How to find and select cells with notes in Google Sheets
Why use Select Special in Google Sheets
As your spreadsheet grows, it becomes harder to keep track of small but important notes left in cells. Select Special helps you quickly find and highlight all cells that contain notes, so you can review, clean up, or update them without missing anything important.
What are notes in Google Sheets
Notes are small text fields you can attach to cells to provide extra context or explanation. To add a note, you go to Insert > Note in the top Google Sheets menu. A small black triangle appears in the top-right corner of the cell.
Notes are different from comments: they don’t show up in threads or notifications and are only visible when you hover over the cell.
Also, notes are not searchable with standard Google Sheets features, and they don’t affect cell content.
Common uses for notes include:
- Adding context about a cell value
- Leaving reminders for yourself or spreadsheet collaborators
- Marking cells that need attention without changing the data
Why find and select cells with notes
Notes are easy to miss in large spreadsheets, but with Select Special, you can find them instantly. Finding and selecting cells with notes helps you:
- Focus on flagged cells without scanning the entire sheet manually
- Quickly review information that’s not visible by default
- Edit or remove outdated notes
- Clean up or audit shared spreadsheets more efficiently
How to find and select cells with notes using Select Special
1. Select the range(s)
Choose the range(s) of cells where you want to find and select notes.
2. Select cells with notes
Click Select at the bottom of the add-on. It will show all cells with notes in the selected range.