Comments Don't Appear when Cell is Pointed To

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated December 18, 2021)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


Virginia noted that when she places her mouse pointer over a cell that has a comment, the comment doesn't appear, even though it used to. She checked the Comment settings in Excel, and they are set to allow viewing of comments. Virginia noted that the problem first appeared after she created a macro to display comments and subsequently deleted the macro.

Assuming that your Comments settings really are set properly, there are only two possibilities that could be occurring. First, your workbook could be corrupted in some way. This is easy enough to figure out—just check to see if the problem occurs in all workbooks or in just this one. If the problem is in only one workbook, then chances are good that it is due to some sort of corruption. In this case you'll need to transfer your information from the old workbook to the new one, as described in other issues of ExcelTips.

The second possibility is that the boxes displayed by your macro really weren't comments. There are several objects which can display like comments and, if it was done with code, it would suggest something other than comments since comments do not need code to display them.

If they are comments they will have a red triangle in the upper-right corner of the cell. You might try to add a new comment to see if it works OK. If it does, then the problem is not with the comments. In that case, you'll need to somehow recover your macro to again display the information you seek.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (3257) 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

Replacing Text in a Macro

When using a macro to process text in a document, it is not unusual to replace one portion of a text string with another ...

Discover More

Locking a Field

When you use fields in your document, you may want them to not change from a particular displayed result. You can lock ...

Discover More

Changing to the Right Thesaurus

Ever want Word to display a thesaurus for your country's version of English? This tip explains how to find the different ...

Discover More

Dive Deep into Macros! Make Excel do things you thought were impossible, discover techniques you won't find anywhere else, and create powerful automated reports. Bill Jelen and Tracy Syrstad help you instantly visualize information to make it actionable. You’ll find step-by-step instructions, real-world case studies, and 50 workbooks packed with examples and solutions. Check out Microsoft Excel 2019 VBA and Macros today!

More ExcelTips (menu)

Inserting Workbook Comments Into a Cell

One of the pieces of information that Excel can maintain relative to a workbook is a set of comments of your choice. ...

Discover More

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

Changing the Comment Color

Normally Excel displays comments in a color reminiscent of sticky notes you keep around your office. If you want them to ...

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 six minus 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.