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: Changing Links.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated February 9, 2022)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, and 2016
You already know that Excel allows you to establish links between your workbook and other objects, such as graphics, Word documents, and other items. (We're talking regular links here, not hyperlinks.) There may come a time when you wish to change the links. For instance, you may have a picture linked in your workbook, and you want to change the location of the picture (to a different directory or drive). Excel allows you to change your link so it can point to the proper file as the source of the object in the workbook.
To change links in this manner, follow these steps:
Figure 1. The Edit Links dialog box.
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (7364) 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: Changing Links.
Program Successfully in Excel! This guide will provide you with all the information you need to automate any task in Excel and save time and effort. Learn how to extend Excel's functionality with VBA to create solutions not possible with the standard features. Includes latest information for Excel 2024 and Microsoft 365. Check out Mastering Excel VBA Programming today!
If you have a need to know who last saved a workbook, there are several ways you can derive that information. This tip ...
Discover MoreAs you work with a workbook (particularly one that contains macros) you may notice that the workbook size can become ...
Discover MoreWhile password protecting a workbook does provide some security for the contents in the workbook, if you have several ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2021-07-06 09:48:00
J. Woolley
Here is a good article on this subject: https://www.ablebits.com/office-addins-blog/2021/01/27/find-break-external-links-excel/
Also, consider the ListExLinks function in My Excel Toolbox: https://sites.google.com/view/MyExcelToolbox/
2021-07-05 11:36:15
No edit links tool appears...I'm using 2016 one, as usual these blogs are a waste of time!
2020-09-21 10:22:25
Walter Lee Brumfield
What if I want to just update the links to a new tab in the same excel file? Is that still possible to chose the tab you want to update to?
2018-05-25 07:14:03
Lea Salonga
What if the source file that I needed is saved in a Share Point? How can I make that as my source file? When I click the change source, it's only showing me files from my hard drive. Pls help and advise. Thanks
2018-05-23 08:19:55
Dennis Costello
In (belated) reaction to Adi's question, note that this can happen for all sorts of reasons, and they can be rather subtle, confusing, and frustrating. The problem is that a workbook can be connected to another workbook in several ways - that other workbook will appear in the Edit Links list as long as any of those connections exist, but the Change Source button only updates links found in cell formulae. So ...
All formulae like this: =[other-wookbook.xlsx]tab!A5 will be changed to =[new-workbook]tab!A5
But if cells in "other-workbook" are referenced in data validation or conditional formatting, the "Change Source..." button won't update those references. You'll have to chase those down yourself and fix them manually. I learned these two cases specifically with workbooks I use, and fixed it by creating a links section. Data Validation on a cell in Workbook-A was set to Allow: List, Source: =[Workbook-B]tab!U5:U45. What I did was put links into cells [Workbook-A]other-tab!B105:B145, containing =[Workbook-B]tab!U5, =[Workbook-B]tab!U6, ... =[Workbook-B]tab!U45, and then change the Data Validation Source to point to that set of cells. The contents of the links section are updated properly by the Change Source button.
The frustrating part is that there is no easy way (or at least I don't know any) to find the data validations or conditional formatting that cause this. You just have to walk through the whole workbook looking for them.
2018-03-19 22:37:34
Jason
Thank you. I had to move some files around on the network for a coworker to cover for me, and broke all my workbooks. It's taking time to fix them but I now know how.
2018-02-14 16:47:03
Adi
2 rows gets created when I try to change the source. It is happening perfectly fine for my colleague . what can be the probable reason?
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.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
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:
Comments