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: Links to Hyperlinks.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated March 7, 2026)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, and Excel in Microsoft 365
John has two workbooks which, for convenience, we'll call A and B. In workbook A at cell C3 on Sheet1 there is a hyperlink to a Word document. In workbook B there is a link to Sheet1!C3 in workbook A. In workbook A the hyperlink is active; in workbook B it is not. John wants to know if there is a way to make the referenced (linked) hyperlink active in workbook B.
The answer depends on several factors. If you create a link to Sheet1!C3 in workbook A (not a hyperlink), then it is not possible. If you create a hyperlink, then it is possible, provided you put your original hyperlink—the one in workbook A—together in the proper manner.
When you create a hyperlink to the Word document, you have the opportunity to create a "display" value for the link. This display value is what is shown in the worksheet, while the underlying hyperlink is something else entirely. For instance, you could have a display value of "Quarterly Report," which is what people would see in the workbook. When someone clicks on the text, then the actual report (such as c:\MyDocs\Q410.doc) is actually opened.
If you use a display value that is different from the full hyperlink address, then there is no way to put together a formula that will be active. If, however, you don't specify a display value, Excel will display the actual hyperlink address in the cell. If this is the case, then you can use the following formula in workbook B:
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:
=HYPERLINK(INDIRECT("'[A.xls]Sheet1'!$C$3"))
This works because the INDIRECT function grabs the info displayed at Sheet1!C3 of workbook A, and then uses it as the address for the HYPERLINK function. Again, this only works if the info displayed at Sheet1!C3 of workbook A is an address, not a display value for a hyperlink.
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (9781) 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: Links to Hyperlinks.
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2026-03-10 12:06:52
J. Woolley
If John has a Ctrl+K hyperlink (not a formula using the HYPERLINK function) at cell C3 on Sheet1 of workbook A, then any cell in workbook B with this formula
    =HyperlinkLink([A.xlsx]Sheet1!C3)
will acquire a duplicate of that hyperlink. When John clicks on a cell containing that formula in workbook B, the hyperlink at cell C3 on Sheet1 of workbook A will be followed; i.e., John's request is satisfied by the HyperlinkLink user-defined function (UDF).
Here's the HyperlinkLink UDF package, which should be located at the beginning of a standard VBA module:
Private oCell As Range, sAddr As String
Function HyperlinkLink(Target As Range)
    Set oCell = Application.ThisCell
    If oCell.Hyperlinks.Count > 0 Then oCell.Hyperlinks.Delete
    With Target.Cells(1)
        If .Hyperlinks.Count > 0 Then
            sAddr = .Hyperlinks(1).Address
            If Len(.Hyperlinks(1).SubAddress) > 0 Then _
                sAddr = sAddr & "#" & .Hyperlinks(1).SubAddress
            Application.Evaluate "HyperlinkLink_AddLink()"
            HyperlinkLink = .Value
        Else
            HyperlinkLink = CVErr(xlErrNA)
        End If
    End With
End Function
Private Sub HyperlinkLink_AddLink()
    oCell.Hyperlinks.Add oCell, sAddr
End Sub
Notice Application.Evaluate enables the UDF to do something that is otherwise prohibited by Excel.
This version of the UDF requires the following: If a HyperlinkLink formula is in workbook B and its argument Target is in workbook A and Target's hyperlink points to a file (like .xlsx or .docx), then workbooks A and B must be in the same folder or they must be the same workbook; otherwise, the path to the hyperlink's file will probably require adjustment. If workbooks A and B are not the same, then both should be open; otherwise, the value returned by HyperlinkLink will be compromised.
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