Link to excel spreadsheet

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


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This wikiHow teaches you how to link data between multiple worksheets in a Microsoft Excel workbook. Linking will dynamically pull data from a sheet into another, and update the data in your destination sheet whenever you change the contents of a cell in your source sheet.

Steps

  1. Image titled Link Sheets in Excel Step 1

    1

    Open a Microsoft Excel workbook. The Excel icon looks like a green-and-white «X» icon.

  2. Image titled Link Sheets in Excel Step 2

    2

    Click your destination sheet from the sheet tabs. You will see a list of all your worksheets at the bottom of Excel. Click on the sheet you want to link to another worksheet.

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  3. Image titled Link Sheets in Excel Step 3

    3

    Click an empty cell in your destination sheet. This will be your destination cell. When you link it to another sheet, the data in this cell will be automatically synchronized and updated whenever the data in your source cell changes.

  4. Image titled Link Sheets in Excel Step 4

    4

    Type = in the cell. It will start a formula in your destination cell.

  5. Image titled Link Sheets in Excel Step 5

    5

    Click your source sheet from the sheet tabs. Find the sheet where you want to pull data from, and click on the tab to open the worksheet.

  6. Image titled Link Sheets in Excel Step 6

    6

    Check the formula bar. The formula bar shows the value of your destination cell at the top of your workbook. When you switch to your source sheet, it should show the name of your current worksheet, following an equals sign, and followed by an exclamation mark.

    • Alternatively, you can manually write this formula in the formula bar. It should look like =<SheetName>!, where «<SheetName>» is replaced with the name of your source sheet.
  7. Image titled Link Sheets in Excel Step 7

    7

    Click a cell in your source sheet. This will be your source cell. It could be an empty cell, or a cell with some data in it. When you link sheets, your destination cell will be automatically updated with the data in your source cell.

    • For example, if you’re pulling data from cell D12 in Sheet1, the formula should look like =Sheet1!D12.
  8. Image titled Link Sheets in Excel Step 8

    8

    Click Enter on your keyboard. This will finalize the formula, and switch back to your destination sheet. Your destination cell is now linked to your source cell, and dynamically pulls data from it. Whenever you edit the data in your source cell, your destination cell will also be updated.

  9. Image titled Link Sheets in Excel Step 9

    9

    Click your destination cell. This will highlight the cell.

  10. Image titled Link Sheets in Excel Step 10

    10

    Click and drag the square icon in the lower-right corner of your destination cell. This will expand the range of linked cells between your source and destination sheets. Expanding your initial destination cell will link the adjacent cells from your source sheet.

    • You can drag and expand the range of linked cells in any direction. This could include the entire worksheet, or only parts of it.
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About This Article

Article SummaryX

1. Open Excel.
2. Click your destination cell.
3. Type «=«.
4. Click another sheet.
5. Click your source cell.
6. Press Enter on your keyboard.

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This tutorial demonstrates how to hyperlink to another sheet or workbook in Excel and Google Sheets.

hyperlink another sheet 3

Link to Another Sheet

In Excel, you can create a hyperlink to a cell in another sheet. Say you have value 25 in cell A1 of Sheet1 and want to create a hyperlink to this cell in Sheet2.

hyperlink another sheet initial data

  1. Go to another sheet (Sheet2), right-click the cell where you want to insert a hyperlink (A1), and click Link.

hyperlink another sheet 1

  1. In the Insert Hyperlink window, (1) select Place in This Document, (2) choose a sheet to which you want to link (Sheet1), (3) enter the cell you want to link to (A1), (4) enter text to display in the linked cell (Sheet1 – A1), and (5) click OK.

hyperlink another sheet 2

As a result, the hyperlink is inserted in cell A1 of Sheet2. By default, the text of the hyperlink is underlined and colored in blue. If you position a mouse cursor over the hyperlink, you can see the file destination and name, as well as a cell that it’s leading to.

hyperlink another sheet 3

And when you click on the hyperlink, you’ll be redirected to the linked cell.

hyperlink another sheet 4

The HYPERLINK Function

Another way to insert a hyperlink to another sheet is to use the HYPERLINK Function. Enter this formula in cell A1 of Sheet2:

=HYPERLINK(Sheet1!A1,"Sheet1 - A1")

hyperlink another sheet 5

The first argument of the function is the cell to which you want to navigate the link, and the second argument is the text that is displayed in the link. The result is the same as using the previous method.

