Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated November 13, 2021)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003
Any Web-savvy person knows how to use hyperlinks on a Web page. When you are using a Web browser and you move your mouse pointer over a hyperlink, it changes to a pointing hand. When you click on the mouse button, the Web browser jumps to the Web address that is the target of the hyperlink.
Excel is no different. If you have defined hyperlinks in your workbooks, you use them by moving the mouse pointer over them. The pointer changes to the same pointing hand you use in your Web browser. When you click on the hyperlink, Excel jumps to the location. If necessary, Excel even opens the application program required to display the target. For instance, if the hyperlink is to a location on the Web, your Web browser is opened. If the hyperlink is to a Word document, then Word is opened.
It is interesting to note that you can move the mouse pointer over a hyperlink, and if you leave it poised there (when it is shaped as a pointing hand), a ToolTip appears beside the pointer to indicate the target address associated with the hyperlink. This is a handy way to tell where clicking your mouse on a hyperlink would take you, before actually taking the plunge.
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (2140) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003.
Professional Development Guidance! Four world-class developers offer start-to-finish guidance for building powerful, robust, and secure applications with Excel. The authors show how to consistently make the right design decisions and make the most of Excel's powerful features. Check out Professional Excel Development today!
If you open workbooks in two instances of Excel, you can use drag-and-drop techniques to create hyperlinks from one ...
Discover MoreWhen copying information from the Internet to an Excel workbook, you may want to get rid of graphics but keep any ...
Discover MoreIn Excel, a hyperlink consists of two parts: the text displayed for the link and the target of the link. You can use a ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)
Got a version of Excel that uses the menu interface (Excel 97, Excel 2000, Excel 2002, or Excel 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Comments