How do i link files in excel

For quick access to related information in another file or on a web page, you can insert a hyperlink in a worksheet cell. You can also insert links in specific chart elements.

Note: Most of the screen shots in this article were taken in Excel 2016. If you have a different version your view might be slightly different, but unless otherwise noted, the functionality is the same.

  1. On a worksheet, click the cell where you want to create a link.

    You can also select an object, such as a picture or an element in a chart, that you want to use to represent the link.

    • On the Insert tab, in the Links group, click Link Hyperlink button.

    You can also right-click the cell or graphic and then click Link on the shortcut menu, or you can press Ctrl+K.

  2. Under Link to, click Create New Document.

  3. In the Name of new document box, type a name for the new file.

    Tip: To specify a location other than the one shown under Full path, you can type the new location preceding the name in the Name of new document box, or you can click Change to select the location that you want and then click OK.

  4. Under When to edit, click Edit the new document later or Edit the new document now to specify when you want to open the new file for editing.

  5. In the Text to display box, type the text that you want to use to represent the link.

  6. To display helpful information when you rest the pointer on the link, click ScreenTip, type the text that you want in the ScreenTip text box, and then click OK.

  1. On a worksheet, click the cell where you want to create a link.

    You can also select an object, such as a picture or an element in a chart, that you want to use to represent the link.

    • On the Insert tab, in the Links group, click Link Hyperlink button.

    You can also right-click the cell or object and then click Link on the shortcut menu, or you can press Ctrl+K.

  2. Under Link to, click Existing File or Web Page.

  3. Do one of the following:

    • To select a file, click Current Folder, and then click the file that you want to link to.

      You can change the current folder by selecting a different folder in the Look in list.

    • To select a web page, click Browsed Pages and then click the web page that you want to link to.

    • To select a file that you recently used, click Recent Files, and then click the file that you want to link to.

    • To enter the name and location of a known file or web page that you want to link to, type that information in the Address box.

    • To locate a web page, click Browse the Web Browse the Web button, open the web page that you want to link to, and then switch back to Excel without closing your browser.

  4. If you want to create a link to a specific location in the file or on the web page, click Bookmark, and then double-click the bookmark that you want.

    Note: The file or web page that you are linking to must have a bookmark.

  5. In the Text to display box, type the text that you want to use to represent the link.

  6. To display helpful information when you rest the pointer on the link, click ScreenTip, type the text that you want in the ScreenTip text box, and then click OK.

To link to a location in the current workbook or another workbook, you can either define a name for the destination cells or use a cell reference.

  1. To use a name, you must name the destination cells in the destination workbook.

    How to name a cell or a range of cells

    1. Select the cell, range of cells, or nonadjacent selections that you want to name.

    2. Click the Name box at the left end of the formula bar Button image.

      Example of Name box

      Button image Name box

    3. In the Name box, type the name for the cells, and then press Enter.

      Note: Names can’t contain spaces and must begin with a letter.

  2. On a worksheet of the source workbook, click the cell where you want to create a link.

    You can also select an object, such as a picture or an element in a chart, that you want to use to represent the link.

    • On the Insert tab, in the Links group, click Link Hyperlink button.

    You can also right-click the cell or object and then click Link on the shortcut menu, or you can press Ctrl+K.

  3. Under Link to, do one of the following:

    • To link to a location in your current workbook, click Place in This Document.

    • To link to a location in another workbook, click Existing File or Web Page, locate and select the workbook that you want to link to, and then click Bookmark.

  4. Do one of the following:

    • In the Or select a place in this document box, under Cell Reference, click the worksheet that you want to link to, type the cell reference in the Type in the cell reference box, and then click OK.

    • In the list under Defined Names, click the name that represents the cells that you want to link to, and then click OK.

  5. In the Text to display box, type the text that you want to use to represent the link.

  6. To display helpful information when you rest the pointer on the link, click ScreenTip, type the text that you want in the ScreenTip text box, and then click OK.

You can use the HYPERLINK function to create a link that opens a document that is stored on a network server, an intranet, or the Internet. When you click the cell that contains the HYPERLINK function, Excel opens the file that is stored at the location of the link.

Syntax

HYPERLINK(link_location,friendly_name)

Link_location     is the path and file name to the document to be opened as text. Link_location can refer to a place in a document — such as a specific cell or named range in an Excel worksheet or workbook, or to a bookmark in a Microsoft Word document. The path can be to a file stored on a hard disk drive, or the path can be a universal naming convention (UNC) path on a server (in Microsoft Excel for Windows) or a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) path on the Internet or an intranet.

  • Link_location can be a text string enclosed in quotation marks or a cell that contains the link as a text string.

  • If the jump specified in link_location does not exist or can’t be navigated, an error appears when you click the cell.

Friendly_name     is the jump text or numeric value that is displayed in the cell. Friendly_name is displayed in blue and is underlined. If friendly_name is omitted, the cell displays the link_location as the jump text.

  • Friendly_name can be a value, a text string, a name, or a cell that contains the jump text or value.

  • If friendly_name returns an error value (for example, #VALUE!), the cell displays the error instead of the jump text.

Examples

The following example opens a worksheet named Budget Report.xls that is stored on the Internet at the location named example.microsoft.com/report and displays the text «Click for report»:

=HYPERLINK(«http://example.microsoft.com/report/budget report.xls», «Click for report»)

The following example creates a link to cell F10 on the worksheet named Annual in the workbook Budget Report.xls, which is stored on the Internet at the location named example.microsoft.com/report. The cell on the worksheet that contains the link displays the contents of cell D1 as the jump text:

=HYPERLINK(«[http://example.microsoft.com/report/budget report.xls]Annual!F10», D1)

The following example creates a link to the range named DeptTotal on the worksheet named First Quarter in the workbook Budget Report.xls, which is stored on the Internet at the location named example.microsoft.com/report. The cell on the worksheet that contains the link displays the text «Click to see First Quarter Department Total»:

=HYPERLINK(«[http://example.microsoft.com/report/budget report.xls]First Quarter!DeptTotal», «Click to see First Quarter Department Total»)

To create a link to a specific location in a Microsoft Word document, you must use a bookmark to define the location you want to jump to in the document. The following example creates a link to the bookmark named QrtlyProfits in the document named Annual Report.doc located at example.microsoft.com:

=HYPERLINK(«[http://example.microsoft.com/Annual Report.doc]QrtlyProfits», «Quarterly Profit Report»)

In Excel for Windows, the following example displays the contents of cell D5 as the jump text in the cell and opens the file named 1stqtr.xls, which is stored on the server named FINANCE in the Statements share. This example uses a UNC path:

=HYPERLINK(«\FINANCEStatements1stqtr.xls», D5)

The following example opens the file 1stqtr.xls in Excel for Windows that is stored in a directory named Finance on drive D, and displays the numeric value stored in cell H10:

=HYPERLINK(«D:FINANCE1stqtr.xls», H10)

In Excel for Windows, the following example creates a link to the area named Totals in another (external) workbook, Mybook.xls:

=HYPERLINK(«[C:My DocumentsMybook.xls]Totals»)

In Microsoft Excel for the Macintosh, the following example displays «Click here» in the cell and opens the file named First Quarter that is stored in a folder named Budget Reports on the hard drive named Macintosh HD:

=HYPERLINK(«Macintosh HD:Budget Reports:First Quarter», «Click here»)

You can create links within a worksheet to jump from one cell to another cell. For example, if the active worksheet is the sheet named June in the workbook named Budget, the following formula creates a link to cell E56. The link text itself is the value in cell E56.

