How to Delete Comment in Excel

Why This Task Matters in Excel

Comments (renamed Notes in newer Microsoft 365 builds) and the newer Threaded Comments are powerful collaboration tools. In fast-moving spreadsheets — financial models, engineering logs, HR rosters, marketing plans, academic research trackers — contributors leave explanations, questions, and reminders so the next analyst can follow the thought process. Over time that layer of collaboration becomes outdated “noise” that hides critical data or bloats the file. Cleaning those remnants is not just cosmetic:

1. Data Integrity & Presentation
   A high-stakes report going to an executive board or an external auditor must be pristine. Any leftover comment balloons can convey sloppiness, reveal private conversations, or — even worse — expose sensitive information such as draft assumptions or budget discussions. Deleting comments before distribution safeguards confidentiality and maintains professional polish.

2. File Performance & Size
   A workbook with hundreds of comments can load slowly, especially across networked drives or when opened on tablets. Removing obsolete comments reduces memory overhead, shortens save times, and minimizes the risk of corruption caused by excessively large XML comment parts inside the XLSX structure.

3. Regulatory & Audit Compliance
   In many industries (pharmaceuticals, banking, public sector) drafts are discoverable. Firms often run cleansing macros to purge comments before archiving spreadsheets in central repositories, ensuring the official record contains only final data. Knowing how to delete comments quickly keeps users compliant with retention policies.

4. Workflow Connectivity
   Beyond presentation, deleting comments can be a prerequisite for downstream automation. For example, Power Query connections and VBA routines sometimes choke on worksheets packed with legacy comment objects. Removing them avoids runtime errors when macros loop through cells or shape collections.

Not understanding comment deletion can cause embarrassing disclosures, inaccurate automation, and sluggish dashboards. Mastering the techniques below integrates with other Excel skills — bulk editing through Go To Special, conditional formatting cleanup, and VBA sheet maintenance — giving you confidence every time you finalize a workbook.

Best Excel Approach

The optimal approach depends on scale:

• Single Cell / Small Range – Use the built-in ribbon button, right-click shortcut menu, or the lightning-fast keyboard shortcut.
• Many Cells on One Sheet – Select the entire sheet, invoke Go To Special, filter to cells with comments, and delete in one stroke.
• Multiple Sheets / Entire Workbook – Write a tiny VBA macro that loops through each sheet, deletes each Comment or CommentThreaded object, then saves a cleansed copy.

Why these three tiers? They align with Excel’s object hierarchy and strike a balance between speed and safety. Manual deletion is intuitive but tedious on big data. Go To Special is powerful yet remains completely code-free. VBA offers ultimate control, especially when you need to target only certain sheets or automatically exclude protected ranges.

Below is a compact VBA snippet illustrating the “full workbook” tier:

Sub DeleteAllComments()
    Dim ws As Worksheet
    For Each ws In ThisWorkbook.Worksheets
        'Delete legacy Notes
        If ws.Comments.Count > 0 Then ws.Comments.Delete
        'Delete modern Threaded Comments
        If ws.CommentsThreaded.Count > 0 Then ws.CommentsThreaded.Delete
    Next ws
End Sub

For users without macro permission, the Go To Special method is an excellent alternative:

'No formula needed – process:
'Home ➜ Find & Select ➜ Go To Special ➜ Notes ➜ OK
'Then: Right-click any highlighted cell ➜ Delete Note

Parameters and Inputs

Deleting a comment is a user-interface action, so “parameters” translate to the selection context:

• Selected Range – A single cell like [D5], a contiguous block such as [B2:F20], or a full-sheet selection. Only comments within that selection are affected.
• Object Type – Excel recognizes two comment classes: Comment (legacy notes) and CommentThreaded (modern discussions). Make sure you target the right one.
• Sheet Protection State – If the sheet is protected and the “Edit Objects” permission is disabled, deletion attempts will fail. Unprotect or enable that specific permission first.
• Workbook Sharing / Track Changes – In shared mode, Excel sometimes locks comment edits. Temporarily turn off legacy sharing or resolve co-authoring conflicts.
• VBA Macro Inputs – For programmatic deletion, optionally supply a sheet list, range list, or a Boolean flag indicating whether to delete only resolved Threaded Comments.

Always validate that your selection contains the intended comments. If you run Go To Special but have nothing selected, Excel defaults to the last active cell; you might think no comments exist when in reality your selection was too narrow. For VBA, trap edge cases such as chart sheets (they don’t have cell comments) and very hidden sheets, otherwise a run-time error halts your macro.

Step-by-Step Examples

Example 1: Basic Scenario – Delete a Single Note

Imagine a simple sales ledger where cell [C3] contains this year’s revenue and carries a leftover yellow sticky note: “Check against SAP extract.” You are ready to publish the file internally.