Hyperlink to Another Workbook

You can also insert a hyperlink to another workbook. Say that in File 1.xlsx you have a value of 25 in cell A1 and want to link it to File 2.xlsx.

hyperlink another workbook

  1. In File 2.xlsx, right-click the cell where you want to insert a hyperlink (A1) and click Link.

hyperlink another workbook 2

  1. In the Insert Hyperlink window, (1) select Existing File or Web Page, (2) choose Current Folder – or (3) select the folder with your source file – and (4) select the file (File 1.xlsx). (5) Enter text to display in the linked cell (File 1), and (6) click OK.

hyperlink another workbook 3

As a result, the hyperlink to File 1.xlsx is inserted into cell A1 of File 2.xlsx. If you position a mouse cursor over this cell, you can see the linked file destination and name.

hyperlink another workbook 4

If you click on the link, you’re redirected to cell A1 of the source file. If the source file is not opened, it is opened once you click the hyperlink.

hyperlink another workbook 5

Link to Another Google Sheets Tab

To create a hyperlink to another sheet in Google Sheets, follow these steps:

  1. Go to another sheet (Sheet2), right-click the cell where you want to insert a hyperlink (A1), and click Insert link.

google sheets hyperlink another sheet 6

  1. Select the sheet you want to link to (Sheet1).

google sheets hyperlink another sheet 7

As a result, the hyperlink is inserted in cell A1 of Sheet2. By default, the text of the hyperlink is underlined and colored in blue. If you click on a cell with the link, you can see the linked sheet.

google sheets hyperlink another sheet 8

And when you click on the hyperlink, you’ll be redirected to the linked sheet.

Link to Another Google Sheet

Say you have File 1 in Google Sheets with value 25 in cell A1 and want to link this cell to File 2.

  1. Right-click the URL address of the source file (File 1) and click Copy.

google sheets hyperlink another sheet 1

  1. Now go to another file (File 2), right-click the cell where you want to insert a hyperlink (A1), and click Insert link.

google sheets hyperlink another sheet 2

  1. Paste the copied link, enter text to display, and click Apply.

google sheets hyperlink another sheet 4

As a result, the hyperlink is inserted in cell A1. If you click on this cell, you can navigate to the linked file (File 1).

google sheets hyperlink another sheet 5

Note: You can also use the HYPERLINK Function in Google Sheets, same as in Excel. The only difference is that for Google Sheets, you have to enter the URL.

A spreadsheet is an interactive canvas for logging data and using formulas. The cells of a spreadsheet can hold a variety of things including hyperlinks. Let’s look at two types of links in Excel that we can add to a spreadsheet. 

How to Add Links in Excel to Spreadsheets Quickly

Note: Watch this short tutorial screencast or follow these quick steps that compliment this video:

1. Click on an Excel Cell to Add a Link to It

First of all, let’s make sure that we’ve clicked in a cell so that we can add something to it.

Choose the Excel cell to add a link toChoose the Excel cell to add a link toChoose the Excel cell to add a link to

Select an Excel cell to add a link to.

2. Go to Insert and Apply the HyperLink Option

Now, let’s go to the Insert tab on the ribbon and click on it. Next, I’ll find the Hyperlink option and click on it. The menu that pops up allows us to add links. On the left side, I’ll make sure that I’ve selected the Existing File or Web Page option.

Add Link in Excel to a website URLAdd Link in Excel to a website URLAdd Link in Excel to a website URL

Add Link in Excel using HyperLink option.

3. Insert a Link in Excel to a Website URL

In the Address box, I’ll type in a URL to a website to link to in my spreadsheet. I’ll also add some text if I want a different preview to show than the URL itself. 

Type the Website URL Link into ExcelType the Website URL Link into ExcelType the Website URL Link into Excel

Type the Website URL Link into Excel.

Then I’ll click OK, now that we’ve got the hyperlink in the spreadsheet. I’ll click on it and the link will open in a browser.

4. Add a Link in Excel to a Sheet

I’ll go ahead and switch back to my spreadsheet and next we’ll add a hyperlink to a different tab in the workbook. You can use the same option, but this time we’ll choose the Place in This Document option and choose another sheet name. Clicking on that new hyperlink will now take me to another sheet.

Add a Link in Excel internally to a sheetAdd a Link in Excel internally to a sheetAdd a Link in Excel internally to a sheet

Add a link in Excel internally to a sheet or other document.

