Sticky notes are popular not only in the office but also at school and home. People place them where they can easily see them and remember certain tasks that they ought to do or special dates, among many other things.
In Excel, you may need to have a sticky note to act as a constant reminder of a task you need to complete. Since you spend many hours working on the spreadsheet, a sticky note can be helpful.
In this tutorial, I will guide you on how to insert a sticky note in Excel.
What is a Sticky Note?
A sticky note, also known as a post-it note, is a small piece of paper that you can write notes on and stick it on surfaces such as documents, walls, and boards.
It usually has glue on its back that makes it easy for users to attach to surfaces. Due to its usefulness in a real-world setting, it has been embraced in the digital world of computers and smartphones.
People stick them on their desktops, laptops, iPads, and smartphones using apps or programs. Now, sticky notes are also proving to be useful inside specific apps such as Excel.
Many platforms are incorporating sticky notes in their features, but for others, you need to rely on third-party apps.
For Excel, it has its own notes and comments function. But you can also rely on a third-party program that inserts a sticky note in Excel
1. Using Notezilla
If you are looking for sticky notes that function exactly like the real-life version, then you should try Notezilla. Here are the steps to insert a sticky note in Excel using Notezilla
1. Download and install the latest Notezilla program from the official website
2. Open the Excel spreadsheet where you want to insert a sticky note
3. Launch the Notezilla Program
4. Create a new sticky note by clicking on new note
5. Type the contents of your note
6. Click on the hamburger icon to insert the note to Excel
7. Now select Stick to window
8. Choose the worksheet that you want to insert sticky notes from the list and press okay
9. The sticky note will appear on your Excel file
10. Repeat the same process to add more sticky notes.
The sticky notes will always show up whenever you open this Excel Workbook. However, when you send it to someone the Sticky notes will not appear because it relies on a third-party tool. In case you need sticky notes that you can share with others then consider using Excel comments.
2. Using Excel Comments
Excel comments are not sticky notes, but they play the same role. You can note down some notes in the comments. The advantage of using this method compared to the previous is that comments stick with the plugin even if you close the Excel program or shut down the computer.
Here are the steps to add comments in Excel
1. Select a cell or range of cells where you want to add a comment
2. Click on the Review Tab
2. Click on the new comment Icon
3. Type your comments
The comment shows up automatically whenever you hover the cursor around your target cell or cells
Similar Read: How to Insert Excel into PowerPoint: Easy Guide
3. Use Excel 365 or Excel for the web
Excel 365 and Excel for the web contain a new feature known as notes. Besides, the comments in these versions are more advanced, as you can collaborate with others in real-time. This means your colleague can reply to the comment in real-time.
Here are the steps.
1. You can download Microsoft Excel 365 or access Excel for the Web from Office.com
2. Open the spreadsheet where you want to insert a sticky note
3. Highlight a cell or range of cells where you want to insert notes
4. Next, click on the review tab, Notes, then New Note
5. Type your notes and click outside the note editor to apply changes
6. Repeat the same procedure to create more notes
7. You can now convert the notes to sticky notes by selecting Show All notes
4. Using Shapes
The best thing about Excel is that you can improvise with its features such as shapes. You can utilize the text box as sticky notes to help you remember important information.
Here are the steps to insert the text box as a sticky note.
1. Open the spreadsheet where you want to insert a sticky note
2. Click on Insert then click on the drop-down menu on shapes under the illustrations group
3. You can select to use a text box or a callout
4. Use the cursor to draw your shape on the spreadsheet.
5. Now write your notes inside the shape.
6. You can change the background color by clicking on format under design then select shape fill.
You can now save your documents. The shapes will act as sticky notes and will remain active even when you share the file to other colleagues.
5. Use Microsoft Sticky Notes
Microsoft Sticky notes can be synched across all your devices. But the downside is that you can not stick them on specific apps like Excel. However, you can pin it on the desktop which will act as a constant reminder. Here is the link to Microsoft Sticky Notes.
6. Sticky Notes Excel Template
If you are in a hurry you can download and customize the following sticky notes Excel template.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is sticky notes in Excel?
Sticky notes in Excel are notes that stick to your spreadsheet and remind you of important, data or tasks as you continue working. It be made from inbuilt features or rely on external apps.
2. How do you add yellow notes in Excel?
To add yellow notes in Excel you need to use an external program known as Notezilla. However, you can also customize text boxes with a yellow background.
3. How do I show notes in Excel?
If your Excel document contains notes you can show all of them,. All you need to do is to click on the review tab, then click on the notes drop-down, and select Show All Notes. To show all comments click on comments and select show all comments under the review tab.
4. How to add notes to all cells in Excel
First, use the shortcut CTRL+A to select all cells. Now click on the review tab and click on comment/Notes the Create New Comment/Notes. Lastly, type your notes and click outside to apply changes
5. What is the difference between comments and notes in Excel
The difference between notes and comments is that with comments another user can respond. However, notes are added by an author without expecting any reply from another user. Notes focus primarily on adding tips and any extra useful information. But for comments, it is widely used for collaboration purposes in Excel.
Another difference is that comments are available for Excel versions while notes have been recently introduced for Excel 365 and Excel for the Web.
Final Thoughts
There are many ways to insert sticky notes in Excel. You can either choose to use an external app or utilize Excel’s internal features. Either way they both work great. For Microsoft features, you can create sticky notes using comments, Text boxes, callouts, or Notes.