To insert a comment in Excel, right-click a cell and select New Comment, or go to Review > New Comment. Type your comment and select Post (or press Ctrl + Enter). A purple marker appears in the corner of the cell, and anyone can hover over it to read the comment and reply.
Applies to: Excel for Microsoft 365 and Excel 2021 or later on Windows and Mac, and Excel for the web. Checked against Microsoft Support on October 10, 2026.
Comments and notes: what’s the difference?
- Comments are threaded conversations. People can reply, @mention each other, and mark a thread as resolved. They show a purple marker.
- Notes are simple sticky notes with no replies. They were called comments in Excel 2019 and earlier, and they show a red triangle.
Use comments when you’re discussing a workbook with others. Use notes for a short explanation that should always stay with the cell.
Insert a comment
- Select the cell.
- Right-click it and select New Comment, go to Review > New Comment, or press Ctrl + Alt + M.
- Type your comment. To get a colleague’s attention, type @ followed by their name.
- Select Post, or press Ctrl + Enter.
Reply to, edit, or resolve a comment
- Reply: Hover over the cell, click in the Reply box, type, and post.
- Edit: Hover over the comment and select Edit next to your own comment.
- Resolve: Select the More thread actions button (three dots) and choose Resolve thread. Resolved threads stay in the file and can be reopened.
- Delete: Right-click the cell and select Delete Comment, or use Review > Delete.
See all comments at once
Go to Review > Show Comments. A pane opens on the right with every comment in the sheet. Click a comment to jump to its cell. Use Previous Comment and Next Comment on the Review tab to move through them in order.
Insert a note
- Select the cell.
- Right-click it and select New Note, or go to Review > Notes > New Note, or press Shift + F2.
- Type the note, then click outside it.
- To keep a note visible all the time, right-click the cell and select Show/Hide Note.
- To resize a note, click its border and drag a corner handle.
- To turn all your notes into comments, go to Review > Notes > Convert to Comments.
Find, copy, and clear comments
- Find every cell with a comment or note: Go to Home > Find & Select > Go To Special, then choose Comments or Notes. Excel selects all of them.
- Copy a comment to other cells: Copy the cell, select the destination cells, then right-click and choose Paste Special > Comments and Notes. Only the comment is copied, not the cell’s value.
- Delete all comments on a sheet: Press Ctrl + A to select the sheet, then go to Review > Delete. Save a copy first if you might need them.
- Edit a note: Right-click the cell and select Edit Note.
Comments on a phone or tablet
In the Excel app for iPhone, iPad, or Android, tap a cell, then tap the comment button on the toolbar (or open the Review tab on a tablet). You can read, add, and reply to comments, so you can keep a discussion going away from your computer.
Print comments and notes
- Go to Page Layout and select the small arrow in the corner of the Page Setup group.
- Open the Sheet tab.
- Under Comments and notes, choose At end of sheet to print them on a separate page. For notes, you can also choose As displayed on sheet.
If something doesn’t work
- New Comment is greyed out: The sheet may be protected. Go to Review > Unprotect Sheet. Files saved in the old .xls format also only support notes.
- @mentions don’t send a notification: The workbook must be saved in OneDrive or SharePoint, and the person needs access to it.
- You can’t see any comment markers: Go to File > Options > Advanced, and under Display, choose to show indicators for cells with comments.
- Someone with an older Excel can’t reply: Excel 2019 and earlier show threaded comments as read-only notes. Ask them to use Excel for the web.
Frequently asked questions
What’s the shortcut for a new comment in Excel?
Ctrl + Alt + M in Excel for Microsoft 365 on Windows. For a note, it’s Shift + F2.
Can I change the name shown on my comments?
Comments use the name from your Microsoft account. Notes use the name in File > Options > General > User name.
Can I add a picture to a comment?
Not to a threaded comment. You can add a picture to a note: right-click the note border, select Format Comment, open Colors and Lines, and choose Fill Effects > Picture.
Related: how to wrap text in Excel and how to find and replace in Excel.
Matt Jacobs has been working as an IT consultant for small businesses since receiving his Master’s degree in 2003. While he still does some consulting work, his primary focus now is on creating technology support content for SupportYourTech.com.
His work can be found on many websites and focuses on topics such as Microsoft Office, Apple devices, Android devices, Photoshop, and more.