Jumping to a Specific Cell Using a Hyperlink

Bob wants to use a hyperlink to move from Sheet1 to cell A1 on Sheet2. He's got the hyperlink set up, but when he clicks it, he is taken to the last-used cell on Sheet2 instead of to cell A1. Bob wonders how to correct this behavior.

The answer depends on how, exactly, Bob created the hyperlink. It is possible, for instance, to create a hyperlink using the HYPERLINK worksheet function. If this is how the link was created, then all you need to do is make sure that you include the cell reference in the actual link destination, in this manner:

=HYPERLINK("#Sheet2!A1","Jump To Cell A1 in Sheet2")

If you prefer, you could also use a full worksheet designation, in this manner:

=HYPERLINK("[Book1.xlsx]'Sheet2'!A1","Jump To Cell A1 in Sheet2")

Of course, it is possible that Bob created his hyperlink using the Hyperlink tool, in this manner:

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.
4. Make sure that the Place In This Document option is selected at the left of the dialog box. (See Figure 1.)



Figure 1. The Insert Hyperlink dialog box.

5. Change the Text to Display field, as desired.
6. In the Type the Cell Reference field, enter A1.
7. In the area at the bottom of the dialog box, click on the worksheet you want to use as the target of the hyperlink.
8. Click on OK.

The resulting hyperlink will jump to cell A1 on the designated worksheet. It is possible, in Bob's situation, that the Type the Cell Reference field (step 6) is set to some other value or it is blank. If that is the case, the solution is to go back and edit the hyperlink (right-click the hyperlink and choose Edit Hyperlink from the Context menu) so that A1 is in the field.

If you ensure that the Type the Cell Reference field is set to A1 and the hyperlink still doesn't take you to that cell, it is possible that you are encountering an Excel bug. There are reports that some versions of Excel (minor versions, mind you, not major versions) have this bug. The way you can figure out if you were bitten by the bug is to make sure that your version of Excel is up-to-date.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (13485) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Excel in Microsoft 365, and 2021.