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RyanPoth's avatar
RyanPoth
Copper Contributor
Mar 13, 2025

Editing cell notes crashes Excel

Relatively recent problem, but occurs frequently and can be easily replicated.

When editing a note on a cell, in certain circumstances when I exit the note the entire application closes down unexpectedly (all windows and open files), losing all changes made to all open files.

The two scenarios that I can replicate are:

  • Exiting the note by clicking on a different Excel window
  • Existing the note when it spans across a split window

Any help in getting this serious bug reported and fixed would be greatly appreciated.

3 Replies

  • kevinboardley's avatar
    kevinboardley
    Copper Contributor

    This is a WINDOWS 11 issue/BUG.

    Just tried editing notes on same file on both Win 11 and Win 10 machine.  Win 10 machine works fine and as expected.  Win 11 crashes every time.

  • 1. Update Excel:
    Click on “File” > “Account” > “Update Options” > “Update Now”.
    2. Check for file corruption:
    Try opening other Excel files to check for crashes.
    If there is a problem with only a specific file, click on “File” > “Open” > “Browse” and select “Open and Repair “.
    3. Disable add-ins:
    Click File > Options > Add-ins to disable all COM add-ins.
    4. Reset Excel settings:
    Close Excel, press Win + R, type %appdata%\Microsoft\Excel, Enter.
    Rename the Excel15.xlb file (to Excel15_old.xlb) and restart Excel.
    5. Repair Office:
    Open Control Panel > Programs and Features, find Microsoft Office, right-click and select Change > Repair, restart Excel. “Repair”, restart your computer.
    6. Check the content of comments:
    Delete special characters or formatting in the annotations and re-enter the content.
    Start Excel using Safe Mode:
    Press Win + R, type excel /safe and enter.
    Open the file in safe mode and try to edit the comments.
    7. Contact Microsoft Support:
    If the issue remains unresolved, submit a support request through the Microsoft 365 Administrator Center

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