LibreOffice Calc · Collaboration and review · Intermediate
Review Cell Comments and Tracked Changes in LibreOffice Calc
Add a Calc cell comment, record two controlled edits, accept one and reject the other, and verify the final values after reopening.
Documentation-qualified; native workflow and save/reopen checks pending · Editorial standards
Use cell comments to ask questions and recorded changes to review proposed edits. Neither automatically gives another person access to a workbook. This exercise uses a single local ODS copy, without enabling shared-file mode or sending anything.
Make a checkpoint
Create a sheet named Plan, with A1:C3:
| Item | Quantity | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Cable | 8 | Initial count |
| Adapter | 5 | Initial count |
Put =SUM(B2:B3) in B5: expected 13. Save as review-start.ods, then use Save As to create review-working.ods. Keep the start file unchanged. This is a file checkpoint, not Calc’s embedded File Versions feature.
These standard-menu steps follow Calc Guide 26.2 (February 2026) and Help labeled 26.8 checked 19 October 2026. The fixture’s proposed and final states were independently calculated. Native comments, change records, and save/reopen behavior have not been executed for this guide.
Add a general cell comment
Select B2 and choose Insert → Comment. Type Check the cable count against the packing list. Click outside the comment. Hover over B2 to inspect the note. The value must remain 8, and B5 must remain 13. A comment annotates a value; it does not revise it.
Do not put the question into B2 itself: that would replace a numeric quantity with text. The review chapter distinguishes general cell comments from comments attached to tracked changes.
Record two controlled edits
- Choose Edit → Track Changes → Record and confirm recording is enabled before editing.
- Change B2 from 8 to 10.
- Select B2 and choose Edit → Track Changes → Comment. Enter Packing list confirms ten cables. This explanation belongs to the recorded change, unlike the earlier general comment.
- Change B3 from 5 to 9. Do not make other edits during this experiment.
- Check B5: 19 is the proposed total, not yet the approved total.
The Record Changes help documents tracking cell-content edits, and Comment help identifies the command for a recorded-change explanation.
Do not switch recording off to hide the marks. The Calc guide warns that turning recording off accepts the recorded changes. Leave it enabled while reviewing; display controls and recording controls have different purposes.
Review by cell address and old/new value
Open Edit → Track Changes → Manage. On the List tab, inspect the entries for Plan.B2 and Plan.B3. Read the recorded author, date/time, cell reference, and old/new content. The author depends on your LibreOffice user data; it is not proof that a remotely authenticated person made the edit.
Select the B2 change 8 → 10 and Accept it. Select the B3 change 5 → 9 and Reject it. Avoid Accept All or Reject All: this test requires different decisions for the two edits. If several edits to one cell are nested, expand the history and identify the intended change before acting. See Manage changes and its List controls.
Expected final state:
| Check | Expected |
|---|---|
| B2, Cable quantity | 10 |
| B3, Adapter quantity | 5 |
| B5, approved total | 15 |
A total of 15 is necessary but not sufficient: verify the two individual quantities and their item labels. Also inspect the disposition of each change rather than assuming the list must be empty; handled changes may remain represented in the review history.
Inspect a longer review safely
For a larger workbook, the Manage Changes Filter tab can narrow the displayed list by author, date, or cell range. In this exercise, try a range filter for B2, then clear it so you can see the B3 entry too. Filtering this review list does not hide data rows in the sheet. Never approve all visible entries without considering changes hidden by a review filter.
Cell formatting is not a complete tracked audit trail. A change to a font or fill does not substitute for a recorded value edit, and comments do not enforce access restrictions. Use sheet and cell protection for a separate editing-control workflow.
Recover and reopen
If you accept the wrong change, stop and compare the two quantities with the table above. For this disposable exercise, the reliable reset is to reopen review-start.ods and create a fresh working copy, then repeat the two edits and decisions. Do not overwrite the checkpoint or assume reopening the working file undoes saved decisions.
Save review-working.ods, close it, and reopen it. Confirm Cable 10, Adapter 5, total 15, and the general B2 question. Reopen Manage Changes and verify the decisions and remaining review information in your build before using this process on important work.
Shared-file editing is a separate Calc mode requiring an accessible file location and restricting some commands. It is not enabled here and should not be described as cloud coauthoring. Likewise, exporting to CSV cannot preserve this review workbook’s comments and history. Keep the ODS checkpoint and working file until review is complete.
Related calculation: SUM.