Forum Discussion
Why did new notes on an old spreadsheet not automatically have yellow backgrounds?
Just created a few new notes on an old spreadsheet and the new notes did not automatically have yellow backgrounds. This usually happens automatically. How can I give them the "standard" yellow background?
Newer versions of Excel have both notes and comments; are you perhaps adding comments instead of notes? Or, have you tried updating the workbooks to the new formats?
pdtcaskey Thanks for the reply.
I am aware of both the notes and comments on the current version of Excel. Being a long time user and a sole practitioner not needing to share my notes/comments with anyone else, I prefer continuing to use the Notes function. It has been working fine until this strange occurance yesterday when 2 new notes appeared with white backgrounds instead of the yellow I have been accustomed to for the past 20 years. So, as in Kubrick's film 2001, when anything suddenly changes like that (HAL makes an error) You have to wonder. As the yellow background for notes makes them much easier to see and read, I would like to regain that functionality. (Just tried creating a new note again, even after quitting and reopening Excel, to the same white background note creation. I would imagine that all of us using Microsoft 365 subscription versions of excel are having that same experience, no?) Any suggestions?
I checked on Beta Excel 365 for Windows, notes still have yellow background by default.
There is no setting in Options to change the notes background color, but in general that's possible. Here Change the Appearance of Cell Notes - Excel Tips - MrExcel Publishing are tricks to do that locally and globally, at the end is how to go back to yellow.
- Sergei, thank you. If I were a Windows user my problem looks like it would be solved. But I Am a Mac user and these excellent detailed instructions simply do not give me a clue how to do these formatting things with Excel Notes on my Mac. And because I see you can do this in Windows, believe me I tried many things on my Mac before writing this but found no way to uncover the formatting options I need. Can you give me a similar document for Mac Users wishing to reformat Notes in Excel? Thank you
Steve, sorry, never used Mac. Perhaps Steve_SumProductCom could help with it.
