Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, and 2016. If you are using an earlier version (Excel 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Excel, click here: Turning Off Hyperlink Activation.

Turning Off Hyperlink Activation

by Allen Wyatt
(last updated October 8, 2016)

3

When you enter a Web address or a LAN server address of a file into an Excel cell, it automatically converts to a hyperlink when you leave the cell. This is part of the "Web-aware behavior" of Excel.

If you want to turn off the automatic conversion, you can follow these steps:

  1. Display the Excel Options dialog box. (In Excel 2007 click the Office button and then click Excel Options. In Excel 2010 and later versions display the File tab of the ribbon and then click Options.)
  2. Click Proofing at the left of the dialog box.
  3. Click the AutoCorrect Options button. Excel displays the AutoCorrect dialog box.
  4. Make sure the AutoFormat As You Type tab is selected. (See Figure 1.)

    5. Figure 1. The AutoFormat As You Type tab of the AutoCorrect dialog box.

  5. Clear the Internet and Network Paths With Hyperlinks check box.
  6. Click OK.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (6245) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, and 2016. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Turning Off Hyperlink Activation.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He  is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Inserting a Text Box

Text boxes are a great way to implement non-standard ways of laying out your document. They allow you to put text at ...

Discover More

Meaningless Text

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog, or so the story goes. Here's how to put this type of meaningless text into a ...

Discover More

Making the Formula Bar Persistent

If your Formula bar disappears when you load a workbook, it could be due to the presence of a macro that turns it off. ...

Discover More

Excel Smarts for Beginners! Featuring the friendly and trusted For Dummies style, this popular guide shows beginners how to get up and running with Excel while also helping more experienced users get comfortable with the newest features. Check out Excel 2013 For Dummies today!

Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is seven more than 2?

2016-10-08 10:41:35

David George

My needs vary and I'm wondering if deactivating hyperlinks can be applied on a case-by-case basis. I think this tip turns that feature off for all worksheets.

I have worksheets where I need hyperlinking to be active and others where I do not want it.

2016-10-08 10:35:01

Jerry

Great tip, Rod! Ctrl-z seems to work to undo all the AutoCorrect changes that the applications make. Especially handy when sometimes you want it to auto-correct and other times you don't.

2016-10-08 06:56:18

Rod Grealish

You can undo hyperlink activation on a particular cell by keying ctrl-z (undo) immediately after moving to the following cell. This works because hyperlink activation consists of two steps - entering the hyperlink text followed by conversion to a hyperlink. Ctrl-z undoes the second step.

This Site

Got a version of Excel that uses the ribbon interface (Excel 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the menu interface.

Newest Tips
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.

Links and Sharing
OUR COMPANY
OUR PRODUCTS
OUR AUTHORS
OUR SITES
 

Copyright © 2018 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.