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petezamory's avatar
petezamory
Copper Contributor
Apr 04, 2023

Can't edit a note - a line appears

When I try to edit a note in a cell, I hover over the cell and a line appears going off to the right.  When I right-click and go to edit note, the line disappears and I can't edit the existing note.  Any thoughts?

16 Replies

  • SallyIPAA's avatar
    SallyIPAA
    Copper Contributor
    For me, I had to not only unhide all the columns and rows, but then had to click Review > Notes > Show all Notes in the ribbon. Then the line that was horizontal at the bottom now showed travelling all the way up to C1-E1. I could then use the tiny white squares to resize the comment, then painfully drag it down back to where it was meant to be. Thank you to all the replies for helping me sort this frustrating issue!
  • I have been having the same problem.

    I create a note, then try to edit it by right clicking the cell. I does not open the note for editing.

    I save the file, reopen it, try to edit the note again and it starts working.

    This is a very frustrating bug.

    petezamory 

    • DavidC360's avatar
      DavidC360
      Copper Contributor

      Stephen_Sallaway 

       

      Thanks for the suggestion Stephen but no luck. Still just a line leading from the cell. When I create a new note in a cell I get a line but no box to make the note. The note will not open for editing. Saving and reopening the file makes no difference. Just a line.  BTW I am using Excel on a Mac PC are you?

       

       

      • jlpearsonjr's avatar
        jlpearsonjr
        Copper Contributor

        DavidC360  - I'd been having this same issue.  I was finally able to resolve it by:

        1 - unhiding all rows/columns

        2 - right click on the cell with the note and select "Edit Note"

        3 - follow the line to the note box and click/drag on one of the edges to make it bigger.  For me - all the note boxes were at the top of the spreadsheet and the note boxes had been collapsed so all I could see was the six little squares that form the outline of the note box.

        4 - when big enough to read it. click/drag on the note box again and move it closer to the cell that the note applies to

         

        I am guessing MSFT screwed something up with a recent upgrade and our notes boxes were all minimized and moved to the top of the spreadsheet.  Good luck.  Hope this helps.

  • Gepetr's avatar
    Gepetr
    Copper Contributor

    petezamory 

    I had the same issue. If you have hidden line, unhide them all. Then Review--> Notes--> Show all Notes, and change the size of each note by clicking on it. 

  • NikolinoDE's avatar
    NikolinoDE
    Gold Contributor

    petezamory 

    To edit a note in a cell, you can select the cell to display the note, go to the Review tab, and select “Edit Note” in the Notes drop-down menu. 

    Alternatively, you can right-click the cell and pick “Edit Note.”

    Then place your cursor inside it to make your change.

     

    If you are having trouble editing an existing note because a line appears when you hover over the cell and disappears when you right-click and go to edit note, one possible solution is to zoom in so you can see the very thin hairline that looks to be a note textbox.

    Click on it so the little resizing points appear on the screen. 

    Then drag one of them down so the Note appears.

     

    If none of this helps, I recommend following this link: Welcome to your Excel discussion space!

     

    I hope this helps!

    • petezamory's avatar
      petezamory
      Copper Contributor
      Thanks for the reply but zooming in did not work. When I choose edit note, the line disappears, even when I zoom in.

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