Yes, you can delete notes in Excel. But if you’re still right-clicking each one individually, you’re wasting 12–17 minutes per worksheet — and missing notes that aren’t even visible.
Quick Answer
Delete a single note by right-clicking it and choosing Delete Comment. To remove all notes at once, press Alt + R + C + A (Review tab → Comments group → Delete All). But be warned: this shortcut only works if the Review tab is active — and it deletes all notes in the workbook, not just the active sheet.
All the Methods
| Method | Steps | Best For | Limitations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Right-click & Delete | Right-click note border → Delete Comment | One-off cleanup on visible notes | Fails for notes attached to hidden rows/columns or filtered cells |
| Alt+R+C+A | Press Alt → R → C → A | Full-workbook cleanup before sharing | No undo after execution; deletes notes across all sheets |
| Go To Special → Comments | Ctrl+G → Special → Comments → Delete with Backspace | Targeted removal from specific ranges (e.g., B2:C10) | Doesn’t select notes in hidden rows unless unhidden first |
| VBA macro (one-liner) | Run ActiveSheet.Comments.Delete in VBA editor |
Power users managing templates or batch files | Requires macro enablement; won’t run on protected sheets |
| Copy-paste into Notepad | Copy range → Paste into Notepad → Copy back → Paste over original | Emergency cleanup when other methods fail | Destroys formatting, formulas, and data validation |
Method 1 Deep Dive
Let’s say you’re reviewing Q3 sales data in Sheet1. Sarah Chen added notes to cells D5 (“Discount applied”), D9 (“Client requested extension”), and F12 (“Pending PO”). You want to keep the values but trash those notes — fast.
First, select the range where notes live: D5:F12. Press Ctrl + G to open Go To. Click Special…. In the dialog, choose Comments and click OK. Excel highlights every cell in D5:F12 that has a note — three cells total: D5, D9, F12.
Now press Backspace. All three notes vanish instantly. No right-clicking. No context menus. Just clean cells.
Surprising tip: If you’ve filtered your data (e.g., showing only “Acme Corp” rows), Go To Special → Comments will still find notes in hidden rows — but only if those rows are visible *before* applying the filter. Once filtered, it skips them. So unfilter first, run Go To Special, then reapply filter.
Here’s real sample data from that range:
| Product | Q3 Revenue | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| CloudSync Pro | $45,200 | Discount applied |
| DataVault Lite | $12,800 | — |
| TeamFlow Suite | $89,500 | Client requested extension |
| SecureLink API | $33,100 | — |
| AuditGuard Plus | $67,400 | Pending PO |
After running Go To Special → Comments and hitting Backspace, the Notes column shows blank cells — no trace of the comments, no formatting loss, no formula breakage.
Method 2 Deep Dive
The Alt + R + C + A shortcut deletes every comment in the entire workbook — all sheets, all cells. It’s nuclear, but necessary before sending files to legal or compliance teams.
Open Workbook1.xlsx, which contains three sheets: Sales, Forecast, and Notes Archive. Sales has 4 notes (A2, C7, E14, G22). Forecast has 11. Notes Archive holds 27 legacy notes from 2023 — most are obsolete.
Click any cell. Press Alt. The ribbon shortcuts appear. Press R (goes to Review tab). Press C (highlights Comments group). Press A (chooses Delete All Comments). A small confirmation bar appears at the top: All comments deleted.
This doesn’t ask for confirmation. There’s no Undo. And it clears notes even from password-protected sheets — as long as you have edit access.
Check cell A1 on Notes Archive. Before: note says “Verified 2023-03-15 — do not update”. After Alt+R+C+A: no note icon, no indicator, no trace.
Counterintuitive fact: If you have notes in cells that also contain data validation warnings or conditional formatting icons, Alt+R+C+A leaves those untouched. It deletes only comments — not cell notes, not rich-text annotations, not modern ‘Notes’ (the blue square ones introduced in Excel 365). That’s right: Excel now has two kinds of notes. This shortcut removes only legacy comments — not the new-style Notes. More on that below.
Cheat Sheet
| Action | Shortcut / Steps | Scope | Undoable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delete one visible note | Right-click note border → Delete Comment | Single cell | Yes (Ctrl+Z) |
| Delete all notes in workbook | Alt → R → C → A | All sheets | No |
| Delete notes in selected range | Ctrl+G → Special → Comments → Backspace | Only cells in current selection | Yes (Ctrl+Z) |
| Delete notes in active sheet only | VBA: ActiveSheet.Comments.Delete |
Current sheet | No (unless saved before running) |
| Find hidden notes (filtered rows) | Unfilter → Ctrl+G → Special → Comments → Delete | Entire sheet | Yes (Ctrl+Z) |