Finishing Up!

You can quickly add links in Excel to offsite web pages, internally to sheets in your workbook, or to documents or resources elsewhere.

More Excel Tutorials on Envato Tuts+

Dive into our series: How to Make and Use Excel Formulas (Beginner Bootcamp). Also, find more Excel tutorials on Envato Tuts+ to help you learn how to work with formulas and data better in your spreadhsheets. Here are a few quick video tutorials to work through: 

Remember: Every Microsoft Excel tool you learn, and workflow you master, the better spreadsheets you’ll make.

Excel files are also called workbooks for a very good reason. They can have multiple sheets, or worksheets, to help you organize your data. When working with multiple sheets, you may need to have links between them so that values ​​in one sheet can be used in another.

In this article, we’ll explain how to link data between worksheets in Excel. You’ll see several examples on linking sheets in the same workbook as well as across different ones.

Why link data between sheets in Excel?

Linking sheets in Excel can be a great way to organize your data and keep them consistent across different worksheets. You may want to do this for different purposes, for example:

  • You have a workbook containing data split by month, by state, or by salesperson, and you want a summary in one of the sheets.
  • You want to create lists using links from different sheets in Excel.
  • You want to collect data from multiple sheets and combine them into one to create a master sheet. Or, you may want to link data from a master sheet so that your data in other sheets are always up-to-date.
  • Your data is growing and becoming too voluminous. As a result, you split it into different workbooks to be managed by different people. There can be times when you need to write formulas to get data out of these files.

Creating links between sheets is pretty easy to do. Besides, the main benefit is that whenever your data in the source sheet changes, the data in the destination sheet will be automatically updated as well.

Problems with linking large data between worksheets in the same or different Excel workbooks

Indeed, using multiple worksheets can certainly make your data in one workbook easier to manage. However, linking large amounts of data between worksheets could decrease the performance of your Excel workbook. Avoid inter-workbook links unless it’s absolutely necessary because they can be slow, easily broken, and not always easy to find and fix. 

We suggest you try another solution 👇

When getting large data from different worksheets, especially from different workbooks, we recommend that you import instead of linking. Linking will slow down your Excel file, while an optimized performance can be maintained if you simply import data from Excel to Excel. Use a tool such as Coupler.io to refresh your data on the schedule you want to keep your data up-to-date.

Figure 00.1. Link sheets in Excel using Coupler.io

To start using Coupler.io, sign up for a free account and create your first importer. A wizard will walk you through setting up the source, destination, and auto-refresh schedule for your importer. If you’re importing from Excel to Excel, choose Microsoft Excel as the source and destination of your importer, as follows:

#1. Set up a source

Select Microsoft Excel as the source that contains your data. You’ll need to connect to your Microsoft account and select the workbook and worksheet(s) you want to import. If you want, you can import only a selected range from your worksheets, e.g., range B3:G10 only.

Figure 00.2. Coupler.io data source list

Notice that with Coupler.io, you can also import data from different sources such as HubSpot, Jira, QuickBooks, and more. Check out the complete list of Coupler.io integrations with Excel.

#2. Set up a destination

For the destination, select Microsoft Excel. No need to connect again if you’re importing to the same Microsoft account. After that, choose the workbook and worksheet where you want your data imported.

Figure 00.3. Coupler.io destination list

#3. Schedule

You can keep your data up-to-date by setting up an automatic data refresh on the schedule you want.

Figure 00.4. Coupler.io set up a schedule

Finally, click Save and Run to run your first importer. The import process may take several seconds or minutes to complete.

How to link two Excel sheets in the same workbook

Now, let’s see how to link two sheets in the same Excel workbook, including some tips and examples.

How to link sheets in Excel with a formula

To refer to a cell or range in another worksheet in the same workbook, type the name of the source worksheet followed by an exclamation mark (!) before the range address—see the following examples:

  • To reference a single cell A1 in Sheet2:
=Sheet2!A1
  • To reference a single cell A1 but the sheet name contains spaces:
='Sheet 2'!A1
  • To reference a range of cells A1 to C10 in Sheet2:
=Sheet2!A1:C10
  • To reference column A in Sheet2:
=Sheet2!A:A
  • To reference multiple columns A to E in Sheet2:
=Sheet2!A:E
  • To reference row 5 in Sheet2:
=Sheet2!5:5
  • To reference multiple rows 1 to 5 in Sheet2:
=Sheet2!1:5
  • To reference a worksheet-level named range Data in Sheet2:
=Sheet2!Data
  • To reference a workbook-level named range Data in Sheet2:
=Data

You can always manually type the linking formula in a destination cell. However, doing that is not recommended because it typically leads to mistakes. So, instead of typing the formula manually, check the tips below.

