Insert a Comment or Note in Excel

To insert a comment in Excel, right-click a cell and choose New Comment, type your message and post it. Excel for Microsoft 365 also has notes, which are simpler sticky labels for remarks that don't need a reply. This guide is for anyone who reviews or shares workbooks, and it explains which one to use, how to add, edit, show, print and delete both, and when a plain Notes column is the better choice.

Comments vs notes: which one to use#

Comments are for conversations; notes are for fixed explanations. In Excel for Microsoft 365 the two work like this:

In Excel 2019 and earlier there is only one kind, called Comment, and it works like today's notes. If you open a modern file in an old version, threaded comments may show as plain text that can't be replied to.

Use a note for a permanent explanation such as "Rate from the 2026 contract". Use a comment when you need someone to answer, such as "@Sam can you confirm this figure?". The Excel terms glossary defines both if colleagues use the words differently.

How to insert a comment in Excel#

A comment starts a thread that anyone with the file can reply to:

1. Right-click the cell and choose New Comment. You can also select the cell and go to Review > New Comment.
2. Type your message. To notify someone, type @ and pick their name (this works in files saved to OneDrive or SharePoint).
3. Click the Post button (the arrow), or on Windows press Ctrl+Enter.

A purple marker appears in the corner of the cell. Hover over the cell to read the thread, and click Reply to answer. When the discussion is finished, open the ... menu in the thread and choose Resolve thread. Resolved threads stay in the file and can be reopened.

On a Mac, the steps are the same: right-click (or Control-click) the cell and choose New Comment, or use the Review tab.

How to insert a note#

A note is a small text box attached to a cell, with no replies:

1. Select the cell.
2. On Windows, press Shift+F2. On Windows or Mac, you can also right-click and choose New Note, or go to Review > Notes > New Note.
3. Type the note. Your name appears at the top; on Windows it comes from File > Options > General > User name.
4. Click any other cell to finish.

A red triangle marks the cell. To change the note, select the cell and press Shift+F2 again (Windows), or right-click and choose Edit Note. Drag the note's handles to resize it if the text is cut off.

How to show, hide and find comments and notes#

By default both appear only when you hover over the cell. To keep them on screen:

• Show every note: Review > Notes > Show All Notes. Click it again to hide them.
• Show one note: right-click the cell and choose Show/Hide Note.
• See every comment: Review > Show Comments opens the comments pane, which lists every thread on the sheet.
• Move between them: use Previous and Next in the Review tab's Comments or Notes group.

To search the text inside them, open Find (Windows: Ctrl+F; Mac: ⌘F), click Options, and change Look in to the notes or comments option. The Find and Replace guide covers the other search options.

How to edit, delete and convert them#

You can change or remove both kinds at any time:

Clear Comments and Notes leaves the cell values and formats alone. By contrast, Clear All removes everything, and deleting a row or column deletes its comments and notes with it. If you delete a note by mistake, press Ctrl+Z (Mac: ⌘Z) straight away. Threaded comments are saved as soon as you post or delete them, so undo may not bring one back; delete them with care. The guide to editing cells, undo and redo explains what undo can and can't bring back.

Copying a cell copies its note or comment too. To copy only the note, use Paste Special and choose the comments and notes option.

How to print comments and notes#

Comments and notes don't print unless you ask for them. Go to Page Layout, click the small arrow in the corner of the Page Setup group, and open the Sheet tab. In the Comments list (called Comments and notes in newer versions), choose At end of sheet to print them all on a separate page after the data. The print setup guide covers the other settings on that tab.

Protected sheets and a Notes column alternative#

On a protected sheet, people may not be able to add or edit notes unless the protection settings allow editing objects. If reviewers need to leave notes, set that up when you protect the sheet; the guide to protecting a sheet and locking cells shows each option.

Comments and notes are also invisible to formulas. You can't filter, sort, count or total by them. If a remark matters to the analysis, such as "Over budget: approved", put it in a Notes column next to the data instead:

Now =COUNTA(D2:D7) counts the rows with a note (3), and a filter on column D shows only those rows. The note prints with the data and can't be hidden by accident.

Practise it#

Comments and notes are part of everyday cell work, along with selecting, editing and clearing. Practise working with cells, rows and columns in a live spreadsheet, then learn to edit, clear and undo safely. Each lesson checks your work instantly. Then try the exercise on this page to count the notes in a budget's Notes column.