=HYPERLINK(«[Budget]June!E56», E56)

To jump to a different sheet in the same workbook, change the name of the sheet in the link. In the previous example, to create a link to cell E56 on the September sheet, change the word «June» to «September.»

When you click a link to an email address, your email program automatically starts and creates an email message with the correct address in the To box, provided that you have an email program installed.

  1. On a worksheet, click the cell where you want to create a link.

    You can also select an object, such as a picture or an element in a chart, that you want to use to represent the link.

    • On the Insert tab, in the Links group, click Link Hyperlink button.

    You can also right-click the cell or object and then click Link on the shortcut menu, or you can press Ctrl+K.

  2. Under Link to, click E-mail Address.

  3. In the E-mail address box, type the email address that you want.

  4. In the Subject box, type the subject of the email message.

    Note: Some web browsers and email programs may not recognize the subject line.

  5. In the Text to display box, type the text that you want to use to represent the link.

  6. To display helpful information when you rest the pointer on the link, click ScreenTip, type the text that you want in the ScreenTip text box, and then click OK.

    You can also create a link to an email address in a cell by typing the address directly in the cell. For example, a link is created automatically when you type an email address, such as someone@example.com.

You can insert one or more external reference (also called links) from a workbook to another workbook that is located on your intranet or on the Internet. The workbook must not be saved as an HTML file.

  1. Open the source workbook and select the cell or cell range that you want to copy.

  2. On the Home tab, in the Clipboard group, click Copy.

    Copy and Paste buttons on the Home tab

  3. Switch to the worksheet that you want to place the information in, and then click the cell where you want the information to appear.

  4. On the Home tab, in the Clipboard group, click Paste Special.

  5. Click Paste Link.

    Excel creates an external reference link for the cell or each cell in the cell range.

Note: You may find it more convenient to create an external reference link without opening the workbook on the web. For each cell in the destination workbook where you want the external reference link, click the cell, and then type an equal sign (=), the URL address, and the location in the workbook. For example:

=’http://www.someones.homepage/[file.xls]Sheet1′!A1

=’ftp.server.somewhere/file.xls’!MyNamedCell

To select a hyperlink without activating the link to its destination, do one of the following:

  • Click the cell that contains the link, hold the mouse button until the pointer becomes a cross Excel selection cursor, and then release the mouse button.

  • Use the arrow keys to select the cell that contains the link.

  • If the link is represented by a graphic, hold down Ctrl, and then click the graphic.

You can change an existing link in your workbook by changing its destination, its appearance, or the text or graphic that is used to represent it.

Change the destination of a link

  1. Select the cell or graphic that contains the link that you want to change.

    Tip: To select a cell that contains a link without going to the link destination, click the cell and hold the mouse button until the pointer becomes a cross Excel selection cursor, and then release the mouse button. You can also use the arrow keys to select the cell. To select a graphic, hold down Ctrl and click the graphic.

    • On the Insert tab, in the Links group, click Link. Hyperlink button

    You can also right-click the cell or graphic and then click Edit Link on the shortcut menu, or you can press Ctrl+K.

  2. In the Edit Hyperlink dialog box, make the changes that you want.

    Note: If the link was created by using the HYPERLINK worksheet function, you must edit the formula to change the destination. Select the cell that contains the link, and then click the formula bar to edit the formula.

You can change the appearance of all link text in the current workbook by changing the cell style for links.

  1. On the Home tab, in the Styles group, click Cell Styles.

  2. Under Data and Model, do the following:

    • To change the appearance of links that have not been clicked to go to their destinations, right-click Link, and then click Modify.

    • To change the appearance of links that have been clicked to go to their destinations, right-click Followed Link, and then click Modify.

      Note: The Link cell style is available only when the workbook contains a link. The Followed Link cell style is available only when the workbook contains a link that has been clicked.

  3. In the Style dialog box, click Format.

  4. On the Font tab and Fill tab, select the formatting options that you want, and then click OK.

    Notes: 

    • The options that you select in the Format Cells dialog box appear as selected under Style includes in the Style dialog box. You can clear the check boxes for any options that you don’t want to apply.

    • Changes that you make to the Link and Followed Link cell styles apply to all links in the current workbook. You can’t change the appearance of individual links.

  1. Select the cell or graphic that contains the link that you want to change.

    Tip: To select a cell that contains a link without going to the link destination, click the cell and hold the mouse button until the pointer becomes a cross Excel selection cursor, and then release the mouse button. You can also use the arrow keys to select the cell. To select a graphic, hold down Ctrl and click the graphic.

  2. Do one or more of the following:

    • To change the link text, click in the formula bar, and then edit the text.

    • To change the format of a graphic, right-click it, and then click the option that you need to change its format.

    • To change text in a graphic, double-click the selected graphic, and then make the changes that you want.

    • To change the graphic that represents the link, insert a new graphic, make it a link with the same destination, and then delete the old graphic and link.

  1. Right-click the hyperlink that you want to copy or move, and then click Copy or Cut on the shortcut menu.

  2. Right-click the cell that you want to copy or move the link to, and then click Paste on the shortcut menu.

By default, unspecified paths to hyperlink destination files are relative to the location of the active workbook. Use this procedure when you want to set a different default path. Each time that you create a link to a file in that location, you only have to specify the file name, not the path, in the Insert Hyperlink dialog box.

Follow one of the steps depending on the Excel version you are using:

  • In Excel 2016, Excel 2013, and Excel 2010:

    1. Click the File tab.

    2. Click Info.

    3. Click Properties, and then select Advanced Properties.

      Advanced Properties

    4. In the Summary tab, in the Hyperlink base text box, type the path that you want to use.

      Note: You can override the link base address by using the full, or absolute, address for the link in the Insert Hyperlink dialog box.

  • In Excel 2007:

    1. Click the Microsoft Office Button Office button image, click Prepare, and then click Properties.

    2. In the Document Information Panel, click Properties, and then click Advanced Properties.

      Advanced Properties

    3. Click the Summary tab.

    4. In the Hyperlink base box, type the path that you want to use.

    Note: You can override the link base address by using the full, or absolute, address for the link in the Insert Hyperlink dialog box.

To delete a link, do one of the following:

  • To delete a link and the text that represents it, right-click the cell that contains the link, and then click Clear Contents on the shortcut menu.

  • To delete a link and the graphic that represents it, hold down Ctrl and click the graphic, and then press Delete.

  • To turn off a single link, right-click the link, and then click Remove Link on the shortcut menu.

  • To turn off several links at once, do the following:

    1. In a blank cell, type the number 1.

    2. Right-click the cell, and then click Copy on the shortcut menu.

    3. Hold down Ctrl and select each link that you want to turn off.

      Tip: To select a cell that has a link in it without going to the link destination, click the cell and hold the mouse button until the pointer becomes a cross Excel selection cursor, and then release the mouse button.