Tip 1: Create a link from the destination sheet

With the following spreadsheet, suppose you want to show the total for New York in the Summary sheet. In cell B2 of the Summary sheet, you want to display the values of cell F5 from the New York sheet.

Figure 01. The Summary and New York worksheets

To do that, follow the steps below:

  1. Begin by opening the destination sheet (Summary).
  2. Type = (equal sign) in the destination cell (B2). 

Figure 02. Typing the equal sign in the destination cell

  1. Switch to source sheet (New York).
  2. Select the cell you want to link (F5), then press Enter.

Figure 03. Selecting pressing Enter in the source cell

As a result, when you click on the destination cell, you’ll see the following formula: 

='New York'!F5

Figure 04. The linkage formula the sheet name is enclosed with single quotes

Notice that Excel automatically encloses the sheet name with single quotation marks because there is a space character in the sheet name. 

Tip 2: Use Copy and Paste Link

This second tip also allows you to link to another sheet without manually typing the linking formula. Unlike the first method that begins from the destination sheet, this method starts from the source sheet.

This time, suppose you want to show the total for Florida in the Summary sheet. In cell B3 of the Summary sheet, you want to display the values of cell F5 from the Florida sheet.

Figure 05. The Summary and Florida sheets

Follow the steps below:

  1. Begin by opening the source sheet (Florida).
  2. Right-click on the cell you want to link (F5), then select Copy.

Figure 06. Copy the source cell

  1. Switch to the destination sheet (Summary).
  2. In the destination cell (B3), right-click and select Paste Link

Figure 07. Paste Link

As a result, when you click on B3, you’ll see the following formula: 

=Florida!$F$5

Figure 08. The linkage formula with an absolute reference

Notice that by default, this method returns an absolute reference. If you want to change it to a relative reference, simply highlight the formula and press F4 multiple times to remove the dollar signs.

How to link numbers from different sheets in Excel using the INDIRECT function

In the previous example, notice that the New York and Florida sheets have the same layout. In cases like this, you can also use the INDIRECT function in the formula to get the totals. 

Now, let’s see the following spreadsheet with a Summary sheet and three other sheets with a similar layout. Assume you want to link the total in cell F5 from the three sheets and put them in the Summary sheet using the INDIRECT function.

Figure 09. An example of how to link numbers from different sheets in Excel

To do that, follow the steps below:

  1. Link the total for New York only:
='New York'!F5

Figure 10. Linking the total for New York

  1. Replace the formula using the INDIRECT function below. Notice that we concatenate A2 with single quotes because its value contains a space character.
=INDIRECT("'"&A2&"'!F5")

Figure 11. Using the INDIRECT function to link sheets in Excel

  1. Drag the formula down to A4 to apply it to the other states.

Figure 12. Applying the INDIRECT formula for other states as well

How to link data in a range of cells between sheets in Excel

With the following spreadsheet, suppose you want to link the retail sales data for Florida and put them in the Retail Summary sheet, as the following screenshot shows:

Figure 13. How to link a range of cells from another sheet example

The range to link is in B3:E3 of the second sheet. To display it in the destination sheet, use the following formula in a cell:

=Florida!B3:E3

Figure 14. How to link a range of cells from another sheet result

How to link columns from different sheets to another sheet in Excel

With the following spreadsheet, suppose you want to link the entire Column B from the Product sheet to Sheet1. To do that, you can use the following formula:

=Product!B:B

Figure 15. Link a column to another sheet example

However, if you notice, the blank cells are showing zeros. If you want to see empty cells when there is nothing in the original sheet, you can change the formula to the one below:

=IF(LEN(Product!B:B)>0, Product!B:B,"")

Figure 16. Link a column to another sheet result

How to link to a defined name in other sheets in Excel

For most people, words are easier to remember than numbers or codes. For this reason, Excel allows you to name an individual cell or range of cells. Then, you can use these names when referring to data in another sheet instead of typing the range address.

