Excel makes it easy for you and your colleagues to insert comments
in workbook cells, adding insights that go beyond the cell data. For
example, if a regional processing center’s package volume is
exceptionally high on a particular day, the center’s manager can add a
comment to the cell in which shipments are recorded for that day, noting
that two very large bulk shipments accounted for the disparity.
When you add a comment to a cell, a flag appears in the
upper-right corner of the cell. When you point to a cell that contains a
comment, the comment appears in a box next to the cell, along with the
user name of the user who was logged on to the computer on which the
comment was created.
Important
Note that the name attributed to a comment might not be
the same as the name of the person who actually created it. Access
controls, such as those that require users to enter account names and
passwords when they access a computer, can help track the person who
made a comment or change.
You can add a comment to a cell by clicking the cell, clicking the
Review tab, and then clicking New Comment. When you do, the comment flag
appears in the cell, and a comment box appears next to the cell. You can
type the comment in the box and, when you’re done, click another cell to
close the box. When you point to the cell that contains the comment, the
comment appears next to the cell.
If you want a comment to be shown the entire time the workbook is
open, click the cell that contains the comment, click the Review tab and
then, in the Comments group, click Show/Hide Comment. You can hide the
comment by clicking the same button when the comment appears in the
workbook, and delete the comment by clicking the Review tab and then, in
the Comments group, clicking Delete. Or you can open the comment for
editing by clicking Edit Comment in the Comments group.
Troubleshooting
The appearance of buttons and groups on the ribbon changes
depending on the width of the program window.
Important
When someone other than the original user edits a comment, that
person’s input is marked with the new user’s name and is added to the
original comment.
You can control whether a cell displays just the comment
indicator or the indicator and the comment itself by clicking a cell
that contains a comment and then, on the Review tab, clicking the
Show/Hide Comment button. Clicking the Show/Hide Comment button again
reverses your action. If you’ve just begun to review a worksheet and
want to display all of the comments on the sheet, display the Review tab
and click the Show All Comments button. To move through the worksheet’s
comments one at a time, click the Previous or Next button.
In this exercise, you’ll add comments to two cells. You will then
highlight the cells that contain comments, review a comment, and delete
that comment.
Set Up
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Click cell E6.
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On the Review tab, in the
Comments group, click New Comment.
A red comment flag appears in cell E6, and a comment box
appears next to the cell.
-
In the comment box, type Seems
optimistic; move some improvement to the next
year?
-
Click any cell outside the comment box.
The comment box disappears.
-
Click cell G7.
-
On the Review tab, in the
Comments group, click New Comment.
A red comment flag appears in cell G7, and a comment box
appears next to the cell.
-
In the comment box, type Should see more increase as we integrate new
processes.
-
Click any cell outside the comment box.
The comment box disappears.
-
Click cell G7.
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On the Review tab, in the
Comments group, click Delete.
Excel deletes the comment.
Clean Up
Save the ProjectionsForComment workbook, and then close
it.