    4. On the Home tab, in the Clipboard group, click the arrow below Paste, and then click Paste Special.

      Copy and Paste buttons on the Home tab

    5. Under Operation, click Multiply, and then click OK.

    6. On the Home tab, in the Styles group, click Cell Styles.

    7. Under Good, Bad, and Neutral, select Normal.

A link opens another page or file when you click it. The destination is frequently another web page, but it can also be a picture, or an email address, or a program. The link itself can be text or a picture.

When a site user clicks the link, the destination is shown in a Web browser, opened, or run, depending on the type of destination. For example, a link to a page shows the page in the web browser, and a link to an AVI file opens the file in a media player.

How links are used

You can use links to do the following:

  • Navigate to a file or web page on a network, intranet, or Internet

  • Navigate to a file or web page that you plan to create in the future

  • Send an email message

  • Start a file transfer, such as downloading or an FTP process

When you point to text or a picture that contains a link, the pointer becomes a hand Pointer in the shape of a hand, indicating that the text or picture is something that you can click.

What a URL is and how it works

When you create a link, its destination is encoded as a Uniform Resource Locator (URL), such as:

http://example.microsoft.com/news.htm

file://ComputerName/SharedFolder/FileName.htm

A URL contains a protocol, such as HTTP, FTP, or FILE, a Web server or network location, and a path and file name. The following illustration defines the parts of the URL:

The four components of a URL

1. Protocol used (http, ftp, file)

2. Web server or network location

3. Path

4. File name

Absolute and relative links

An absolute URL contains a full address, including the protocol, the Web server, and the path and file name.

A relative URL has one or more missing parts. The missing information is taken from the page that contains the URL. For example, if the protocol and web server are missing, the web browser uses the protocol and domain, such as .com, .org, or .edu, of the current page.

It is common for pages on the web to use relative URLs that contain only a partial path and file name. If the files are moved to another server, any links will continue to work as long as the relative positions of the pages remain unchanged. For example, a link on Products.htm points to a page named apple.htm in a folder named Food; if both pages are moved to a folder named Food on a different server, the URL in the link will still be correct.

In an Excel workbook, unspecified paths to link destination files are by default relative to the location of the active workbook. You can set a different base address to use by default so that each time that you create a link to a file in that location, you only have to specify the file name, not the path, in the Insert Hyperlink dialog box.

  1. On a worksheet, select the cell where you want to create a link.

  2. On the Insert tab, select Hyperlink.

    You can also right-click the cell and then select Hyperlink… on the shortcut menu, or you can press Ctrl+K.

  3. Under Display Text:, type the text that you want to use to represent the link.

  4. Under URL:, type the complete Uniform Resource Locator (URL) of the webpage you want to link to.

  5. Select OK.

To link to a location in the current workbook, you can either define a name for the destination cells or use a cell reference.

  1. To use a name, you must name the destination cells in the workbook.

    How to define a name for a cell or a range of cells

     

    Note: In Excel for the Web, you can’t create named ranges. You can only select an existing named range from the Named Ranges control. Alternately, you can open the file in the Excel desktop app, create a named range there, and then access this option from Excel for the web.

    1. Select the cell or range of cells that you want to name.

    2. On the Name Box box at the left end of the formula bar Button image, type the name for the cells, and then press Enter.

      Note: Names can’t contain spaces and must begin with a letter.

  2. On the worksheet, select the cell where you want to create a link.

  3. On the Insert tab, select Hyperlink.

    You can also right-click the cell and then select Hyperlink… on the shortcut menu, or you can press Ctrl+K.

  4. Under Display Text:, type the text that you want to use to represent the link.

  5. Under Place in this document:, enter the defined name or cell reference.

  6. Select OK.

When you click a link to an email address, your email program automatically starts and creates an email message with the correct address in the To box, provided that you have an email program installed.

  1. On a worksheet, select the cell where you want to create a link.

  2. On the Insert tab, select Hyperlink.

    You can also right-click the cell and then select Hyperlink… on the shortcut menu, or you can press Ctrl+K.

  3. Under Display Text:, type the text that you want to use to represent the link.

  4. Under E-mail address:, type the email address that you want.

  5. Select OK.

You can also create a link to an email address in a cell by typing the address directly in the cell. For example, a link is created automatically when you type an email address, such as someone@example.com.

You can use the HYPERLINK function to create a link to a URL.

Note: The Link_location can be a text string enclosed in quotation marks or a reference to a cell that contains the link as a text string.

To select a hyperlink without activating the link to its destination, do any of the following:

  • Select a cell by clicking it when the pointer is an arrow.

  • Use the arrow keys to select the cell that contains the link.

You can change an existing link in your workbook by changing its destination, its appearance, or the text that is used to represent it.

  1. Select the cell that contains the link that you want to change.

    Tip: To select a hyperlink without activating the link to its destination, use the arrow keys to select the cell that contains the link.

  2. On the Insert tab, select Hyperlink.

    You can also right-click the cell or graphic and then select Edit Hyperlink… on the shortcut menu, or you can press Ctrl+K.

  3. In the Edit Hyperlink dialog box, make the changes that you want.

    Note: If the link was created by using the HYPERLINK worksheet function, you must edit the formula to change the destination. Select the cell that contains the link, and then select the formula bar to edit the formula.

  1. Right-click the hyperlink that you want to copy or move, and then select Copy or Cut on the shortcut menu.

  2. Right-click the cell that you want to copy or move the link to, and then select Paste on the shortcut menu.

To delete a link, do one of the following:

  • To delete a link, select the cell and press Delete.

  • To turn off a link (delete the link but keep the text that represents it), right-click the cell and then select Remove Hyperlink.

Need more help?

You can always ask an expert in the Excel Tech Community or get support in the Answers community.

See Also

Remove or turn off links

Working with Excel, a day will come when you’ll need to reference data from one workbook in another one. It’s a common use case and pretty easy to pull off. Join us as we explain how to link two Excel files and discuss many possible scenarios.

How to link Excel files – what are the available options?

Just as there are many different versions of Excel, the ways to link data also differ. It’s a lot easier if you share your Excel files in OneDrive rather than locally but we’ll discuss both scenarios.

Choosing how to link data depends also on the sheer volume of what you wish to link. If we’re talking here about particular cells or a column from your workbook, the default methods will do just fine. If you’re after linking entire Excel files, using tools such as Coupler.io with its Excel integrations may prove to be more efficient. But we’ll get to that!

You can link two or more Excel files stored on your hard drive. When the data changes in a Source file, the change will be quickly reflected in the Destination file.

The drawback of this approach is that it will only work on your local machine. Even if you share both files with another user, the link will cease to exist and they’ll be forced to re-add it. What’s more, the data will be only updated if both files are open at the same time.

So if you have a choice, it’s better to add both files to your OneDrive. If they’re already in there, you may as well jump to the How to link between Cloud-based Excel files section.

To link 2 Excel files stored locally, you have two options:

  • Type in a formula referencing the exact location in a Source file
  • Copy the desired cells and paste them as a link

How to link between files in desktop Excel?

