Static Sizes for Comment Boxes

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated October 30, 2021)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


Jean-Marc is having a problem with comment boxes in his workbooks. It seems that every time he opens an Excel workbook in which he previously inserted comments, those comments have changed size. For example, if he inserts a 2" by 2" comment (or places a picture inside a comment box), the next time he opens the workbook only half the picture shows in a much larger comment box. Jean-Marc is wondering if there is a way to make the comment boxes retain the same size as he originally sets them.

The solution seems to be related to how the comment is created. How you view comments is controlled by three option buttons on the View tab of the Options dialog box. If you choose to view Comments & Indicators, then the sizes of your comments should remain static. If you choose to view only the indicators, then Excel chooses how and where to display the comment each time it is redisplayed.

If you don't want your comments to always be visible, but you still want them to retain their sizes, then the only option is to develop a macro that will do the resizing for you.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (3160) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Viewing Comments

There are three different ways that Excel allows you to display any comments that are in your worksheet. Here's how you ...

Discover More

Creating Special, Compound Characters

If you have a need for special characters (particularly in technical documents), Word provides a couple of ways you can ...

Discover More

Adjusting Mouse Click Sensitivity

Mouse not working as you expect? Here are a few things that may get things back to the way they should be.

Discover More

Solve Real Business Problems Master business modeling and analysis techniques with Excel and transform data into bottom-line results. This hands-on, scenario-focused guide shows you how to use the latest Excel tools to integrate data from multiple tables. Check out Microsoft Excel Data Analysis and Business Modeling today!

More ExcelTips (menu)

Finding and Replacing Text in Comments

Excel allows you to add comments to individual cells in your workbook. Unfortunately, Excel doesn't provide a way to ...

Discover More

Counting Comments in a Worksheet

Need to know how many comments are in a worksheet? You can figure out the count manually, or you can apply the handy ...

Discover More

Pasting a Comment into Your Worksheet

Excel allows you to not only put information into cells, but into comments attached to those cells. Here's how to copy ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is three less than 3?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)


This Site

Got a version of Excel that uses the menu interface (Excel 97, Excel 2000, Excel 2002, or Excel 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.

Newest Tips
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.