cell and then select New Note (or press Shift+F2). 

2. Type your annotation text.

3. Select another cell.

If you need to edit the note, right-click the cell, and then select Notes > Edit Note.

If you need to delete the note, right-click the cell and choose Delete Note. 

In Excel for Microsoft 365, there are two kinds of comments to choose from: comments and notes. For more information, see the article, the difference between threaded comments and notes.

1. Select the cell or cells that contain the comments that you want to copy.

2. Press Ctrl+C.

3. Select the empty cells and press Ctrl+V.

The Comments Task Pane shows you all the comments on the current worksheet, and lets you navigate to other worksheets to review those comments as well.

1. Select the first worksheet containing comments, and then on the ribbon, next to the Editing menu, select Comments.

2. Review the listed comments. Select a comment to see the cell containing it, and to make changes to the comment.

3. After you've reviewed all the comments on the sheet, at the bottom of the list select See more comments to see the next comment on another worksheet.

4. When you've reviewed the last set of comments you can go back to where you started: at the bottom of the list, select Return to first comment.

1. In an Excel workbook, tap in the worksheet.

2. Tap Review.

3. Tap Comment.

4. Type your comment and tap the Post button.

5. To reply to a comment, tap the cell (that has the comment), tap the purple comment icon that appears above it, and in the Reply text box, enter a reply and tap the Post button.

Here are other things you can do with threaded comments on your Android tablet:

• To view a particular thread, tap the cell, and then tap the purple comment icon.

• To view all threads in the worksheet, tap Review and then tap Show Comments.

• To edit a particular comment in a thread, tap the cell (that has the comment), tap the purple comment icon that appears above it, tap the particular comment you want to edit, and then tap Edit. Modify the comment as necessary and then tap Save. You can only edit comments you've created.

• To delete a particular comment in a thread, tap the cell (that has the comment), tap the purple comment icon that appears above it, tap the comment you want to delete, and then tap Delete.

• To delete an entire thread, tap the cell (that has the comment), tap the purple comment icon that appears above it, tap ... (the ellipsis icon) next to the first comment in the thread, and tap Delete thread.

• To resolve a thread, tap the cell (that has the comment), tap the purple comment icon that appears above it, tap ... (the ellipsis icon) next to the first comment in the thread, and tap Resolve thread.

1. Tap the Edit icon on your Android phone.

2. Tap Home, and then tap Review.

   

3. Tap Comment, type your comment, and then tap the Post button.

4. To reply to a comment, tap the cell (that has the comment), tap the purple comment icon that appears above it, and in the Reply text box, enter a reply and tap the Post button.

Here are other things you can do with threaded comments on your Android phone:

• To view a particular thread, tap the cell, and then tap the purple comment icon.

• To view all threads in the worksheet, tap Review and then tap Show Comments.

• To edit a particular comment in a thread, tap the cell (that has the comment), tap the purple comment icon that appears above it, tap the particular comment you want to edit, and then tap Edit. Modify the comment as necessary and then tap Save.

• To delete a particular comment in a thread, tap the cell (that has the comment), tap the purple comment icon that appears above it, tap the comment you want to delete, and then tap Delete.

• To delete an entire thread, tap the cell (that has the comment), tap the purple comment icon that appears above it, tap ... (the ellipsis icon) next to the first comment in the thread, and tap Delete thread.

• To resolve a thread, tap the cell (that has the comment), tap the purple comment icon that appears above it, tap ... (the ellipsis icon) next to the first comment in the thread, and tap Resolve thread.

1. In an Excel workbook, tap in the worksheet.

2. Tap Insert.

3. Tap Comment.

4. Type your comment and tap the Post button.

5. To reply to a comment, tap the cell (that has the comment), tap the purple comment icon that appears above it, and in the Reply text box, enter a reply and tap the Post button.

Here are other things you can do with threaded comments on your iPad:

• To view a particular thread, tap the cell, and then tap the purple comment icon.

• To view all threads in the worksheet, tap Review and then tap Show Comments.

• To edit a particular comment in a thread, tap the cell (that has the comment), tap the purple comment icon that appears above it, tap the particular comment you want to edit, and then tap Edit. Modify the comment as necessary and then tap Save. You can only edit comments you've created.

• To delete a particular comment in a thread, tap the cell (that has the comment), tap the purple comment icon that appears above it, tap the comment you want to delete, and then tap Delete.

• To delete an entire thread, tap the cell (that has the comment), tap the purple comment icon that appears above it, tap ... (the ellipsis icon) next to the first comment in the thread, and tap Delete thread.

1. Tap the Edit icon on your iPhone.

2. Tap Home, and then tap Review.

   

3. Tap Comment, type your comment, and then tap the Post button.

   

4. To reply to a comment, tap the cell (that has the comment), tap the purple comment icon that appears above it, and in the Reply text box, enter a reply and tap the Post button.

5. Tap the green down arrow once you are done.

Here are other things you can do with threaded comments on your iPhone:

• To view a particular thread, tap the cell, and then tap the purple comment icon.

• To view all threads in the worksheet, tap Review and then tap Show Comments.

  

• To edit a particular comment in a thread, tap the cell (that has the comment), tap the purple comment icon that appears above it, tap the particular comment you want to edit, and then tap Edit. Modify the comment as necessary and then tap Save. You can only edit comments you've created.

• To delete a particular comment in a thread, tap the cell (that has the comment), tap the purple comment icon that appears above it, tap the comment you want to delete, and then tap Delete.

• To delete an entire thread, tap the cell (that has the comment), tap the purple comment icon that appears above it, tap ... (the ellipsis icon) next to the first comment in the thread, and tap Delete thread.