To reference a single cell in another local file, you’ll use the following formula:

=[SourceWorkbook.xlsx]Sheet1!$A$1

Replace SourceWorkbook.xlsx with the name of the file stored on your machine. Then, point to an exact sheet and a cell. A reference to a range of cells could like this:

=[MyFile.xlsx]Sheet1!A1:C8

Press ENTER to save the formula and pull the data. If you’re on an older version of Excel, you may need to press CTRL+SHIFT+ENTER instead.

1 - excel cell range

When you close the Source file, the formulas will change to include the entire path of the file – for example:

='C:[MyFile.xlsx]Sheet1'!A1:C8

2 - excel full path

As an alternative, you can: 

  • Open a Source file, select the desired cells, and copy them.

3 - excel copy range

  • Head back to the Destination file, right-click on a desired cell or cells and choose to paste as a link.

4 - excel paste as link

  • Here is the result:

5 - excel links

Note that if the Source file is closed, and you reference it with a formula, no data will be pulled until you open a file. 

How to link between cloud-based files in Excel?

When you wish to link Excel Online files or use those stored in OneDrive, things become easier. You can freely share files among coworkers and any interlinking won’t be affected. Links in files also refresh in near real time, giving you peace of mind that you’re working with the latest data.

The feature that enables it is called Workbook Links. We’ll explain how it works in the following chapters.

Workbook Links are suitable for individual cells or ranges of them. You may also link individual columns but the more data is involved, the slower your calculations will be. If you’re going to be linking entire worksheets or workbooks, it’s far better to focus on importing, rather than linking them. This is best done with dedicated tools. 

There is more on that in the How to link a wide range of cells to Excel or another service chapter.

How to link two Excel files?

Let’s start with a most basic use case – you’re running some operations in your Excel workbook. In one of the fields, you wish to use the value(s) from another workbook and have it update automatically.

The flow is simple:

  • In workbook 1 (source), highlight the data you want to link and copy it.
  • In workbook 2 (destination), right-click on the first row and select the Link icon.

6 - excel online paste link

The latest data will be imported. A yellow bar will, however, appear now as well as every time you open a destination workbook.

7 - excel data connection disabled

To enable the data sync, select Enable Content. 

For some more advanced settings, you can choose the Manage Workbook Links button to look up the list of connected workbooks and a status for each – most likely it will be Connection Blocked

To sync, press the Enable Content button from the yellow bar.

8 - excel enable content

If any errors occur, you’ll see them in the menu to the right. For each of the connected files, you can press the Refresh button to manually pull the latest data. You can also use the button above to refresh data for all your links.

Of course, the whole idea of creating links between workbooks is not to keep refreshing the data manually. Once the data has been refreshed, an option to set automatic updates will be enabled.

9 - excel refresh connection

If you tick Refresh automatically, the data will start to refresh periodically. 

How to link a wide range of cells to Excel or another service?

The more data you link, the more computing your Excel needs to perform to pull the data and refresh it. It’s not an issue if you have a few or a few dozens of links spread across files. 

However, if you wish to regularly pull thousands of cells into your workbooks, it will significantly slow down your workbooks. It may delay the data refresh and may leave you wondering whether the data has already been refreshed or not.

To avoid that, for larger operations it’s better to use tools dedicated to importing data such as Coupler.io. With Coupler.io, you can pull the desired ranges of cells directly into another Excel workbook or worksheet. You can then refresh the data automatically at a chosen schedule.

If you wish to, you can also import the Excel data to other services, such as Google Sheets or Google BigQuery, or bring it to Excel from Airtable, Pipedrive, Hubspot, and many others.

To get started with Coupler.io, create an account, log in, and click the Add an importer button.

From the list of source applications, choose Excel.

10 - coupler excel destination

Next, click the Connect button. Log in with your Microsoft account and allow for Coupler.io to connect.

Once connected, you’ll need to choose the workbook from your OneDrive that we’ll be importing from. Also select the worksheet in this file.

11 - coupler excel source

Although it’s optional, most often you’ll want to specify the range of cells to import. If you don’t, all data from a given sheet will be fetched.

You may use the standard Excel formatting and pull, for example, cells C1:D8. You may also pull an entire column by typing, for example, C1:C.

12 - coupler excel cell range

Jumping to the Destination settings, choose where to import the data to. We’ll go with Excel as we just want to move the data from one workbook to another but there are other options available too.

13 - coupler excel destination

If you’re importing from Excel to Excel, there’s no need to connect your account again, unless you’re importing to someone else’s account. Select it, and specify the exact destination.

Finally, you can create a schedule for when the data should be imported. Choose what works best for you and run the importer.

14 - coupler excel schedule

Give it a little while to load, and then open the destination worksheet to see the results.

15 - excel import results

How to link Excel files and sync in real-time?

One of the advantages of using Excel files stored on OneDrive is their ability to sync data between one another. Microsoft advertises it as real-time sync but after some tests, we would call it a near real time. 

If you’re used to the refresh rate of Google Sheets, for example, you may be disappointed. However, in most situations, a slight delay won’t cause any trouble.

To link files in Excel, follow the steps we outlined in the How to link Excel files chapter.

When data is changed in the destination file, most likely you won’t see an update visible right away in the source file. If you do nothing about it and just move on to the next task, you should see a refreshed number in a cell in a few minutes’ time. It will then continue refreshing at regular intervals.

If you want to speed things up, you can run an instant refresh by clicking Data -> Workbook Links in the menu and then the icon to refresh the data from a particular workbook.

16 - excel workbook refresh

This will often work, but only if the data in the source workbook has already been saved. Once again, it doesn’t happen instantly but only at regular (quite frequent) intervals. 

If you’re anxious to have the data refreshed presently, you may consider refreshing the source file after making a change. This will prompt an automatic save. After that, manually force a data refresh in the destination file and it will fetch the latest saved data.

As a reminder, if you use Coupler.io to import data from one Excel workbook to another, you decide on the refresh schedule. For some, morning sync from Monday to Friday will do just fine. Others will prefer more frequent syncs – with Coupler.io you can even do it every 15 minutes. 

FAQ: How to link Excel files

Let’s now discuss some specific use cases for how to link files in Excel. The tips below apply for files stored in OneDrive. If you only use Excel locally, jump back to the How to link local files in Excel section.

How to link cells in different Excel files?

For linking individual cells across files, the procedure is very much the same as we discussed earlier:

  • Highlight the cell you want to reuse elsewhere and copy it.
  • Right-click on the desired destination and select the Link icon from the Paste Options section.

If you’re importing to the same workbook as before, you won’t need to Enable Content again. If you reloaded it in the meantime, or are just linking the data to a new workbook, choose Manage Workbook Links and then Enable Content from the same bar.

Note that if you link multiple sets of cells or data ranges from the same workbook serving as a Source, they will all appear as a single position on your list of Workbook Links. 

In the example below, you can see the data we imported from our sample Shopify store using Coupler.io. 

We have a range of prices to the left linked from the respective workbook. Below there’s also a name of one of our products linked from another place in the same workbook. To the right, we can refresh data for all linked fields or, for example, enable automatic data refreshes.

17 - excel refresh all links

How to link two Excel files without opening the source file?

You can link files in Excel without actually opening the source file. Of course, you’ll need to know the exact location of the cell or range of cells you wish to link. What’s more, to link Excel Online files or anything else stored on your OneDrive, you’ll need to fetch your unique ID.

