diff --git a/src/settings.ts b/src/settings.ts
index 6c89a10..be04467 100644
--- a/src/settings.ts
+++ b/src/settings.ts
@@ -20,8 +20,8 @@ const DEFAULT_SETTINGS: ExtendedTaskListsSettings = {
 	useHierarchy: false,
 	excludeFilePattern: "<!-- exclude TODO -->",
 	excludeFolderFilename: ".exclude_todos",
-	excludeRegionBegin: "%% exclude: start %%",
-	excludeRegionEnd: "%% exclude: end %%",
+	excludeRegionBegin: "<!-- exclude: start -->",
+	excludeRegionEnd: "<!-- exclude: end -->",
 	includeNotStarted: true,
 	includeInProgress: true,
 	includeWontDo: false,
@@ -88,29 +88,29 @@ class ExtendedTaskListsSettingTab extends PluginSettingTab {
 		new Setting(containerEl).setName("Excludes").setHeading();
 
 		new Setting(containerEl)
-			.setName("Exclude file pattern")
+			.setName("Exclude folder filename")
 			.setDesc(
-				"A pattern that should be inserted anywhere in a Markdown file to exclude it from the generated TODO file.",
+				'The filename to add to a folder to exclude all task lists in it from the generated TODO file. You may prefer to change the default value since dot files (files that start with a ".") do not show up within Obsidian.',
 			)
 			.addText((text) =>
 				text
-					.setValue(this.plugin.settings.excludeFilePattern)
+					.setValue(this.plugin.settings.excludeFolderFilename)
 					.onChange(async (value) => {
-						this.plugin.settings.excludeFilePattern = value;
+						this.plugin.settings.excludeFolderFilename = value;
 						await this.plugin.saveSettings();
 					}),
 			);
 
 		new Setting(containerEl)
-			.setName("Exclude folder filename")
+			.setName("Exclude file pattern")
 			.setDesc(
-				'The filename to add to a folder to exclude all task lists in it from the generated TODO file. You may prefer to change the default value since dot files (files that start with a ".") do not show up within Obsidian.',
+				"A pattern that should be inserted anywhere in a Markdown file to exclude it from the generated TODO file.",
 			)
 			.addText((text) =>
 				text
-					.setValue(this.plugin.settings.excludeFolderFilename)
+					.setValue(this.plugin.settings.excludeFilePattern)
 					.onChange(async (value) => {
-						this.plugin.settings.excludeFolderFilename = value;
+						this.plugin.settings.excludeFilePattern = value;
 						await this.plugin.saveSettings();
 					}),
 			);
diff --git a/src/todoService.test.ts b/src/todoService.test.ts
index 27021f8..e5fe0ef 100644
--- a/src/todoService.test.ts
+++ b/src/todoService.test.ts
@@ -99,6 +99,27 @@ class MockFileService implements IFileService {
 }
 
 describe("TodoService", () => {
+	test("findTodosFiles excludes files with alternate comment style", async () => {
+		// Arrange
+		const taskFile = createMockFile("test.md", "- [ ] task item");
+		const fileWithObsidianExclude = createMockFile(
+			"Exclude.md",
+			"%% exclude TODO %%",
+		);
+
+		const files = [taskFile, fileWithObsidianExclude];
+		const mockFileService = new MockFileService(files);
+
+		// Act
+		const todoService = new TodoService(mockFileService, MOCK_SETTINGS);
+		const actual = await todoService.findTodosFiles();
+
+		// Assert
+		expect(actual).toEqual([
+			{ file: taskFile, contents: "- [ ] task item" } as TodoFile,
+		]);
+	});
+
 	test("findTodosFiles excludes files", async () => {
 		// Arrange
 		const taskFile = createMockFile("test.md", "- [ ] task item");
@@ -383,6 +404,38 @@ describe("TodoService", () => {
 		expect(actual).toEqual(expected);
 	});
 
+	test("parseTodos excludes task items inside HTML-style exclude regions", () => {
+		// Arrange
+		const content = `- [ ] Included
+<!-- exclude: start -->
+- [ ] Excluded
+- [.] Also excluded
+<!-- exclude: end -->
+- [ ] Also included`;
+
+		const mockFileService = new MockFileService([]);
+
+		// Act
+		const todoService = new TodoService(mockFileService, MOCK_SETTINGS);
+		const actual = todoService.parseTodos(content);
+
+		// Assert
+		expect(actual).toEqual([
+			{
+				task: TaskType.NotStarted,
+				text: "Included",
+				indentation: "",
+				lineno: 0,
+			} as Todo,
+			{
+				task: TaskType.NotStarted,
+				text: "Also included",
+				indentation: "",
+				lineno: 5,
+			} as Todo,
+		]);
+	});
+
 	test("parseTodos excludes task items inside exclude regions", () => {
 		// Arrange
 		const content = `- [ ] Included
diff --git a/src/todoService.ts b/src/todoService.ts
index a361986..748f0c6 100644
--- a/src/todoService.ts
+++ b/src/todoService.ts
@@ -33,6 +33,24 @@ interface IndexMatch {
 const TODO_PATTERN = /^(?<indentation>\s*)-\s?\[(?<task>.)\]\s+(?<text>.*)$/;
 const LINK_PATTERN = /^- \[.*\]\((?<path>.*)\)$/;
 
+function alternateCommentStyle(pattern: string): string | null {
+	const obsidianMatch = pattern.match(/^%%\s*(.*?)\s*%%$/);
+	if (obsidianMatch) {
+		return `<!-- ${obsidianMatch[1]} -->`;
+	}
+	const htmlMatch = pattern.match(/^<!--\s*(.*?)\s*-->$/);
+	if (htmlMatch) {
+		return `%% ${htmlMatch[1]} %%`;
+	}
+	return null;
+}
+
+function matchesEitherCommentStyle(line: string, pattern: string): boolean {
+	if (line === pattern) return true;
+	const alt = alternateCommentStyle(pattern);
+	return alt != null && line === alt;
+}
+
 class TodoService {
 	private fileService: IFileService;
 	private settings: ExtendedTaskListsSettings;
@@ -72,9 +90,11 @@ class TodoService {
 			(todoFile) =>
 				!todoFile.contents
 					.split(/[\r\n]+/)
-					.some(
-						(line) =>
-							line.trim() === this.settings.excludeFilePattern,
+					.some((line) =>
+						matchesEitherCommentStyle(
+							line.trim(),
+							this.settings.excludeFilePattern,
+						),
 					),
 		);
 		return todoFiles;
@@ -119,11 +139,17 @@ class TodoService {
 		let inExcludedRegion = false;
 		const matchesAndIndices = lines
 			.map((line, index) => {
-				if (beginPattern && line.trim() === beginPattern) {
+				if (
+					beginPattern &&
+					matchesEitherCommentStyle(line.trim(), beginPattern)
+				) {
 					inExcludedRegion = true;
 				}
 				if (inExcludedRegion) {
-					if (endPattern && line.trim() === endPattern) {
+					if (
+						endPattern &&
+						matchesEitherCommentStyle(line.trim(), endPattern)
+					) {
 						inExcludedRegion = false;
 					}
 					return {