The comments feature in Microsoft programs is an excellent way to quickly review a document, provide guidance, or give a brief explanation of a specific section of a document.
In Excel , if you want to insert comments and simple notes , you just need to follow a few quick steps and you're done. This way, you can have notes about your document readily available for your personal use or to share with others working on the same spreadsheet.
Throughout this post, we'll show you everything you need to know about using comments to document your Excel spreadsheet and get the most out of it.
What is the purpose of comments and notes in Excel, and why should I use them?
The use of comments is much more common in Word than in Excel ; however, the benefits of using this resource are practically the same in both cases.
Some of the main uses of comments and notes in Excel are:
- Allow add a clarification, fact or reminder.
- They don't take up space to your document.
- They improve teamwork.
- they serve to document changes in the file without altering it.
- It is very easy to do.
- The comments They can be customized or modified.
These are just a few advantages of using comments or notes in Excel . Remember that if you use them correctly , you can add your notes without disrupting the document's organization.
What are the differences between a note and a comment in Excel?
Although they might seem the same at first glance, notes and comments in Excel are actually different . This becomes clearer when we delve into the functionality of each.
Specifically in Office 365, the functionality of both is:
- Notes: As their name indicates, they are used for take notes or annotations regarding the data reflected in the documentFurthermore, they do not have the answer box therefore they are ideal for to make clarifications or other details within the spreadsheet.
- Comments: in the newer versions of Office, The comments are linked and allow users to have discussions or interact with others about the data.. They include a answer box And, when others respond, the conversation is shown with all connected comments.
It is worth noting that in previous versions of Excel, notes were treated as comments, but these did not include a reply box.
To create a note in Excel you need to:
- Click on New note in the context menu.
- You can also log in Notes/ New note tab Check.
Learn step-by-step how to use comments in your Excel spreadsheets
Comments are a perfect way to maintain active communication with other users working on the same Excel spreadsheet . Within a comment, you can add a comment , and an indicator will appear in the corner of the cell.
This way, when you hover your cursor over it , the comment will appear . There are different ways to use them , and they vary depending on your needs and operating system.
We'll explain it in detail below:
Insert comments to create conversations
First, you should know that all users with editing access to your file have the power to edit the comments.
In the case of Windows, the way to insert threaded comments to create conversations is as follows:
- Right-click on the cell and then click on New comment.
- Write whatever you wish.
- Select the button Publish, or press Ctrl + Enter.
- Si Other users they have something that addThey must right-click on the cell and choose the option Reply to the comment.
To do this on macOS, you must:
- Right-click on the cell and then choose the option of New comment.
- Write the comment.
- Press the button Publish, or the combination of Command+Enter.
- For those who want to respondThey must right-click on the cell and select Reply to the comment.
On the other hand, there are other actions that can be performed on comments in both Windows and Mac.
These are:
- To edit a comment or threaded reply: You need to position the cursor about the cell, then about the text from the comment and click on EditYou can only edit the comments you created yourself.
- To remove a threaded comment: haz Right-click on the cell and then press on Delete comment.
- To delete a response: place the cursor about the cellThen, hover over the text and click on Delete.
- To mark the comment thread as resolved: place the cursor on the cell and choose the option of Resolve subprocessKeep in mind that the comment will remain visiblebut no further additions can be made unless you return to open.
Insert simple notes
To insert simple notes in Excel on Windows, you need to:
- Right-click on the cell.
- Then press on Insert note, or also through Shift + F2.
- Write your note.
- Click outside the cell.
To edit a note, right-click the cell and select Edit Note . To delete it, right-click and select Delete Note . On macOS, you cannot insert simple notes directly into Excel.
Copy notes or comments to other cells and spreadsheets
To copy notes or comments in Windows or MacOS, you need to follow the procedure below:
- Select the cell or cells that have the comments to copy.
- Press Ctrl + C (on Windows) o Command + C (on mac).
- Inside the tab HomeClick the arrow below Paste, then select Special glue.
- En Special glue click Comments and then, in Accept.
- To cancel the mobile edge, select another cell or press ESC.
- On Mac select the destination cell and then press Command + V.
Aside from that, there are a few details you should keep in mind to avoid errors in the process . One of them is to avoid pressing Enter after clicking OK , because the contents of the cell in the paste area will be copied along with the comment.
Also, be aware that copied comments will replace any existing comments in the destination area.
Show or hide comment and note indicators
Another very useful feature within notes or comments is the ability to choose whether to show or hide indicators . By default, Excel displays an indicator when a cell contains a note or comment . However, you can change this setting to specify whether you want it to be displayed or not.
To do this in the case of Windows, you have to go to the File tab and then enter Options.
Within the Advanced category, just below Show you can choose between:
- Hide comments and indicators throughout the book: Below the cells with comments, Show, Select No comments or indicators.
- View indicators but show comments only when the cursor hovers over the cell: Below the cells with comments, click Show and then click on Only indicators and comments upon activation.
- To always show comments and indicators: Below the cells with comments, under Show, click on Comments and Indicators. In Office 365, this setting applies to notes, but not to threaded comments..
For macOS, the settings are different . First, go to Excel/Preferences/View (under Creation) . In the View dialog box , under the Comments section , select Show.
You can choose between:
- Hide comments and indicators throughout the book: by clicking on No comments or indicators.
- View indicators and show comments when you hover over the cell: press the The option to select "Indicators and comments only" when activating.
- Always show comments and indicators: press on Comments and indicators.
Change the default name of a note or comment
Finally, there's the option to modify the default name assigned to a note in Excel . In the case of comments , the program labels them with the name of the person currently logged into their account, and this cannot be changed.
Therefore, to change the name of a note in Windows you have to:
- Click on the tab Archive and later Options.
- Within the category General, below Customize your copy of Microsoft OfficeWrite a name inside the box of Username.
As an additional note, you should know that if the Username field is empty , Excel automatically assigns your username as the value in the Username box , and will use it for the label.
Furthermore, although you can't delete note tags , you can remove them . The same applies to macOS computers.
Therefore, to change the default name of comments in macOS, here's what you need to do:
- Ir a Excel/ Preferences/ General.
- Within the dialog box corresponding to General, specifically in Customize now, proceed to write a name inside the box Username.
