Cell notes are the classic yellow sticky-note style annotations that have existed in Excel for decades, distinct from the newer threaded Comments feature introduced with Microsoft 365. They are commonly used to record a quick explanation for a specific value, a source reference, or a reminder to double-check something later. Because they attach quietly to a single cell without appearing anywhere else in the sheet, notes are easy to add and just as easy to forget, which means files that have been through several rounds of internal review often accumulate dozens of them scattered across different tabs.
Left in place, old notes clutter a file with outdated context that no longer applies, and can be printed or exported inadvertently if the option to show indicators is left enabled.
Notes show up as a small red triangle in the corner of a cell, which makes them easy to spot individually but tedious to track down across a large, multi-sheet workbook. The Go To Special dialog includes a Notes option that selects every cell containing a note across the current sheet in one step, which is a much faster way to locate them all than scrolling and hunting for red triangles manually.
Once every noted cell is selected, the Review tab's Delete command clears them in a single action rather than requiring you to open and close each note individually.
A common mistake is assuming Go To Special only needs to be run once for an entire workbook, when in reality it operates on a single active sheet at a time, so notes on other tabs are left untouched unless the process is repeated for each one. It is also worth checking whether any note contains information that should be preserved elsewhere, such as a data source reference, before clearing it permanently from the file.
- Press Ctrl+G to open Go To, then click Special.
- Choose Comments (this selects Notes in most Excel versions) and click OK.
- With every noted cell now selected, go to the Review tab.
- Click Delete in the Notes group to clear every selected note at once.
- Repeat on each additional worksheet in the workbook, since Go To Special works one sheet at a time.
Using Go To Special and the Review tab works well for one worksheet, but a workbook with many tabs, or a whole folder of files that each need the same cleanup, turns this into a repetitive multi-step chore. Turbo Excel Cleaner's Remove Cell Notes feature clears every note from every sheet in every file you load automatically, without requiring you to run Go To Special sheet by sheet.
This pairs naturally with the app's Remove Cell Comments feature, so a file that has picked up a mix of classic Notes and newer threaded Comments over its editing history can be fully cleared of both types of annotation in a single batch run.
- Removes every classic cell note from a worksheet automatically
- No need to run Go To Special sheet by sheet
- Applies across every sheet in every file in the batch
- Pairs with Remove Cell Comments for full annotation cleanup
- Works on Excel and OpenDocument workbook formats
How do I know if my file uses Notes or Comments?
Classic Notes show a small red triangle in the cell corner, while threaded Comments show a purple or colored indicator and support replies; a file can contain both types at once.
Does removing notes affect any formulas or values?
No, notes are a separate annotation layer attached to a cell and removing them has no effect on the cell's value, formatting, or formulas.
Can this be run on a whole folder of files at once?
Yes, the batch cleaning process applies the same note-removal rule to every sheet in every file you queue up in a single run.
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