With the following worksheet, let’s create a defined name for range B2:B5 and name it Q1_Sales

Figure 17. An example case of creating a defined name in Excel

First, select the range of cells to include (B2:B5). Then, in the Name Box, type Q1_Sales and press Enter — and Done!

Figure 18. Giving a name for a range of cells

By default, Excel creates the name at the workbook level. To reference the defined name in another worksheet, just type the following formula into any cell.

=Q1_Sales

Figure 19. An example of linking to a defined name from another worksheet

You can also use the defined name with an Excel function in a formula. For example, the following formula calculates the average of Q1_Sales:

=AVERAGE(Q1_Sales)

Figure 20. An example of referencing a defined name in a calculation

How to link lists in different sheets in Excel

With the following spreadsheet, suppose you want to create a dropdown list in Sheet1 that contains product category data from Sheet2. This will allow you to select the Category in Column D using a dropdown instead of typing it manually.

Figure 21. Link lists in different sheets in Excel example

Follow these steps:

  1. In Sheet1, select the range you want to apply to the dropdown list, which is D2:D4.
  2. Click Data > Data Validation.
  3. In the “Data Validation” dialog box, enter the following details, then click OK.
  • Allow : List
  • Source : =Sheet2!$A$2:$A$5 

Figure 22. The Data Validation dialog box

We enter a link reference to product category data in Sheet2, which is in range A2:A5. As a result, now you select the product category in Sheet1 using a dropdown, as shown below:

Figure 23. Link lists in different sheets in Excel result

How to link to hidden sheets in Excel

A sheet can be hidden for different reasons. For example, you may want to hide sheets that are no longer frequently being used by other users. 

To create a link to a hidden sheet, simply unhide it first, create the link, then hide it again if necessary. 

You can actually refer to hidden sheets without unhiding them first, as long as you know the name of the sheets and the range you want to link from these sheets. However, most of the time, you’ll need to unhide them first to see the data you want to link so that you don’t accidentally refer to the wrong range of cells when creating the links.

There are two different types of hidden sheets in Excel: hidden and very hidden. While unhiding a hidden sheet is very easy, you will need to open the Visual Basic Editor (VBE) to unhide a very hidden sheet. 

To link to a hidden sheet in Excel

  1. Unhide the sheet by right-clicking on any visible sheet, then select Unhide.

Figure 24. How to unhide a hidden sheet

  1. In the “Unhide” dialog box that appears, select the sheet you want to unhide, then click OK.

Figure 25. Selecting a hidden sheet to unhide

  1. Use a linking formula to link the data you want to show in another sheet.
    For example, the following formula in the Summary sheet shows the range A1:E1 from the sheet we just made visible.
=HiddenSheet!A1:E1

Figure 26. A linking formula to show data from the HiddenSheet sheet

  1. If you want, hide the sheet again by clicking on the sheet tab, then select Hide

Figure 27. How to hide a sheet in Excel

To link to a very hidden sheet in Excel

  1. Open the VBE by pressing Alt+F11.
  2. Press F4 or click View > Properties Window to open the Properties window under the Project Explorer if it’s not already open.
  3. In Project Explorer, select the very hidden sheet you want to unhide. Then, set its Visible property to -1 - xlSheetVisible in the Properties window.

Figure 28. How to unhide a very hidden sheet

  1. Use a linking formula to link the data you want to show in another sheet. For example, the following formula in the Summary sheet shows the range A1:E1 from the very hidden sheet we just made visible.
=VeryHiddenSheet!A1:E1

Figure 29. A linking formula to show data from the VeryHiddenSheet sheet

  1. If you want, change the sheet’s Visible property back to 2 - xlSheetVeryHidden in the Properties window to make it a very hidden sheet again.

How to link sheets in Excel to a master sheet

With the following spreadsheet, suppose you want to link data from two worksheets into one.

Figure 30. Link sheets to a master sheet in Excel example

Notice that it’s like combining two ranges, which are Rose!A1:C6 and Sunflower!A1:C6

However, combining ranges in Excel using a formula is a bit complex. An easier way to do this is using Power Query, as explained in the steps below:

  1. In the Rose sheet, select the range A1:C6. 
  2. Then, on the Data tab in the Get & Transform Data section, click From Table/Range.
  3. In the “Create Table” dialog box, ensure that the My table has headers option checked.

Figure 31. Creating a table

  1. Click OK — this will bring you to the Power Query editor.
  2. In the Query Settings, give your query a descriptive name, e.g., Roses.

