How to Use Comments and Notes in Office 2021

Edited 5 months ago by ExtremeHow Editorial Team

Microsoft OfficeCommentsNotesCollaborationDocumentReviewWindowsMacProfessionalProductivity

Microsoft Office 2021 offers a range of productivity tools to enhance workplace and personal efficiency. At the heart of these tools are Comments and Notes, features designed to facilitate collaboration, commenting, and personal organizing. Whether using Word, Excel, or PowerPoint, understanding how to use Comments and Notes effectively can greatly improve both personal productivity and group collaboration. Here's detailed information on how you can use Comments and Notes in Office 2021.

Understanding comments in Microsoft Office

Comments in Microsoft Office are designed to allow users to add comments, suggestions or feedback to documents, spreadsheets and presentations without altering the main content. They are particularly useful in collaborative environments, allowing team members to share insights or criticisms alongside the main text.

Adding comments in Word 2021

Adding comments in Word 2021 is a simple process. When reviewing documents, highlighting phrases or paragraphs allows you to attach specific comments:

1. Select the text where you want to add the comment.
2. Go to the Review tab in the ribbon.
3. Click New Comment. A comment box will appear in the right margin.
4. Type your comment in the box. When you click, your comment will be automatically saved.

Managing comments in Word 2021

Comments can be marked as modified, deleted, or resolved:

• Edit a comment: Click directly on the comment text and make your changes.
• Delete a comment: Select the comment and choose Delete in the Review tab.
• Reply to a comment: Click Reply below the comment to add additional thoughts or responses.
• Resolve comment: Select Resolve to mark the comment as addressed, which will cause it to disappear from view.

Working with comments in Excel 2021

Excel 2021 allows comments (formerly called notes) that work well for collaboration, especially on shared datasets:

1. Right-click the cell where you want to add the comment.
2. Select New Comment from the context menu.
3. Enter your text in the comment box that appears.

Managing Excel comments

Excel comments can be managed similarly:

• Edit: Right-click the cell containing the comment and choose Edit Comment.
• Delete: Choose Delete Comment from the right-click context menu.
• Answer: Comment threads in Excel support replies for back-and-forth communication.
• Threaded comments: These are ideal for ongoing discussion, as they allow multiple users to reply to the same comment.

Inserting comments in PowerPoint 2021

This is how comments are implemented in PowerPoint 2021:

1. With your slide open, go to the Review tab.
2. Click New Comment. The Comment pane opens where you can type your response.
3. Type your comment and click elsewhere to save it.

Integrating notes into Office 2021

Notes differ from comments in that they are used more for personal reference rather than collaborative purposes. Microsoft Office applications provide rich features for adding notes to help track thoughts, insights, and annotations that need not be immediately visible to others.

Using notes in Microsoft Word

In Word, notes are usually accessed through footnotes or endnotes:

1. Place your cursor where you want to add the note.
2. Go to the References tab.
3. Select Insert Footnote or Insert Endnote.
4. Word will insert a number or symbol and open a note field for you to enter your note text.

Explore Excel 2021 notes

Notes in Excel are a little different, and act as annotations within a single cell:

1. Right-click the cell you want and select New Note.
2. Enter your annotation in the Note box.
3. To edit, simply right-click and choose Edit Note.

Notes in Excel help keep track of insights or details related to particular data points, without cluttering the view for others.

Using speaker notes in PowerPoint

PowerPoint speaker notes are designed to help presenters communicate content without showing the audience. Use them to:

1. Clicking the Notes button at the bottom of the PowerPoint window.
2. Entering your script or key points in the notes area that appears below the slide.

During presentation mode, these notes appear on the presenter's screen but are hidden from the audience.

Collaborate with comments and notes

In Office 2021, integrated cloud services enhance collaboration around comments and notes. When using apps like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint connected to OneDrive or SharePoint, users can enjoy seamless sharing and live collaboration. Take advantage of:

• Real-time comments: When multiple users engage with a document, comment updates appear instantly, keeping the conversation flowing naturally.
• Change tracking: In Word, track changes alongside comment threads to maintain a record of document development and debate.

Tips for using comments and notes effectively

Use these strategies to maximize the impact of your comments and notes:

• Be clear and concise: Whether it's a comment or a note, make sure your message is direct and free from ambiguity.
• Stay relevant: Make sure comments add value by focusing on specific relevant content.
• Organize notes thoughtfully: Organize notes in a way that fits the structure of your document or presentation.
• Review regularly: Regular checks can ensure that comments have been addressed and notes are updated as per current relevance.
• Use @mentions: In a group setting, use @mentions in comments to directly address specific collaborators.
• Resolve and clean up: Regularly resolve or delete old comments to keep the workspace organized.

By mastering the use of comments and notes in Office 2021, you can unlock deeper levels of productivity and communication. Whether you're collaborating with others on a project or organizing your thoughts, these tools provide critical support and flexibility to enhance your overall workflow.

  Share This Article

If you find anything wrong with the article content, you can request an update