To do so, set up a link in the traditional way we described above. Then, click on any linked cell in the Destination file and check its formula. It will look something like this:

='https://d.docs.live.net/18644c626caae38c/[myworkbook1.xlsx]Sheet1'!$C$2

The ID will follow right after the live.net link:

18 - excel id

To insert a link from any given workbook, copy the formula with your ID and swap the file name and the cell range with the right values. Press ENTER and the latest data will be fetched.

How to link Excel columns between files?

Choosing a range of cells limits you to only the values currently present in the Source workbook. If anything new appears, it won’t be linked and, as such, won’t appear in the Destination workbook.

The solution is often to link an entire column and reference it in another file. To do so, click on any column in the Source file and copy it.

19 - excel copy column

Then, select the first row of a column you want to add a link to and choose the Link icon. All the rows from the chosen column will be imported.

20 - excel paste column as link

Rather than click, you can also enter the formulas directly. To link an entire column, it’s best to link to the first cell and then stretch the formula to the other rows.

When you insert the formula for the first row, be sure to remove the second $ (dollar) sign pointing to the specific cell. So, instead of the reference:

(...)Sheet1'!$C$2

Make it:

(...)Sheet1'!$C2

How to link fields between multiple files in Excel?

Advanced calculations may require referencing data from multiple spreadsheets at the same time. In the same way, the calculated data can then be referenced in other workbooks, creating a complex network of interconnected links.

As you recall from the earlier chapters, the formulas for linking cells between Excel Online files look somewhat like this:

='https://d.docs.live.net/18373e637ca3e48c/[Shopify Products - prices.xlsx]Sheet1'!$C$8

For the purpose of running any calculations or just adjusting the formulas as we go, the link is far too complex. It’s much better to link the desired fields into the destination workbook and then reference them from another worksheet in the same workbook.

To do so, create a separate worksheet in your destination file where you’ll link all the external data. Name it accordingly – for example, “Sources”. Link the desired data by copying it from the source file and then pasting it as links (just as we did before).

Then, jump to the worksheet in the destination file. To reference the data from another sheet, use the following pattern:

Sheet_name!$A$1

For example, for calculating the average value of a range of cells present now in another worksheet, we would use:

=AVERAGE(Sources!B2:B12)

21 - excel sources tab

You can also type in the “=” sign (plus optionally a function name) and then jump to another worksheet and highlight the arguments. Press ENTER and the formula will be resolved.

In the standard version of Excel, the approach is pretty much the same, just with some small changes in the syntax of the links, as we mentioned earlier.

How to link Excel files – summing up

Linking Excel files can save you plenty of time and help you automate many dull processes. 

It can also make things harder if you begin to link from one file to another, then to another, and another. The more interconnected workbooks become, the more complex it will be to troubleshoot the entire flow. 

Find the right balance and use the right methods for linking your data.

When moving individual cells or ranges of them, Workbook Links work perfectly and are very easy to set up.

For moving large sets of data between workbooks or linking entire files, it’s a lot better to use tools such as Coupler.io. You’ll be able to set up your own schedule for imports, and all data transfers will happen outside of Excel. As a result, no Excel resources will be used, and you’ll be able to work much more smoothly while the information is synced in the background.

Thanks for reading!

  • Piotr Malek

    Technical Content Writer on Coupler.io who loves working with data, writing about it, and even producing videos about it. I’ve worked at startups and product companies, writing content for technical audiences of all sorts. You’ll often see me cycling🚴🏼‍♂️, backpacking around the world🌎, and playing heavy board games.

Back to Blog

Focus on your business

goals while we take care of your data!

Try Coupler.io


Download Article

Step-by-step guide to creating hyperlinks in Excel


Download Article

  • Linking to a New File
  • |

  • Linking to an Existing File or Webpage
  • |

  • Linking Within the Document
  • |

  • Creating an Email Address Hyperlink
  • |

  • Using the HYPERLINK Function
  • |

  • Creating a Link to a Workbook on the Web
  • |

  • Video
  • |

  • Q&A
  • |

  • Tips
  • |

  • Warnings

This wikiHow teaches you how to create a link to a file, folder, webpage, new document, email, or external reference in Microsoft Excel. You can do this on both the Windows and Mac versions of Excel. Creating a hyperlink is easy using Excel’s built-in link tool. Alternatively, you can use the HYPERLINK function to quickly link to a location.

Things You Should Know

  • You can link to a new file, existing file, webpage, email, or location in your document.
  • Use the HYPERLINK function if you already have the link location.
  • Create an external reference link to another workbook to insert a cell value into your workbook.
  1. Image titled Insert Hyperlinks in Microsoft Excel Step 1

    1

    Open an Excel document. Double-click the Excel document in which you want to insert a hyperlink.

    • You can also open a new document by double-clicking the Excel icon and clicking Blank Workbook.
  2. Image titled Insert Hyperlinks in Microsoft Excel Step 2

    2

    Select a cell. This should be a cell into which you want to insert your hyperlink.

    Advertisement

  3. Image titled Insert Hyperlinks in Microsoft Excel Step 3

    3

    Click Insert. This tab is in the green ribbon at the top of the Excel window. Clicking Insert opens a toolbar directly below the green ribbon.[1]

    • If you’re on a Mac, note that there’s an Excel Insert tab and an Insert menu item in your Mac’s menu bar. Select the Excel Insert tab.
  4. Image titled Insert Hyperlinks in Microsoft Excel Step 4

    4

    Click Link. It’s toward the right side of the Insert toolbar in the «Links» section. Doing so opens a pop up menu.

  5. Image titled Insert Hyperlinks in Microsoft Excel Step 5

    5

    Click Insert Link. It’s at the bottom of the Link pop up menu. This opens the Insert Hyperlink window.

  6. Image titled Insert Hyperlinks in Microsoft Excel Step 5

    6

    Click Create New Document. This tab is on the left side of the pop-up window, under “Link to:”.

    • This option is not available on some versions of Excel. You’ll need to create the new document before making the hyperlink, then use the Existing File or Web Page option.
  7. Image titled Insert Hyperlinks in Microsoft Excel Step 7

    7

    Enter the hyperlink’s text. Type the text that you want to see displayed into the «Text to display» field. This is the box above the “Name of new document” field.

  8. Image titled Insert Hyperlinks in Microsoft Excel Step 7

    8

    Type in a name for the new document. Do so in the «Name of new document» field.

  9. Image titled Insert Hyperlinks in Microsoft Excel Step 8

    9

    Click OK. It’s at the bottom of the window. By default, this will create and open a new spreadsheet document, then create a link to it in the cell that you selected in the other spreadsheet document.

    • You can also select the «Edit the new document later» option before clicking OK to create the spreadsheet and the link without opening the spreadsheet.
    • If something goes wrong with the hyperlink, see our guide for fixing a hyperlink in Excel.
  10. Advertisement

  1. Image titled Insert Hyperlinks in Microsoft Excel Step 9

    1

    Open an Excel document. Double-click the Excel document in which you want to insert a hyperlink.

