Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Excel in Microsoft 365, and 2021. 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: Using Drag-and-Drop to Create a Hyperlink.

Using Drag-and-Drop to Create a Hyperlink

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated August 17, 2024)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Excel in Microsoft 365, and 2021

Excel includes a very powerful feature which allows you to use drag-and-drop editing techniques to create a hyperlink. In order to take advantage of this feature, follow these steps:

  1. Make sure you have two workbooks open: the one in which you want the hyperlink to appear and the one that is the target of the hyperlink. Both should be visible on the screen at the same time.
  2. Select the target area. For instance, select the cell or range of cells in the target workbook that you want to use as the target of the hyperlink.
  3. Move the mouse pointer so it is over the thick box surrounding the cell or range of cells. The mouse pointer should change to an arrow.
  4. Right-click and hold down the mouse button as you drag the selection to the cell in which the hyperlink will appear in the other workbook.
  5. When you release the mouse button, Excel displays a Context menu.
  6. Select the Create Hyperlink Here option from the Context menu. Excel immediately creates a hyperlink in the cell.

If you cannot get these steps to work, there are two things to keep in mind. First, the two workbooks you are working with must have already been saved to disk. (This is necessary so that the hyperlink can have a filename to use. If the workbook isn't saved, there is no filename yet.) The second thing is that you must right click in step 4. If you don't—if you do a regular click—then the range you selected in step 2 is simply moved to where you release the mouse button in step 5.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (10402) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Excel in Microsoft 365, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Using Drag-and-Drop to Create a Hyperlink.

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

Missing PivotTable Data

Wonder what happened to the data behind a PivotTable? It could be in a number of places, and tracking it down could be a ...

Discover More

Formatting a PivotTable

You can format PivotTables using either manual formatting or automatic formatting. You need to be careful, however, as ...

Discover More

Exiting a For ... Next Loop Early

If you use For ... Next loops in your macros, make sure you give a way to jump out of the loop early. That way you can ...

Discover More

Comprehensive VBA Guide Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) is the language used for writing macros in all Office programs. This complete guide shows both professionals and novices how to master VBA in order to customize the entire Office suite for their needs. Check out Mastering VBA for Office 2010 today!

More ExcelTips (ribbon)

Pulling Apart a URL

Excel provides a good number of worksheet functions that can help you pick apart text strings in various ways. In this ...

Discover More

Extracting URLs from Hyperlinks

When you add a hyperlink to a worksheet, it consists of a minimum of two parts: display text and URL address. If you have ...

Discover More

Retrieving Web Query Data without Interruption

If you use Excel's Web Query tools to grab data from a website, you may run into some problems if the site isn't ...

Discover More
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}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) 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 eight less than 8?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)

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 SITES
 

Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.