Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, 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: Adding a ScreenTip.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated April 12, 2025)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, and Excel in Microsoft 365
ScreenTips are a Web feature supported by the latest versions of Web browsers. They appear when your mouse pointer hovers over a hyperlink, and they are used in the same way that ToolTips are used in Excel. You can add a ScreenTip as you add a hyperlink by following these steps:
Figure 1. The Set Hyperlink ScreenTip dialog box.
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (8348) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, and Excel in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Adding a ScreenTip.
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!
When creating an e-mail address hyperlink using the Insert Hyperlink dialog box, Excel allows you to enter a subject for ...
Discover MoreWhen you send a macro-enabled workbook to someone, that person may have problems opening and using it. This tip looks at ...
Discover MoreWhen you add a hyperlink to a worksheet, it consists of a minimum of two parts: display text and URL address. If you have ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2026-03-15 07:39:22
zzzeddy
J. Woolley is correct about the Hyperlink.ScreenTip property.
But that doesn't mean you can't make Excel do exactly what you want. It will involve using simple macros to hide/display textboxes.
So first, just add a textbox, then format it to look exactly as you want when your "hyperlink" is 'clicked'. Maybe a rounded textbox with red background, white text of any font size you want, even mixed font sizes and words in different colours. Assign an appropriate name for this textbox e.g. myLinkTxt999. Add an on-click macro to this textbox to hide it.
Next, create another text box with transparent background, sized to overlay the cell containing your "hyperlink". You can use the 'snap to grid' feature to help with this.
When you move the mouse pointer over this 'invisible' textbox you will see the usual 'arrow pointer'. Now just right-click on this invisible textbox to assign a macro. This macro would be the one that makes your named myLinkTxt999 textbox visible.
This is the basic method. If your actual hyperlink does things like move to a different sheet, you just need to include these in the macro assigned to your myLinkTxt999
zzzeddy
2026-03-13 10:24:39
J. Woolley
@John Finch
No, you can't format the Hyperlink.ScreenTip property; it is a simple String data type.
2026-03-12 15:47:20
Is there any way to format the Text in a screen tip?
2025-06-05 19:12:49
Kevin H
Nice tip. Thank you for sharing.
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 © 2026 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, 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:
Comments