Hyperlinks in Excel are commonly used to link to files, web pages, or specific areas in the existing document. They are a powerful navigation tool for users.
We will be looking at three frequently used hyperlinking methods in Excel. I have created a table to highlight their different functions.
For this guide, I will use the Office 365 version of Excel (build 2203). However, the instructions are similar in other versions.
Linking to a webpage
- Select the cell that you wish to link. In this case, we have selected the cell at D4.
Select the cell that you wish to link. - After you have selected a cell, open the Insert tab from the top menu.
Select the Insert tab from the top menu. - Navigate to the Link section and select the link icon to open the Hyperlink menu.
Select the link icon from the link section. After selecting the link icon, the Insert Hyperlink menu will open.
Insert Hyperlink menu opens. - Since we want the cell to link to a webpage, we will enter the destination link in the Address box and select OK.
Enter the destination link in the Address box. The selected cell is now linking to the added webpage.
The selected cell is now linked.
Linking to an existing file
- Select the cell you wish to link and open the Insert Hyperlink menu.
Open the Insert Hyperlink menu after selecting the appropriate cell. - To select the file you want to link, click the Browse for file icon.
Click on the Browse for file icon. - Once the appropriate file has been located, select it and click OK to link.
Select the appropriate file. - The existing file is linked to the selected cell.
The existing file is linked to the cell. Clicking on the cell opens the file that we have linked to it.
The file is now linked.
Linking to the same document
- Select the cell and open the Insert Hyperlink menu. From the Link to section, select the second option: Place in This Document.
Select the Place in This Document option. - In the Cell Reference section, the sheets of the documents are listed. From here, you can select the appropriate sheet to link.
Select the appropriate sheet. Excel allows you to link to a specific cell in the new sheet. To link to a cell, enter the cell reference in the box and click OK.
Enter the cell address in the box. - The sheet is now linked. Clicking on the link opens the new sheet and automatically selects the cell that was referenced.
Excel will automatically select the referenced cell.