    • You can also open a new document by double-clicking the Excel icon and then clicking Blank Workbook.
    • Hyperlinks are a great way to organize and connect information across multiple Excel documents. You can also easily create hyperlinks in PowerPoint if you have a presentation coming up.
  2. Image titled Insert Hyperlinks in Microsoft Excel Step 10

    2

    Select a cell. This should be a cell into which you want to insert your hyperlink.

  3. Image titled Insert Hyperlinks in Microsoft Excel Step 11

    3

    Click Insert. This tab is in the green ribbon at the top of the Excel window. Clicking Insert opens a toolbar directly below the green ribbon.

    • If you’re on a Mac, note that there’s an Excel Insert tab and an Insert menu item in your Mac’s menu bar. Select the Excel Insert tab.
  4. Image titled Insert Hyperlinks in Microsoft Excel Step 13

    4

    Click Link. It’s toward the right side of the Insert toolbar in the «Links» section. Doing so opens a pop up menu.

  5. Image titled Insert Hyperlinks in Microsoft Excel Step 14

    5

    Click Insert Link. It’s at the bottom of the Link pop up menu. This opens the Insert Hyperlink window.

  6. Image titled Insert Hyperlinks in Microsoft Excel Step 13

    6

    Click the Existing File or Web Page. It’s on the left side of the window.

  7. Image titled Insert Hyperlinks in Microsoft Excel Step 14

    7

    Enter the hyperlink’s text. Type the text that you want to see displayed into the «Text to display» field.

    • If you don’t do this, your hyperlink’s text will just be the folder path to the linked item.
  8. Image titled Insert Hyperlinks in Microsoft Excel Step 15

    8

    Select a destination. You can choose a file location on your computer, enter an address of a file or web page, or browse the internet. Here are the destination options:

    • Current Folder — Search for files in your Documents or Desktop folder.
    • Browsed Pages — Search through recently viewed web pages.
    • Recent Files — Search through recently opened Excel files.
    • Type in the location and name of a web page or file into the “Address” field. For example, this could be a URL to a website.
    • Click the Browse the Web button (a globe behind a magnifying glass). Go to the web page you’re linking to, then go back to Excel. Don’t close your browser!
  9. Image titled Insert Hyperlinks in Microsoft Excel Step 16

    9

    Select a file or webpage. Click the file, folder, or web address to which you want to link. A path to the folder will appear in the «Address» text box at the bottom of the window.

  10. Image titled Insert Hyperlinks in Microsoft Excel Step 17

    10

    Click OK. It’s at the bottom of the page. Doing so creates your hyperlink in your specified cell.

    • Note that if you move the item to which you linked, the hyperlink will no longer work.
  11. Advertisement

  1. Image titled Insert Hyperlinks in Microsoft Excel Step 18

    1

    Open an Excel document. Double-click the Excel document in which you want to insert a hyperlink. This method links to a cell or sheet in your workbook. For example, if you’re tracking your bills in Excel, you can link to a summary sheet from your data sheet.

    • You can also open a new document by double-clicking the Excel icon and then clicking Blank Workbook.
  2. Image titled Insert Hyperlinks in Microsoft Excel Step 19

    2

    Select a cell. This should be a cell into which you want to insert your hyperlink.

  3. Image titled Insert Hyperlinks in Microsoft Excel Step 20

    3

    Click Insert. This tab is in the green ribbon at the top of the Excel window. Clicking Insert opens a toolbar directly below the green ribbon.

    • If you’re on a Mac, note that there’s an Excel Insert tab and an Insert menu item in your Mac’s menu bar. Select the Excel Insert tab.
  4. Image titled Insert Hyperlinks in Microsoft Excel Step 23

    4

    Click Link. It’s toward the right side of the Insert toolbar in the «Links» section. Doing so opens a pop up menu.

  5. Image titled Insert Hyperlinks in Microsoft Excel Step 24

    5

    Click Insert Link. It’s at the bottom of the Link pop up menu. This opens the Insert Hyperlink window.

  6. Image titled Insert Hyperlinks in Microsoft Excel Step 22

    6

    Click the Place in This Document. It’s on the left side of the window.

  7. Image titled Insert Hyperlinks in Microsoft Excel Step 26

    7

    Select a location in the Excel document. You have two options for selecting a location:

    • Under “Type the cell reference,” type in the cell you want to link to.
    • Alternatively, under “Or select a place in this document,” click a sheet name or defined name.
  8. Image titled Insert Hyperlinks in Microsoft Excel Step 27

    8

    Enter the hyperlink’s text. Type the text that you want to see displayed into the «Text to display» field.

    • If you don’t do this, your hyperlink’s text will just be the linked cell’s name.
  9. Image titled Insert Hyperlinks in Microsoft Excel Step 24

    9

    Click OK. This will create your link in the selected cell. If you click the hyperlink, Excel will automatically highlight the linked cell or take you to the sheet you selected.

    • For general Excel tips, see our intro guide to Excel.
  10. Advertisement

  1. Image titled Insert Hyperlinks in Microsoft Excel Step 25

    1

    Open an Excel document. Double-click the Excel document in which you want to insert a hyperlink.

    • You can also open a new document by double-clicking the Excel icon and then clicking Blank Workbook.
  2. Image titled Insert Hyperlinks in Microsoft Excel Step 26

    2

    Select a cell. This should be a cell into which you want to insert your hyperlink.

  3. Image titled Insert Hyperlinks in Microsoft Excel Step 27

    3

    Click Insert. This tab is in the green ribbon at the top of the Excel window. Clicking Insert opens a toolbar directly below the green ribbon.

    • If you’re on a Mac, note that there’s an Excel Insert tab and an Insert menu item in your Mac’s menu bar. Select the Excel Insert tab.
  4. Image titled Insert Hyperlinks in Microsoft Excel Step 32

    4

    Click Link. It’s toward the right side of the Insert toolbar in the «Links» section. Doing so opens a pop up menu.

  5. Image titled Insert Hyperlinks in Microsoft Excel Step 33

    5

    Click Insert Link. It’s at the bottom of the Link pop up menu. This opens the Insert Hyperlink window.

  6. Image titled Insert Hyperlinks in Microsoft Excel Step 29

    6

    Click E-mail Address. It’s on the left side of the window.

  7. Image titled Insert Hyperlinks in Microsoft Excel Step 30

    7

    Enter the hyperlink’s text. Type the text that you want to see displayed into the «Text to display» field.

    • If you don’t change the hyperlink’s text, the email address will display as itself.
  8. Image titled Insert Hyperlinks in Microsoft Excel Step 31

    8

    Enter the email address. Type the email address that you want to hyperlink into the «E-mail address» field.

    • You can also add a prewritten subject to the «Subject» field, which will cause the hyperlinked email to open a new email message with the subject already filled in.
  9. Image titled Insert Hyperlinks in Microsoft Excel Step 32

    9

    Click OK. This button is at the bottom of the window.

    • Clicking this email link will automatically open an installed email program with a new email to the specified address.
  10. Advertisement

  1. Image titled Insert Hyperlinks in Microsoft Excel Step 25

    1

    Open an Excel document. Double-click the Excel document in which you want to insert a hyperlink.

    • You can also open a new document by double-clicking the Excel icon and then clicking Blank Workbook.
  2. Image titled Insert Hyperlinks in Microsoft Excel Step 26

    2

    Select a cell. This should be a cell into which you want to insert your hyperlink.

