Searching Comments

When I am creating a worksheet, it is not unusual for me to add all sorts of comments to various cells. This is a great way to keep notes and to document exactly what is going on in the worksheet. There have been workbooks I have created that include scores of comments.

If you are like me, then what is out of sight is often out of mind. This means that I can forget what I put in all the comments or--worse yet--I may remember that something is in a comment, but I don't remember the cell to which that comment is attached. Subsequently finding the right comment can be perplexing.

Fortunately, Excel makes it quite easy to search through comments in a worksheet. Simply follow these steps:

1. Choose Find from the Edit menu or press Ctrl+F to display the Find tab of the Find and Replace dialog box.
2. Click the Options button, if necessary, to make sure that the dialog box displays all the searching options. (Click here to see a related figure.)
3. In the Find What box, enter what you want to find in the comments.
4. Using the Look In drop-down list, select Comments.
5. Click on Find Next.

Excel locates any cells that have comments that include the desired text. The cell is selected, but the comment is not displayed. You will need to close the Find and Replace dialog box and then display the comment for the cell.