I always make sure to add clear instructions to any shared Excel workbook so the next person knows exactly how to interact with my spreadsheets. For years, I relied on the built-in notes and comments tools. However, I found a secret method that is 100% cleaner and far more reliable.
There are two well-known ways to add context to a cell: notes and comments. You can access these options by selecting the target cell and clicking “New Comment” or “New Note” in the Review tab on the ribbon.
Notes are a legacy tool, designed for simple text annotations or context.
Comments, on the other hand, are a modern feature intended specifically for collaboration by creating conversation-style threaded discussions among multiple people.
While these technically provide a way to store extra information about a cell, they often cause more headaches than they solve:
- The hovering hazard: Notes and comments both require you to hover your cursor over the relevant cell to see them. This is a non-data-entry action that interrupts the flow, and if you have multiple adjacent cells with notes or comments, your cursor can snap to the wrong indicator.
- Visual chaos: The alternative to the slow, stop-start process is clicking “Show All Notes” or “Show Comments” in the Review tab to keep them on-screen at all times. The moment you do this, you’re either distracted by floating boxes that obscure data or a comment pane that diverts your attention.
- Mixed messages: If you add a comment to give an instruction, you’re communicating the wrong intent. Comments are explicitly designed for collaborative threads and discussion. When someone sees the purple comment tag in a cell, they’re cued to leave feedback, not necessarily read a fixed instruction.
- Floating nightmares: Since notes are free-floating graphical objects, if you add, delete or resize rows or comments, they behave weirdly, becoming misaligned, covering incorrect cells, or drifting away from their target cell.
- Printing problems: While notes and comments don’t print by default, if you do want to print them, you have to navigate confusing options within Page Setup to decide how they appear.
- Unwanted metadata: Comments are permanently stamped with the author’s ID and the date and time the comment was made. This is unnecessarily visual noise for a simple instruction and can’t be easily removed.
For these reasons, I turned to Excel’s secret pop-up.
The secret: The data validation input message
When I realized that traditional annotation tools were harming my (and others’) Excel workflow, I started searching for alternative methods. The solution I found wasn’t a separate feature or a complicated add-in—it was hidden in plain sight inside the Data Validation dialog box.
Simply select the target cell or cells, and in the Data tab on the ribbon, click the “Data Validation” icon.
Then, open the “Input Message” tab. There, type a title (optional but recommended) and your message. Also, make sure “Show input message when cell is selected” is checked, and click “OK.”
Now, select one of the target cells and see the tip appear.
There are many benefits to using this Excel pop-up tip:
- Immediate, clutter-free visibility: The input message addresses the hovering hazard and visual chaos caused by notes and comments. The tip appears immediately and automatically as soon as you click the target cell. When you click another cell, the tip vanishes. As a result, you’re not dealing with accidental pop-ups or cluttered indicators.
- Structurally stable: Because the input message is an intrinsic cell setting, it’s not a free-floating graphical object that becomes misaligned if you edit your spreadsheet’s structure. It’s also much harder to delete accidentally.
- Truly print-proof: The input message is a screen-only element that is never an option in the print menu. This means you don’t have to waste time organizing the print configuration.
- Professional customization: The ability to define a custom title adds a professional touch and visual clarity to your instruction.
- Sets the stage for data validation: The feature being located in the Data Validation dialog box means that when you use it, you’re already in the right place to enforce cell input rules, add in-cell drop-down lists, and create custom error messages via the other tabs.
Pro tip: Color-code the input cells
To account for the lack of a visible indicator in the cells containing data validation input messages, use Go To Special to add a non-invasive cell fill.
Press Ctrl+G to launch the Go To dialog box. Then, press Alt+S or click “Go To Special.” Next, press V to select “Data Validation.”
When you press Enter, all the cells containing data validation rules are selected.
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At this point, apply a light fill color using the paint pot icon in the Home tab on the ribbon. This color-codes all cells with data validation settings, clearly indicating which cells require user input and, thus, contain a pop-up cell tip. This is much cleaner than a colored tag sitting in the corner of every cell.
This is also a good way to ensure your worksheet is truly collaboration-friendly—you can address any cells that are highlighted but don’t contain a data validation input message.
While the input message is ideal for instructional tips, it’s not a universal replacement. Stick to notes if you need to format your cell tip, as they allow text formatting like bold and italics. On the other hand, stick to comments if you’re looking to create threaded discussions that rationalize decisions made in the spreadsheet.
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