Excel Comments not displaying properly

Question

Hi I use a MacOS  version :High Sierra 10.13.3. I recently upgraded my Excel for Mac and have version 16.9.  For some reason all the Comments I have previously written on Excel spreadsheets when I view them they come up as code and don't display in words. How do I fix this  as I need to read these comments in words not computer code? THANK YOU

Answer 1

Hi Maree,

For troubleshooting purpose, I use Excel for Windows to check the two .xls workbooks you provided.

Here’s the result:

For the workbook having no issue, when I go to File > Check for Issues > Check compatibility, it shows “no compatibility issues were found”.

For the workbook having the messy code issue. It shows that “Some cells or styles in this workbook contain formatting that is not supported by the selected file format. These formats will be converted to the closest format available”.

I notice that the two workbooks are all .xls format. Have they ever been converted from another format to .xls? Are there any specific format or styles used in the spreadsheet? But these are all the things I am thinking of the cause of the issue. It seems that the spreadsheet has been damaged for some reason. There may not be easy to repair them. So, how can you get the work well spreadsheet back? If you have any copy of them from your colleagues or organization server, can you get all them back?

Thanks,

Rena

Answer 2

Hi Maree,

How is the issue going? Have you fix it by any steps above or have you reverted back to 15.41?

Thanks,

Rena

Answer 3

There is a 16.9.1 update. Please follow these instructions for installation, then test again.

Make sure your Mac has a working internet connection before checking for updates. Install Mac OS X updates followed by Office updates.

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Install Mac OS X updates first:

To get Mac OS updates, go to the App store on your dock, and then click the Updates button to reveal available updates.

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Then Install Office Updates

To get the update:

1. Open any Office application
2. Go to the Help menu and choose Check for Updates
3. Let AutoUpdate check for and install updates
4. Restart your Mac

If you have any add-ins such as WebEx, Mendelay, EndNote, Zotero, TypeIt4me, etc it is essential that you install the latest updates for your add-ins.

Answer 4

Hi Jim and Rena

I have done the update  to 16.9.1 as per your instructions and the same problem is still there on my spreadsheets.

F.Y.I. I did notice the updates were only for word and powerpoint nothing there for excel.

I have checked the Add-ins and  my 3rd party extensions.

As I am travelling  at the moment and on the road most days and find it hard to always have good internet otherwise I would ring in too your support.

Please Any more ideas of what I good do or is there an update for excel coming out very soon. 

☺️cheers maree

Answer 5

Hi Maree,

I can’t reproduce the issue. You also can try these steps:

1. Go to move the folder to the desktop: ~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.Excel
2. Go to ~<username>/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.Officeto move the folders to desktop.
3. Restart Mac to launch word app, sign in again to see the result.
4. If the issue persists, please move the folders back to their original location.
5. If the issue fixed, please move the UBF8T346G9.Office/outlook folder back to the original location.

If the steps above still don’t work, please try to create a new Mac user profile to see the result.

Thanks,

Rena