1. Identify the Cell
   Click [C3]. Notice the tiny red triangle indicator in the corner.
2. Use the Context Menu
   Right-click directly on [C3]. From the shortcut menu choose “Delete Note” (older versions read “Delete Comment”).
3. Confirm Removal
   The red triangle disappears instantly. Hover your cursor again to ensure no balloon appears.
4. Keyboard Alternative
   With [C3] still selected, press Shift + F10 to open the context menu, then press m (for Delete Note). This combination is lightning-fast when you need to remove half-a-dozen notes scattered across a sheet.

Why it works: each Comment object is tied to the Range object; deleting it removes only the annotation, not the cell’s value. If the contextual option is dimmed, the cell never had a comment in the first place.

Troubleshooting: If pressing Shift + F10 triggers Windows accessibility tools instead of Excel’s menu, your system override is active — use the right-click instead or remap the shortcut in Windows settings.

Example 2: Real-World Application – Clean a Departmental Budget Sheet

You inherited a 15-sheet budget workbook, “FY24-OpsBudget.xlsx.” Every analyst left comments explaining unusual expenses. Finance policy demands sterile reports before emailing to the CFO. Manually hunting across 15 sheets is untenable.

1. Back Up the Workbook
   Immediately create a copy named “FY24-OpsBudget_noComments.xlsx.” If a mistake happens you have a safe original.
2. Work Sheet by Sheet with Go To Special
   a. Activate sheet “Marketing.”
   b. Shortcut: press F5, click “Special…” ➜ choose “Notes” ➜ OK. Excel selects only cells that contain legacy notes.
   c. Ribbon path: Home ➜ Editing group ➜ Clear > “Clear Notes.” (The Clear drop-down combines Clear All, Clear Formats, etc.)
   d. Repeat the sequence but choose “Comments” in Go To Special for Threaded Comments if your version separates the two.
3. Automate the Repetition
   After finishing the first sheet, press Ctrl + Page Down to move to the next sheet and press F4. Because F4 repeats the last action (Clear Notes), it instantly wipes that sheet’s notes. Continue for all.
4. Validate
   On the Review tab, click “Show All Notes.” If nothing pops up, you succeeded. Likewise, “Show Comments” should be blank.
5. Finalize
   Save, close, and reopen the workbook to ensure no hidden comments remain in cached memory.

Why this solves business problems: The CFO receives a clean document free of internal back-and-forth. The process combines Excel’s built-in selection logic with Clear commands — perfect for users without macro privileges.

Performance considerations: Selecting entire worksheets and clearing comments is near-instant even with tens of thousands of rows because a note is a lightweight XML node. The heavy portion is visual rendering, which doesn’t apply once everything is deselected.

Example 3: Advanced Technique – VBA Macro Across All Workbooks in a Folder

Scenario: An audit department stores 500 monthly reconciliation workbooks in a network folder. Each must be archived without comments to comply with record-keeping standards. Doing this by hand could take days. An advanced macro will loop through every file, remove both comment types, and save a cleaned copy to an “Archive” folder.

1. Prepare the Environment
   a. Create two folders: [Source] with the original files and [Archive] for the cleaned ones.
   b. Open a blank workbook, press Alt + F11 to launch the Visual Basic Editor.
2. Insert a Standard Module
   In the Project pane, select your workbook ➜ Insert ➜ Module.
3. Paste the Macro

Sub BatchDeleteComments()
    Dim fDialog As FileDialog, sourcePath As String, destPath As String
    Dim FileName As String, wb As Workbook, ws As Worksheet
    
    '*** configure paths ***
    sourcePath = "C:\Audit2024\Source\"
    destPath   = "C:\Audit2024\Archive\"
    
    FileName = Dir(sourcePath & "*.xlsx")
    
    Application.ScreenUpdating = False
    Application.DisplayAlerts = False
    
    Do While FileName <> ""
        Set wb = Workbooks.Open(sourcePath & FileName)
        
        For Each ws In wb.Worksheets
            If ws.Comments.Count > 0 Then ws.Comments.Delete
            If ws.CommentsThreaded.Count > 0 Then ws.CommentsThreaded.Delete
        Next ws
        
        wb.SaveAs destPath & FileName, FileFormat:=xlOpenXMLWorkbook
        wb.Close False
        FileName = Dir        'next file
    Loop
    
    Application.DisplayAlerts = True
    Application.ScreenUpdating = True
    MsgBox "Comments removed from all files!", vbInformation
End Sub

4. Run the Macro
   Press F5 with the cursor inside the procedure. The routine silently opens each workbook, deletes any comments or notes, saves a copy in [Archive], and moves to the next file.
5. Validate Output
   Spot check several archived files and run Review ➜ Show All Notes to ensure they are clean.

Edge-case management:

• Password-protected files will trigger an alert; wrap the Workbooks.Open line in On Error Resume Next and capture errors to skip them.
• Very hidden sheets are processed correctly, but chart sheets are ignored — they lack the Comments collection.

