Remove Your Name From An Excel Comment

REMOVE YOUR NAME FROM AN EXCEL COMMENT

Every time I add a comment in an Excel cell, it automatically inserts my name. Since I’m the only one using this computer and I don’t send my worksheets to anyone else, it’s a nuisance. How can I stop Excel from doing that?

This is another example of Excel’s second-guessing the user—and once again guessing wrong. Short of using a macro that you would have to trigger for each comment, I know of no simple way to stop the insertion. What I do is change the automatic full-name label to something innocuous—such as Note, a period or an asterisk (see screenshots below).

To do that, click on Tools, Options and the General tab. Then, in the box next to User name, delete your name and add the label of your choice. When you create the comment box, the colon will remain.

If you choose to use a macro instead, here’s what you do: Press Alt+F11 to start the Visual Basic Editor. Click on Module on the Insert menu and type the following macro code in a new module:

Sub New_Comment()

ActiveCell.AddComment (“”)

ActiveCell.Comment.Visible = True

Advertisement

End Sub

Then, click on File and Close and Return to Microsoft Excel. To run the macro, select a cell in which you want the no-name comment to appear and click on Tools, point to Macro and click on Macros. Select the New_Comment macro and click on Run, which commands Excel to insert a new no-name comment for that cell. Finally, click in the text area of the comment and type away—anonymously.

If you want to add some fancy touches to your comments—such as changing the font style—consider this macro instead:

Sub Fancy_Comment()

‘Create the comment.

ActiveCell.AddComment (“”)

ActiveCell.Comment.Visible = True

ActiveCell.Comment.Shape.Select

With Selection

‘Set the AutoShape.

.ShapeRange.AutoShapeType = _

msoShapeExplosion2

‘Set background color.

.ShapeRange.Fill.PresetGradient _

msoGradientHorizontal, 1, _

msoGradientHorizon

‘Set the font.

.Font.Name = “Arial”

.Font.FontStyle = “Bold Italic”

End With

End Sub

The good news about these methods is they provide a choice of whether to include your name—or anyone else’s for that matter—in the comment.

If anybody has a better solution, please send it to me and I will post it in a future column.