Google Sheets has recently enhanced its cell commenting ability to include the option of inserting a “Note” or a “Comment.” The differences between the two are not obvious. Following is an overview of what they do and how to choose which one you should use. Follow along with the linked Google Sheet used to create this article.
Both comment and note can be selected by right-clicking on the cell (if you’re using a mouse on a Windows PC).
Use the Note function to leave a simple note in the cell just like you would with Excel’s comment function. With Note, you can simply add information about the cell. Only use this if it doesn’t make sense to add the note directly into the cell. Notes can be helpful, but if they are not needed, they add unneeded complexity. Often, users will overlook notes and only notice information that is typed into cells, so use them only when called for.
Video explanation
The Comment functionality is Note on steroids. Notes are usually sufficient if one user is creating and viewing a spreadsheet. However, if you have multiple users, especially in different physical locations, the Comment functionality can be very helpful. It enables users to have a back and forth conversation about a cell without altering its contents. The Comment functionality can be especially useful in a supervisor/staff relationship where one person is reviewing another’s work.
In summary, use the note function when you want to leave a quick note and nothing else. Use comment if you want to start a conversation with someone else about a cell.
Walter Hartman says:
when there are multiple comments added to a sheet, is there an easy way to find the comments?
admin says:
Try the “Open comment history” icon in the upper right-hand corner that looks like a comic book text bubble.
Phil says:
Thank you for “open comment history”! Very helpful.
I wish comments in Sheets were as easy to see as they are in Docs. I get why they aren’t. I just wish that they were :-/
Joe says:
Is there a way of printing the notes that have been added to a cell?
Prolific Oaktree says:
Not that I know of.
Araceli says:
Hello, is there a way of formatting “Notes” font –size or color? Thank you!
Prolific Oaktree says:
I don’t think so.
Kevin Ford says:
Thanks for this article. However, different than your instructions indicate, today I was unable to leave either a comment or a note in your linked spreadsheet. Perhaps since posting on 02014 November 05, you’ve changed access to your spreadsheet for anyone on the internet to just view-only instead of comment-only?
I tried both while: (a) logged into Google, and also (b) using an Incognito Window in which I was not logged into Google.
When I tried, I encountered different application responses than those shown in your video. In particular, when I right-clicked a cell in your spreadsheet, I saw only two menu options present in the pop-up menu: “Copy” (which was greyed-out so not a functional option) and “Get link to this cell”.
Although I think some of the information (“Both comment and note can be selected by right-clicking on the cell…”) in your article is still accurate (based on testing today with my own Google Sheets documents), I believe that your linked spreadsheet has disallowed comment access by anyone on the internet, which is why I’m seeing no “Comment” menu item appear in the pop-up menus in your spreadsheet.
The open comment history button is also not visible to me in your spreadsheet.
It was still a very helpful article though.
Prolific Oaktree says:
Thanks for letting me know Kevin. I just updated it to allow other to comment now so it should be good.
cindi says:
I copy and paste my sheets all the time but I lose my notes or comments on the next page. Is it possible to have the notes or comments passed on to the next sheet so I don’t lose that information?
Prolific Oaktree says:
I don’t think so.
Leo says:
hi Adam – Thanks for all of your help!
Somewhat related, do you know a way to keep the notes or comments from popping up when mousing over them?
I came across this thread which actually answered a question that I was wondering about but was too busy with higher priority searches like the hover over thing that is really bothering me!
thx again,
Leo
Prolific Oaktree says:
Hey Leo. I am glad the article helped out. I do not know of a way to keep them from popping up though.