comment not showing

Copper Contributor

in excel 365 i put a comment on a cell, then go back, but the comment can't be seen. i see the red triangle in upper right corner, an arrow like its point to a comment somewhere. problem is the comment i made and now want to see, i nowhere to be found /seen

9 Replies

@bobtblc 

Insert comments and notes in Excel

It could be because your comments are formatted to depend on cell size and cell position. For example, if you delete or hide columns that are next to the cell with the comment, the position and size of the comment will change.

You should change that.

How?

Click on the cell(s) with the comment and select Edit Comment.

The comment is now visible and has a border around it. Right-click on it and select "Format Comment..." from the menu. Then switch to the "Properties" tab and activate the selection "independent of cell position and size".

Then what you described should no longer occur.

 

In addition, I have sometimes had the experience that the comments do not work correctly with very large tables, which are then sorted depending on the situation. They are sometimes displayed far away from "their" cell.

With such files I go:

Via Menu/Data/Validity – allow any value – Input message tab: enter title and input message.

The box that pops up is always the right size.

This type of annotation works fine, but; only appears on cell activation, not when hovered over.

 

 

 

Hope I was able to help you with this info.

 

NikolinoDE

I know I don't know anything (Socrates)

thanks, cell size is normal, it is a very large spreadsheet, "edit" did not allow me to see my comments, recently added comments (they say "reply to comment) i can see, just not any of the ones that have been there a while, the arrow indicates to me that the comment window is way far away somewhere, but i can't get to it to see it.

i have this exact same problem and the tips above did not help to resolve the issue. I should caveat that the comment is viewable in the browser version of excel just not viewable in excel desktop.... WTF!

@NikolinoDE 

I am not able to accomplish the following from your solution. Where is the properties tab you are mentioning below. Thank you!

 

Then switch to the "Properties" tab and activate the selection "independent of cell position and size".

Then what you described should no longer occur.

@bobtblc 

It seems like you're encountering a peculiar issue with Excel comments not displaying properly, especially in a large spreadsheet. Here are a few additional troubleshooting steps you can try:

  1. Zoom In/Out: Sometimes, comments can appear off-screen due to zoom settings. Try zooming in or out to see if the comments become visible.
  2. Scroll to Cell: Click on a cell with a comment and try using the "Find & Select" feature to navigate to the cell with the comment. You can do this by pressing Ctrl + F and then typing the cell reference where you expect the comment to be located.
  3. Review Pane: Check if the Review Pane is open. Sometimes comments can be viewed and edited from there, especially if they're not visible on the sheet itself.
  4. Show All Comments: Excel has an option to show or hide comments. Make sure this option is enabled. You can find this option in the "Review" tab under "Comments."
  5. Use VBA: If none of the above solutions work, you might need to use a macro to locate and display the comments. Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) can be used to loop through all cells and display comments, even if they are hidden or misplaced.
  6. Copy to New Sheet: As a workaround, you can try copying the entire worksheet to a new sheet. Sometimes this can reset the formatting and display the comments properly.
  7. Check Compatibility Mode: Ensure that your Excel file is not in compatibility mode, as this can sometimes cause issues with newer features like comments.
  8. Update Excel: Make sure you're using the latest version of Excel 365. Sometimes, updating the software can resolve compatibility issues and bugs.

If none of these steps resolve the issue, it might be a more complex problem with your specific Excel file. In that case, you may need to give more information, about the excel version, operating system, storage medium, etc.

@Sudhaji 

Apologies for the confusion. It seems there was a misunderstanding in my previous response. In Excel, there isn't a "Properties" tab specifically for comments. Instead, you can access comment properties by right-clicking on the cell with the comment and selecting "Edit Comment." From there, you should see options such as "Format Comment" or "Edit Comment."

To make the comment independent of cell position and size, follow these steps:

  1. Right-click on the cell with the comment.
  2. Select "Edit Comment" from the context menu.
  3. In the comment box that appears, right-click again within the comment box.
  4. Choose "Format Comment" from the menu.
  5. In the Format Comment dialog box, go to the "Properties" tab (if available).
  6. Look for an option that allows the comment to be independent of cell position and size. This option may vary depending on your version of Excel.
  7. Check or enable this option if available.
  8. Click "OK" to apply the changes.

If you don't see a "Properties" tab or an option to make the comment independent of cell position and size, it's possible that your version of Excel or the specific settings in your spreadsheet might not have this feature. In such cases, you may need to explore alternative solutions or workarounds to address the issue of comments not displaying properly.

@NikolinoDE 

 

Thank you so much for your response. Unfortunately, I definitely do not have the Properties tab under format comment. But it would have been nice to have that fix.

 

Thank you!

@Sudhaji 

If you use Excel for the web, Excel for web has a more limited feature set compared to the desktop version of Excel. Therefore, it's possible that certain features, such as the "Properties" tab within the "Format Comment" dialog, may not be available in Excel for the web.

However, Microsoft regularly updates and enhances Excel for the web, so it's also possible that new features have been introduced since my last update. To check if the "Properties" tab is available in Excel for the web:

  1. Open your Excel file in Excel for the web.
  2. Select a cell with a comment, then right-click on it.
  3. Look for options related to comment formatting or properties. If there's an option to edit or format the comment, explore that menu to see if there's an option to make the comment independent of cell position and size.
  4. If you don't see the desired options, it's likely that the feature isn't available in Excel for the web.

If you can't find the feature in Excel for the web, you may need to use Excel desktop version or consider alternative methods to manage comments in your spreadsheet.

 

It is always to your advantage if you always specify the Excel version, operating system, storage medium, etc. with every request.

I use the software on my work laptop and have Office 365 and Windows 10. Thank you so much for your help.