Eshrak Kader
Have you ever faced a situation where only an arrow appears instead of the comment and you are not sure how to fix it? Then, this article can help you solve the problem because we’ll explore 4 solutions for the Excel comment only showing arrow. In addition, we’ll also learn how to show comments while hovering and about threaded comments. Lastly, we’ll compare Excel notes and comments. Let’s explore the comprehensive guide.
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4 Ways to Fix If Comment Is Only Showing Arrow in Excel
Let’s assume the Fruit Sales Data shown in the B4:E13 cells contains the Item, Unit Price, Quantity, and Cost of each Item respectively. Here, we want to fix the issue of the comments in the E5 and D15 cells only showing the arrows. Therefore, let’s glance at the solutions for Excel comment only showing arrow described below with easy and simple illustrations.
Here, we have used the Microsoft Excel 365 version, you may use any other version according to your convenience.
📃 Note: In the Microsoft Excel 365 version, Comments now appear in threads while Notes add remarks to the data and work like the comments in earlier versions of Excel.
Solution 1: Expand the Comment Box
First and foremost, let’s address the most obvious issue, that is to say, expanding the comment box to show the comment text. So, let’s begin.
📌 Steps:
- First, go to the cell containing the comment, here it is the E5 cell >> move to the Review tab >> click the Notes drop-down >> press the Edit Note option.
- Now, select the Note >> hover the cursor over the selected area >> Left Click and drag the cursor to expand the comment box.
Voila! The resizing of the comment box displays the comment as shown in the image below.
Finally, apply the same technique to the comment in the D15 cell and your results should look like the picture shown below.
Read More: Anchoring Comment Boxes in Excel (With 3 Easy Ways)
Solution 2: Switch Off Freeze Panes Option
Sometimes, the Freeze Panes option can interfere with the comments such that the comments only show the arrows. Luckily, it’s a simple fix, so let’s go through the process in the steps below.
📌 Steps:
- To begin with, navigate to the View tab >> press the Freeze Panes drop-down >> hit the Unfreeze Panes option.
Eventually, this should remove any frozen panes, and exhibit the comments as shown in the screenshot below.
Read More: How to Remove Comments in Excel (7 Quick Methods)
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Solution 3: Resize Column Width
Alternatively, resizing the column width of the cells containing comments can troubleshoot the issue of comments only by showing arrows. Hence, just follow these steps.
📌 Steps:
- In the first place, hold the CTRL key and Left Click on columns D and E to select them.
- Next, go to the Format drop-down >> choose the Column Width option.
Now, this opens the Column Width input box.
- Not long after, specify the Column Width, here, we’ve chosen 15 >> hit the OK button.
Eventually, the comments should be visible as shown in the image below.
Read More: How to Change Default Comment Font Size in Excel
Solution 4: Copy the Information into a New Workbook
For one thing, the workbook you’re working with may become corrupted in some way, which may cause the comments to malfunction. Let’s discuss the possible fix to this problem in the steps below.
📌 Steps:
- Initially, copy the dataset from the corrupted workbook using CTRL + C keys.
- Following this, open a new workbook >> hit the CTRL + V keys to paste the data.
Consequently, the final results should appear in the image shown below.
Although, the methods above are all possible ways to resolve Excel comments only showing arrows. However, if the problem persists as the last option you can contact Microsoft Support. Here, you can find many Excel experts who will provide solutions for your particular issues.
Read More: How to Copy Comments in Excel (2 Suitable Ways)
What to Do If Comments Are Not Showing While Hovering the Cursor
Oftentimes, you may need to hide comments permanently, and once hidden, sometimes we tend to forget how to show them again. In the following section, we’ll describe steps if comments don’t appear when hovering the cursor.
📌 Steps:
- At the very beginning, click the File tab at the top-left corner of the Home Ribbon.
- In turn, click the Options tab at the bottom.
Now, this opens the Excel Options wizard.
- At this time, click the Advanced tab >> scroll down to the Display section >> check the Indicators only, and comments and notes on hover option >> hit the OK button.
Lastly, hover the cursor to display the comments as shown in the following screenshot.
Read More: [Solved!] Comments Are Not Displaying Properly in Excel
Launch of “Threaded Comment” in the Latest Version of Excel
In Microsoft 365, the comment section has been redesigned such that comments pop up as threads. Now, the process of inserting threaded comments is simple and easy, therefore, just follow along.
📌 Steps:
- First, jump to the cell where you want to insert a comment, in this case, we’ve chosen the E5 cell >> proceed to the Review tab >> click the New Comment button.
- Following this, a comment box appears where you can type in the comment or reply to the comments of other users.
Here, you can display or hide all the comments at once by pressing the Show Comments toggle.
Read More: Difference Between Threaded Comments and Notes in Excel
Excel Notes Vs Comments
Lastly, in this section, we’ll explore the difference between Notes and Comments in Excel’s newer and older versions. So, let’s start.
Comments (Threaded Comments):
In essence, Comments are now threaded in Microsoft Excel 365 which means, we can review the information with other readers who have access to the spreadsheet. Importantly, a notable feature of comments is that others can reply to the comment and it can be marked as resolved once the issue has been dealt with.
Notes:
In a nutshell, Notes are similar to comments in older versions of Excel and are used to add remarks, annotations, descriptions, etc. to the dataset. However, one aspect of notes is that we can’t have a conversation with others, that is to say, people can’t reply to the note, rather it serves as a description or a reminder.
Read More: Convert Comments to Notes in Excel (3 Suitable Ways)
Conclusion
This article describes some quick and easy fixes when Excel comment only showing arrow. Now, we hope you found it useful and will share your thoughts in the comments section. And visit ExcelDemy for many more articles like this.
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