  3. Image titled Insert Hyperlinks in Microsoft Excel Step 40

    3

    Type =HYPERLINK(). This function creates a hyperlink to a document on the Internet, an intranet, or a server. This function has two parameters:[2]

    • HYPERLINK(link_location,friendly_name)
    • link_location is where you type in the path to the file and the file name.
    • friendly_name is the text shown for the hyperlink in your Excel spreadsheet. This parameter is optional.
  4. Image titled Insert Hyperlinks in Microsoft Excel Step 41

    4

    Add the link location and friendly name. To do so:

    • In the parenthesis of the HYPERLINK function, type the file path and file name for the document you want to link to.
    • Add a comma (,).
    • Type the name you want to appear for the hyperlink.
  5. Image titled Insert Hyperlinks in Microsoft Excel Step 42

    5

    Press Enter. This will confirm the HYPERLINK formula and create the hyperlink in the selected cell. Clicking the link will open the specified file.

  6. Advertisement

  1. Image titled Insert Hyperlinks in Microsoft Excel Step 25

    1

    Open an Excel document. Double-click the Excel document in which you want to insert a hyperlink.

    • You can also open a new document by double-clicking the Excel icon and then clicking Blank Workbook.
  2. Image titled Insert Hyperlinks in Microsoft Excel Step 44

    2

    Open the workbook you want to link to. This can be referred to as the source workbook. This method creates an external reference link to a workbook on the Internet or your intranet.

  3. Image titled Insert Hyperlinks in Microsoft Excel Step 45

    3

    Select the cell you want to link to in the source workbook. This will place a green box around the cell.

  4. Image titled Insert Hyperlinks in Microsoft Excel Step 46

    4

    Copy the cell. You’ll need to copy the cell to reference it in your workbook. To copy it:

    • Go to the Home tab.
    • Click Copy in the “Clipboard” section. This button has an icon of two pieces of paper.
  5. Image titled Insert Hyperlinks in Microsoft Excel Step 47

    5

    Go to your workbook. This is the workbook that you want to place the external reference link in.

  6. Image titled Insert Hyperlinks in Microsoft Excel Step 48

    6

    Select the cell you want to place the link in. You can place the link in any sheet of your workbook.

  7. Image titled Insert Hyperlinks in Microsoft Excel Step 49

    7

    Click the Home tab. This will open the Home toolbar.

  8. Image titled Insert Hyperlinks in Microsoft Excel Step 50

    8

    Click the Paste drop down button. This is the button below the clipboard with a down arrow. This opens the Paste drop down menu.

  9. Image titled Insert Hyperlinks in Microsoft Excel Step 51

    9

    Click the Paste Link button. This is two chains linked together in front of a clipboard in the Paste drop down menu. The value of the external reference will appear in the cell you selected.

    • To see the external reference location, select the cell with the external reference. Then, check the Formula Bar for the location.
  10. Advertisement

Add New Question

  • Question

    How do I put a hyperlink in a text box?

    GaiusG

    Right-click on the cell into which you wish to insert the link. Choose ‘Link’ on the menu which pops up, then insert the URL at the bottom of the little Link Setup Window.

  • Question

    My Excel chart hyperlinks work on my computer, but not on the computers of folks I send the chart to. Why?

    GaiusG

    MS Office applications routinely disable links and other potentially harmful content whenever you open a file created on another PC or downloaded from the Internet. A warning message is displayed at the top of the document. The user then has the choice to trust the source of the document, which enables all content, or to view it in «Compatibility Mode,» with potentially harmful content disabled.

  • Question

    The hyperlink option in the drop down menu is shaded and I can’t click on it. What should I do?

    Community Answer

    Highlight the text you want to add a hyperlink to, then click hyperlink.

Ask a Question

200 characters left

Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.

Submit

Advertisement

Video

Thanks for submitting a tip for review!

Advertisement

  • If you move a file connected to an Excel spreadsheet by hyperlink to a new location, you will have to edit the hyperlink to include the new file location.

Advertisement

About This Article

Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 486,649 times.

Is this article up to date?

See all How-To Articles

This tutorial demonstrates how to link Excel files or Google Sheets.

insert file link 3

Link Files in Excel

In your Excel file, you can easily link a cell to another workbook using links. This works the same as inserting hyperlinks in your document.

  1. Select the cell where you want to insert a link (here, B2), and in the Ribbon, go to Insert > Link. You can also right-click the cell and choose Link (or use the keyboard shortcut CTRL + K).

insert file link

  1. The Insert Hyperlink window opens to the Existing File or Web Page tab. Choose the file to link to (here, Link File.xlsx).Then enter the Text to display– the text that appears on the link (here, Link File). Click OK.

By default, you’re taken to the same folder as the open workbook. To choose a file from a different folder, click the Browse icon. Similarly, you can link any other type of document (Word, PowerPoint, pictures, etc.).

insert file link 2

As a result, a link to the Link File.xlsx file is inserted in cell B2. If you click on it, the file is opened in a new Excel window.

insert file link 3

If you delete the linked file, you’ll get an error message when you click on the link. You can also use VBA to insert hyperlinks and link to another file in Excel.

Link Files in Google Sheets

Since all Google Docs and Google Sheets files are stored in Google Drive, you can’t browse for them in folders, so you need to use a hyperlink to another file’s URL. To link a Google doc from a Google sheet, follow these steps:

  1. Copy the URL of your Google doc.
    You can find it in the address bar on your browser.

linkfiles gs intro

  1. In your spreadsheet, select the cell where you want to insert a link to a file and in the Menu, go to Insert > Insert link. You can also right-click the cell and choose Link (or use the keyboard shortcut CTRL + K).

google sheets insert link

  1. In the pop-up window, paste the link you copied, enter the text to display in the cell, and click Apply.
    If you don’t put anything in the Text field (labeled 2 below), the full link to the file in Google Drive is displayed.

google sheets insert link 2

As a result, the link to the file is inserted in cell B2. When you position your cursor over the cell, you can see the link and a preview of the document.

google sheets insert link 3

As you use and build more Excel workbooks, you’ll need to link them up. Maybe you want to write formulas that use data between different sheets in a workbook. You can even write formulas that use data from multiple different workbooks.

If I want to keep my files clean and tidy, I’ve found it’s best to separate large sheets of data from the formulas that summarize them. I often use a single workbook or sheet to summarize things. 

In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to link data in Excel. First, we’ll learn how to link up data in the same workbook on different sheets. Then, we’ll move on to linking up multiple Excel workbooks to import and sync data between files.

How to Quickly Link Data in Excel Workbooks (Watch & Learn)

I’ll walk you through two examples linking up your spreadsheets. You’ll see how to pull data from another workbook in Excel and keep two workbooks connected. We’ll also walk through a basic example to write formulas between sheets in the same workbook.

Let’s walk through an illustrated guide to linking up your data between sheets and workbooks in Excel.

Basics: How to Link Between Sheets in Excel

Let’s start off by learning how to write formulas using data from another sheet. You probably already know that Excel workbooks can contain multiple worksheets. Each worksheet is a tab of its own, and you can switch tabs by clicking on them at the bottom of Excel.