Figure 32. Renaming the table

  1. Click the Home tab, then click Close & Load > Close & Load To…
  2. In the “Import Data” dialog box, select Only Create Connection, then press OK.

Figure 33. The Import Data dialog box

  1. Repeat steps 1-7 for the Sunflower data. But for the fifth step, let’s rename the query as Sunflowers.
  2. Re-launch the Power Query editor by clicking the Data tab, then click Get Data > Launch Power Query Editor…
  3. Select any query, then click Append Queries > Append Queries as New to keep the existing queries unchanged.

Figure 34. The menu to append queries as new

  1. In the Append window, select the other table as the second table, then click OK.

Figure 35. Appending two tables

  1.  Make sure to select the newly created query. Then, on the Home tab, click Close & Load > Close & Load To…
  2. In the “Import Data” dialog box, load the combined data to Sheet1!A1, then click OK.

Figure 36. Loading the combined tables to another worksheet

To see the result, click Sheet1. You’ll find the combined data as shown in the following screenshot: 

Figure 37. Link sheets in Excel to a master sheet final result

When the source data from the other sheets change, you won’t see the new changes right away. Using this method, you need to click the Refresh All button in the Data tab to see the latest data.

How to link two Excel sheets in different workbooks

To link to a worksheet in another workbook, you can do it whether the source file is open or closed. If possible, we suggest you open all the source workbooks first before creating the links in the destination workbook. Why? Because this way is easier.

As an example, suppose you have the following four workbooks: Summary.xlsx, Jason Jones.xlsx, Melinda.xlsx, and Amanda Walker.xlsx. In the Summary workbook, you want to link the total sales of each salesperson, which is in cell F3 of each of the other workbooks—see the following screenshot:

Figure 38. An example of how to link worksheets from different workbooks in Excel

Link to another worksheet when the source workbook is open

When all the source files are open, you can follow the steps below to create the links:

  1. In the Summary workbook, type = (equal sign) in the destination cell for Jason Jones.

Figure 39. Typing the equal sign in the destination cell

  1. Click View > Switch Windows, then select Jason Jones.xlsx to switch to this workbook.

Figure 40. Switching to another workbook

  1. Select the cell to link, in this case, F3, then press Enter.

Figure 41. Linking a cell from another workbook

  1. Repeat Steps 1-3 for Melinda and Amanda Walker

As the final result, you’ll see formulas with the following format when you click on each of the destination cells:

='[SourceWorkbook.xlsx]SheetName'!RangeAddress

Figure 42. The linking formulas to workbooks that are currently open

Note: In the above example, the workbook name and/or sheet name contain spaces, so the path is enclosed in single quotation marks. 

Link to another worksheet when the source workbook is closed

If you close the source workbooks one by one, the linking formulas in the Summary workbook will change as shown in the below screenshot:

Figure 43. The linking formulas to workbooks that are currently closed

Now, you get the idea — you need to use the full path when linking to a workbook that’s currently closed.

Basically, you can use the following format to link data from any Excel workbooks:

='FolderPath[SourceWorkbook.xlsx]SheetName'!RangeAddress

However, if possible, just open the source files before you create the link, so you don’t need to manually type the long formula that’s shown above. 🙂

Can you break links between sheets in different workbooks in Excel?

When you open an Excel file, there may be formulas in it that get data from another workbook. 

To locate these formulas, click on the Data tab in the ribbon. If the Edit Links button is available, it means that your file contains links to other workbooks.

Figure 44. The Edit Links button

To break a link, follow these steps:

  1. On the Data tab, in the Queries & Connections section, click Edit Links.
  2. In the “Edit Links” dialog box that appears, select the link you want to break and click Break Link.

Figure 45. The Edit Links dialog box

  1. Click Break Links in the confirmation dialog box that appears.

Figure 46. A confirmation dialog to break links

Notice that when you break a link to the source workbook, all the linking formulas are converted to their current values. This action cannot be undone, so you may want to back up your workbook before breaking any links. 

  1. Click Close.

In this section, you’ve learned the basics of how to link sheets from different workbooks, as well as how to break those links. If you’re interested in more examples of linking worksheets from different workbooks, check out our article on how to link Excel files. 

Thanks for reading, and good luck with your data!

  • Fitrianingrum Seto

    Senior analyst programmer

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