Professional tips: Disable antivirus real-time scanning for the session if performance lags; hundreds of open-save operations can stress network drives. Wrap screen updating and alerts off/on to prevent flicker and dialogues.

Tips and Best Practices

1. Use F4 to Repeat Deletion Quickly
   After deleting a comment, select the next commented cell and press F4; Excel repeats “Delete Note” instantly.

2. Combine Filters with Comment Indicators
   Add a helper column “HasNote” using the formula =IF(N(A1,""),"Yes","No") then filter “Yes,” review those rows, and delete notes in bulk.

3. Leverage Show/Hide All
   Before deleting, toggle Review ➜ “Show All Notes” to surface hidden shapes. You might uncover comments floating far from their cell anchor.

4. Keep a Cleansing Macro in Personal.xlsb
   Store your DeleteAllComments macro in Personal.xlsb; you can run it on any open workbook without re-coding.

5. Lock Out Comment Addition in Final Versions
   After cleansing, protect the sheet and disable “Edit Objects.” This not only prevents shape edits but also blocks new note insertion, preserving cleanliness.

6. Document Your Removal
   In a README sheet, note the date, operator initials, and that comments were removed. Auditors love transparent change logs.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Deleting Data with the Note
   Selecting the entire row and hitting Delete clears values too. Ensure you invoke “Delete Note,” not “Clear Contents.” If you spot empty rows afterward, use Undo (Ctrl + Z) immediately.

2. Missing Threaded Comments
   In Microsoft 365, “Notes” and “Comments” are separate. Users delete notes but leave threaded comments, then wonder why indicators persist. Use both Go To Special categories or macros addressing CommentsThreaded.

3. Ignoring Protected Sheets
   Running a macro on protected sheets without enabling “Edit Objects” throws error 1004. Always test If ws.ProtectContents Then ... and unprotect temporarily.

4. Forgetting to Save a Backup
   Mass deletions are irreversible once you close the workbook. Always create a timestamped backup.

5. Assuming Comments Live Only on Cells
   Comments can attach to chart points or PivotTables in older versions. A cell-based search misses them. For thorough cleansing, loop through ChartObjects and Shapes that might hold orphaned comment text.

Alternative Methods

Pros & Cons

• Manual menus are intuitive but slow at scale.
• Go To Special is perfect for one workbook; it stays within standard Excel, so IT security seldom blocks it.
• VBA offers automation, customization (delete only resolved comments, log counts), and runs unattended overnight. The downside is macro-free environments or signed-macro requirements.
• Power Automate can run in the cloud, good for Office 365 E3/E5 subscriptions, but requires connector licensing and setup.

Choose the method that matches your environment’s policies, user skill, and volume of workbooks.

FAQ

When should I use the Go To Special method?

Use it when you have dozens or hundreds of comments confined to a handful of worksheets and you do not have macro authorization. It is quick, repeatable with F4, and safe because it never touches cell values.

Can this work across multiple sheets?

Yes. Select all worksheets first (right-click any tab ➜ Select All Sheets) then perform the deletion via Review ➜ Delete. However, be careful: selecting all sheets groups them, so any accidental edit replicates everywhere. For more control, run a VBA loop as shown earlier.

What are the limitations?

You cannot delete comments on a protected sheet without the “Edit Objects” permission. Also, modern Threaded Comments inside shared online workbooks may show “outstanding replies.” These need to be resolved or deleted individually; macros can delete them but will not mark them resolved.

How do I handle errors?

If a macro errors on a protected or hidden sheet, trap the error:

On Error Resume Next
ws.Unprotect "password"
ws.Comments.Delete
On Error GoTo 0

For UI methods, Excel will show a warning: “Cannot delete an object on a protected sheet.” Unprotect, delete, then reprotect.

Does this work in older Excel versions?

Excel 2007-2016 only have legacy comments, so the processes described still apply. Skip the Threaded Comment lines in VBA or Go To Special. Keyboard and ribbon paths are identical, though labels show “Comment” instead of “Note.”

What about performance with large datasets?

Deleting comments is lightweight because each is a shape reference. Even 100 000 comments delete in seconds on a modern PC. The bottleneck in macro loops is file I/O when opening and saving hundreds of workbooks. Turn off ScreenUpdating, DisplayAlerts, and consider local disk processing instead of network shares.

Conclusion

Mastering comment deletion gives you a critical final-polish skill. Whether you are sending a quarterly dashboard to executives, archiving financial statements for compliance, or optimizing a giant CSV parser macro, knowing how to wipe obsolete comments keeps your spreadsheets professional, lean, and secure. Start with the right-click method for ad-hoc fixes, graduate to Go To Special for medium jobs, and keep a VBA macro handy for industrial-scale cleansing. Combine these techniques with disciplined backups and sheet protection, and you will never be caught off-guard by a stray sticky note again. Keep practicing, refine your shortcuts, and explore automation — the next time a colleague panics about hidden comments minutes before a deadline, you will be the hero who cleans the workbook in moments.