Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Excel in Microsoft 365. 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: Inserting Hyperlinks.

Inserting Hyperlinks

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated March 2, 2022)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Excel in Microsoft 365


7

One of the features built into Excel is support for the Internet. One aspect of this is the ability to add hyperlinks to your Excel workbooks. When you insert a hyperlink, there are two types you can use. You can insert either an absolute or a relative hyperlink. To insert a hyperlink:

  1. Select the cell in which you want the hyperlink inserted.
  2. Display the Insert tab of the ribbon.
  3. Click on the Hyperlink tool in the Links group. Excel displays the Insert Hyperlink dialog box. (See Figure 1.)
  4. Figure 1. The Insert Hyperlink dialog box.

  5. The content of the cell you selected in step 1 shows up in the Text to Display box. You can change it if you want.
  6. In the Address box specify the address for the page that will be loaded when the user clicks on your hyperlink. Typically this is a URL, but it can also be a file or resource on your system. You can also select an address from the drop-down list or use one of the Browse buttons (just to the right of the Look In drop-down list) to help locate the resource.
  7. When completed, click on OK.

Excel also provides a shortcut for getting to the Insert Hyperlink dialog box. After step 1, above, you could just press Ctrl+K to display the dialog box. You can then proceed with step 4.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (8238) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Excel in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Inserting Hyperlinks.

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. ...

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Comments

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What is 0 + 4?

2022-03-02 10:28:16

Mark b

Or, in the contextual menu (right click) select link. It's the very last item in my Excel (2019)


2022-03-02 08:19:09

Philip

One related topic I have been trying to find details about (with no luck so far) is how I can get Excel to pick up data from a table (workbook or SQL) on my FTP server to validate information (I would like to incorporate this into my add-in, but don't know how to get started). Any hints?


2018-09-07 22:30:38

Ronmio

Alex B, I didn't know about Ctrl-L. It works in my browser of choice, Firefox. Cool! I'll work on retraining myself. Thanks.


2018-09-06 06:25:19

Alex B

@Ronmio, Ctrl+L in most browsers will both select the address bar and highlight the address and save you the triple clicking.


2018-09-04 13:31:02

Ronmio

I often link cells and objects to webpages (e.g., items on Amazon). The routine I use is to go to the webpage, triple-click (select entire "paragraph") on its URL in the search bar, do Ctrl-C (copy), go to Excel and select the desired cell or object, do Ctrl-K (insert hyperlink), do Ctrl-V (paste), and then press Enter. You'll find that this nine-keystroke sequence can become rote pretty quickly.


2018-09-03 02:29:42

MalR

One I use a lot when using a hyperlink to link a cell in a worksheet to another cell in a separate worksheet. Meaning click on the link in a cell in one worksheet and it will take you to the target cell in another worksheet. Process: Select the target cell, left click on it to highlight, right click+Alt allows you to drag it into another worksheet. Place cursor in the required cell, release Alt, release right mouse and an index appears. Select Create Hyperlink. A hyperlink is formed. Clicking on it takes you to the target cell in the first worksheet.
It seems to work most times if the second cell is blank but will always work if text is in the cell.


2018-09-01 10:45:33

J. Woolley

You could also use Excel’s built-in HYPERLINK function or my SuperLink function; see http://dailydoseofexcel.com/archives/2018/07/02/hyperlink-formula-events/#comment-1045646
or http://contexturesblog.com/archives/2018/05/03/run-command-files-from-excel-update/


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