Complex workbooks can easily grow to many sheets. In time, you’ll certainly need to write formulas to work with data on different tabs.

Maybe you use a single sheet in your workbook for all of your formulas to summarize your data, and separate sheets to hold the original data. 

Excel sheets

My spreadsheet has three tabs on it. I’ll write a formula to work with data from each sheet.

Let’s learn how to write a multi-sheet formula to work with data from multiple sheets in the same workbook.

1. Start a New Formula in Excel

Most formulas in Excel start off with the equals (=) sign. Double click or start typing in a cell and begin writing the formula that you want to link up. For my example, I’ll write a sum formula to add up several cells.

I’ll open up the sign, and then click on the first cell on my current sheet to make it the first part of the formula. Then, I’ll type a sign to add my second cell to this formula.

Excel Formula part 1Excel Formula part 1Excel Formula part 1

Start writing a formula in a cell and click on the first cell reference to include, but make sure not to close out the formula yet.

Now, make sure that you don’t close out your formula and press enter yet! You’ll want to leave the formula open before you switch sheets.

2. Switch Sheets in Excel

While you still have the formula open, click on a different sheet tab at the bottom of Excel. It’s very important that you don’t close out the formula before you click on the next cell to include as part of the formula.

Jump to different sheet in ExcelJump to different sheet in ExcelJump to different sheet in Excel

Jump to different sheet in Excel.

After you switch sheets, click on the next cell that you want to include in the formula. As you can see in the screenshot below, Excel automatically writes the part of the formula that references a cell on another sheet for you.

Notice in the screenshot below that to reference a cell on another sheet, Excel adds «Sheet2!B3», which simply references cell B3 on a sheet named Sheet2. You could write this manually, but clicking on the cells makes Excel write it for you automatically.

Multiple sheet formulaMultiple sheet formulaMultiple sheet formula

Excel automatically writes part of the formula for you to reference a cell on another sheet.

3. Finish the Excel Formula

At this point, you can press enter to close out and complete your multi-sheet formula. When you do so, Excel will jump back to where you started the formula and show you the results.

You could also keep writing the formula, including cells from more sheets and other cells on the same sheet. Keep combining those references throughout the workbook for all the data you need.

Level Up: How to Link Multiple Excel Workbooks

Let’s learn how to pull data from another workbook. With this skill, you can write formulas that pull together data from entirely separate Excel workbooks.

For this section of the tutorial, you can use two workbooks that you can download for free as a part of this tutorial. Open them both up in Excel, and follow the directions below.

1. Open Both Workbooks

Let’s start off by writing a formula that includes data from two different workbooks. 

The easiest way to use this feature is to open up two Excel workbooks at the same time and put them side by side. I use the Windows Snap feature to split them to each take up half the screen. You need to keep both workbooks in view to write formulas between them.

In the screenshot below, I’ve opened two workbooks that I’ll write formulas for side-by-side. For my example, I’m running a business that buys a variety of products, and sells them in a variety of countries. So, I’ll use separate workbooks to track my purchases/sales and cost data.

Two workbooksTwo workbooksTwo workbooks

For this example, I’m using separate workbooks to track my purchases/sales and cost data.

2. Start Writing Your Formula in Excel

The price of what I buy can change, and so can the rate that I receive payments in. I need to keep a lookup list of rates and multiply it times my purchases. This is the perfect time to link two workbooks together and write formulas between them.

Let’s take the number of barrels of oil I buy each month times the price per barrel. In the first Cost cell (cell C3), I’ll start writing a formula by typing the equals sign (=), and then clicking on cell B3 to grab the quantity. Now, I’ll add an * to prepare to multiply the quantity by the rate.

So far, your formula should be:

=B3*

Multiply quantityMultiply quantityMultiply quantity

Don’t close out your formula yet. Make sure to leave it open before moving onto the next step; we still need to point Excel to the price data to multiply the quantity by.

3. Switch Excel Workbooks

It’s time to switch workbooks, and this is why it’s important to keep both of your datasets in view while working between workbooks.

With your formula still open, click over to the other workbook. Then, click on a cell in your second workbook to link up the two Excel files.

Excel multiplying between workbooksExcel multiplying between workbooksExcel multiplying between workbooks

Excel automatically wrote the reference to a separate workbook as part of the cell formula:

=B3*[Prices.xlsx]Sheet1!$B$2

Once you press Enter, Excel will calculate the final cost by multiplying the quantity in the first workbook times the price in the second workbook.

Now, keep working on your Excel skills by multiplying each of the quantities or values times the reference amounts in the «Prices» workbook.

In short, the key is to get your workbooks open side by side, and simply switch workbooks to write formulas referencing other files.

There’s nothing stopping you from linking up more than two workbooks. You could open many workbooks to link up and write formulas, connecting the data between many sheets to keep cells up to date.

How to Refresh Your Data Between Workbooks

When you’ve written formulas that reference other Excel workbooks, you’ll need to think about how you’ll update your data.

So, what happens when the data changes in the workbook that you’re linking to? Will your workbook automatically update, or will you need to refresh your files to pull over the last data and import it?

The answer is, «it depends», and specifically, it depends upon if both workbooks are still open at the same time.

Example 1: Both Excel Workbooks Still Open

Let’s check out an example using the same workbook from the prior step. Both workbooks are still open. Let’s see what happens when we change the price of oil from $45 per barrel to $75 per barrel:

Change in priceChange in priceChange in price

In the screenshot above, you can see that when we updated the price of oil, the other workbook automatically updated.

This is important to know: if both workbooks are open at the same time, changes will update automatically and in real-time. When you change one variable, the other workbook will update or recalculate based upon the new value.

Example 2: With One Workbook Closed

What if you only open one workbook at a time? For example, each morning, we update prices of our commodities and currencies, and in the evening we review the impact of the change to our purchases and sales.

The next time you open up your workbook that references other sheets, you might get a message similar to the one below. You can click on Update to pull in the latest data from your reference workbook.

Update dataUpdate dataUpdate data

Click update on the pop-up that shows when opening the workbook to pull the latest values from the separate file.

You might also see a menu where you can click Enable Content to automate updating data between Excel files.

Recap and Keep Learning More About Excel

Writing formulas between sheets and workbooks is a necessary skill when you work with Microsoft Excel. Using multiple spreadsheets inside your formulas is no problem with a bit of know-how. 

Check out these additional tutorials to learn more about Excel skills and how to work with data. These tutorials are a great way to continue learning Excel.

Let me know in the comments if you have any questions about how to link up your Excel workbooks.

Did you find this post useful?

Andrew Childress

I believe that life is too short to do just one thing. In college, I studied Accounting and Finance but continue to scratch my creative itch with my work for Envato Tuts+ and other clients. By day, I enjoy my career in corporate finance, using data and analysis to make decisions.

I cover a variety of topics for Tuts+, including photo editing software like Adobe Lightroom, PowerPoint, Keynote, and more. What I enjoy most is teaching people to use software to solve everyday problems, excel in their career, and complete work efficiently. Feel free to reach out to me on my website.

Понравилась статья? Поделить с друзьями:
  • Hope is a strong word
  • How do i install excel
  • Hope is a bad word
  • How do i get word of the day
  • Hope is a 4 letter word