Review and Navigate Cell Comments in PlanMaker 2026

Cell comments keep a question beside the value it concerns. This guide uses PlanMaker’s documented annotation and navigation tools for a controlled workbook review. A comment is not an access permission, a change log or proof that another editor received a notification.

Prepare a review fixture

Enter this complete range in A1:D4:

Item	Quantity	Unit price	Amount
Cable	4	12.5	=B2*C2
Hub	2	40	=B3*C3
Stand	3	20	=B4*C4

Expected amounts are 50, 80 and 60, totaling 190. Save quote-master.pmdx, then create a separate quote-review-01.pmdx working copy. All comment exercises happen in the review copy; retain the master unchanged for comparison.

Add a specific comment

1. Select C3, the Hub unit price of 40.
2. Choose Review → Comments → Add. The manual also documents Insert → Comment and Shift+F2. On a keyboard that reserves function keys for hardware controls, use the ribbon instead.
3. If PlanMaker asks for the author name, use the name you intend reviewers to see. Review any existing name before distributing a file. The displayed name can be edited; it is not authenticated proof of who wrote the note.
4. In the comment window type: Review 01: Confirm whether 40 is the current Hub unit price. Do not change quantity. Click outside the box or press Esc to finish.
5. Add a second comment to B4: Review 01: Confirm that three Stands are required.

Expected checkpoint: C3 and B4 each have a red triangle at their upper-right corner. Hover over each to read its own message. Neither comment should change an amount: D2:D4 remains 50, 80, 60.

Navigate and resolve a question

Use Review → Comments → Next comment and Previous comment to move among the annotated cells. Check the selected address and text at each stop rather than relying on a specific wraparound order. You should be able to locate both questions without scanning every cell manually.

Suppose your practice review establishes a unit price of 42. Change C3 to 42. D3 should become 84 and the three amounts should total 194. Select C3 and choose Review → Comments → Edit, or use Shift+F2, and replace the note with Review 01 resolved: Hub unit price confirmed as 42; quantity remains 2. This explicit wording records the exercise’s decision; it is not an automatic threaded resolution feature.

Double-clicking the red triangle is another documented way to edit. If the comment box is too small, resize it with its frame handles so the full text is visible.

Grow the review and manage visibility

Enter row 5 as Adapter, 1, 15, =B5*C5. Add a comment to C5: Review 02: Verify Adapter price of 15. The new total is 209. Repeat navigation and verify the new question is reachable as well as the original two. Adding a row does not itself create a comment.

Under Review → Comments → Comment visibility, use Show this comment to keep the selected note displayed, or Show all comments for a whole-document review. Toggle the same choice to hide it again. These controls affect display, not whether the text exists in the document. If moved boxes obscure values, select the relevant cells and use Restore comment positions.

Advanced output check: permanently visible comments can appear in printouts when File → Print → Page setup → Options → Print: Comments is selected. Check preview on a copy before distributing output; hovering comments alone is not enough. Inspect whether a note obscures prices or exposes internal questions. Do not assume a PDF preserves editable cell comments.

Delete only the intended annotation

Select B4 and choose Review → Comments → Delete. The alternative is Home → Contents → Delete → Comments. Verify B4 is still 3 and D4 still 60, while the B4 comment is gone. Select only that cell, since the deletion command can remove comments from several selected cells.

Save and reopen the review copy

For the completed advanced case, retain C3 = 42, row 5 and the two remaining comments at C3 and C5. Save, close and reopen quote-review-01. Inspect both notes, verify B4 has no comment, and check amounts 50, 84, 60, 15. SoftMaker documents that comments are stored in the document.

Optional reset on a separate copy

After verifying quote-review-01.pmdx, use File → Save as to create quote-reset-practice.pmdx. Only in that reset copy, restore C3 to 40 and edit its comment back to the original question; with Adapter still present, the total becomes 205. For a full reset including removal of the extra Adapter row, open the retained quote-master.pmdx and save a fresh review copy under another name. Do not overwrite the verified review file or treat Undo after reopening as a recovery plan.

Exchange a controlled review copy

If you later send this file to a reviewer, identify one master and one return-copy name in your handoff. Sending or storing a copy is a separate action from adding comments. Before using another file format, retain the native file and inspect comments in a reopened converted copy. This tutorial does not establish simultaneous cloud coauthoring, automatic notifications or automatic merging of offline edits.

Troubleshooting

• No visible box: hover over the marker or inspect Comment visibility.
• Wrong author label: inspect the editable comment text and user information before sharing.
• A comment disappeared: verify the cell address, workbook copy and whether Delete was used.
• The total changed unexpectedly: inspect values and formulas; comments should explain edits rather than perform them.

See file formats and compatibility before exchanging review copies in another format.

Version and verification notes

PlanMaker 2026 paid desktop; documentation-qualified workflow for Windows, macOS and Linux. NX builds require matching controls; FreeOffice and mobile editions are not verified. These steps use the English ribbon labels; classic-menu placement is not assumed to match. Documented context-menu or alternate ribbon routes are included where verified.

The instructions in this guide were checked against SoftMaker’s PlanMaker 2026 manual. Expected results are reference checks, not observations from a native application run. No current application screenshot is claimed.

Official references

• Using comments
• System requirements
• Saving a document