Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated June 8, 2019)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003
Keith notes that adding a comment to a cell is easy. He wonders if there is a way to insert the same comment into multiple cells at the same time.
The short answer is that there is no way to insert multiple comments at the same time. You can, however, copy a comment to multiple cells. Follow these steps:
Figure 1. The Paste Special dialog box.
The result is that only the comment from the cell in step 2 is pasted to the cells you selected in step 3. If any of those cells already had comments, those comments are replaced with the one you are pasting.
If you really want to add the comment to all the cells at the same time, then the only way to do it is through a macro. The following example will prompt you for a comment and then add the comment to all the cells you've selected.
Sub InsertCommentsSelection() Dim sCmt As String Dim rCell As Range sCmt = InputBox( _ Prompt:="Enter Comment to Add" & vbCrLf & _ "Comment will be added to all cells in Selection", _ Title:="Comment to Add") If sCmt = "" Then MsgBox "No comment added" Else For Each rCell In Selection With rCell .ClearComments .AddComment .Comment.Text Text:=sCmt End With Next End If Set rCell = Nothing End Sub
Note:
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (3521) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Excel (Excel 2007 and later) here: Adding a Comment to Multiple Cells.
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!
Need to know how many comments are in a worksheet? You can figure out the count manually, or you can apply the handy ...
Discover MoreIn Excel, single comments are associated with single cells. If you want to have a comment be linked to multiple cells, ...
Discover MoreOne of the pieces of information that Excel can maintain relative to a workbook is a set of comments of your choice. ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2019-07-14 12:03:56
Willy Vanhaelen
@Russel Spinner
Good to know about this dangerous detail.
The macro does this as well but you here can avoid it by replacing
   For Each rCell In Selection
with
   For Each rCell In Selection.SpecialCells(xlCellTypeVisible)
2019-07-13 19:32:36
Russell Spinner
If you've got a filter on, this will copy the comment to all the cells, not just the ones showing.
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.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Comments