Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Excel 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Excel, click here: Using Drag-and-Drop to Create a Hyperlink.

Using Drag-and-Drop to Create a Hyperlink

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated January 13, 2024)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003

Excel includes a very powerful feature which allows you to use drag-and-drop editing techniques to create a hyperlink. In order to take advantage of this feature, follow these steps:

  1. Make sure you have two workbooks open: the one in which you want the hyperlink to appear and the one that is the target of the hyperlink. Both should be visible on the screen at the same time.
  2. Select the target area. For instance, select the cell or range of cells in the target workbook that you want to use as the target of the hyperlink.
  3. Move the mouse pointer so it is over the thick box surrounding the cell or range of cells. The mouse pointer should change to an arrow.
  4. Right-click and hold down the mouse button as you drag the selection to the cell in which the hyperlink will appear in the other workbook.
  5. When you release the mouse button, Excel displays a Context menu.
  6. Select the Create Hyperlink Here option from the Context menu. Excel immediately creates a hyperlink in the cell.

There is a caveat to understand about these steps: The drag-and-drop approach will work only if you are working with two instances of Excel open at the same time. If, in step 1, you simply display two workbooks by using Arrange from the Window menu, drag-and-drop won't work. Instead, you need to open one workbook in Excel and then open Excel a second time with the second workbook. Then the steps will work just fine.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (2335) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Excel (Excel 2007 and later) here: Using Drag-and-Drop to Create a Hyperlink.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Making Spell Check Ignore Characters

The rules of professional editing often require that editorial changes in a quote be noted with brackets. These brackets, ...

Discover More

Changing Your Company Name

The installation process for Office and Excel allows you to specify a company name. If your company name later changes, ...

Discover More

Ignoring N/A Values in a Sum

You can use some of Excel's worksheet functions across a range or worksheets, but not all of them. One that has problems ...

Discover More

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!

More ExcelTips (menu)

Pasting a Hyperlink

Need a quick link within a document to some external data? You can paste information so that Excel treats it just like a ...

Discover More

Turning Off Hyperlink Activation

Does it bother you when you enter a URL and it becomes "active" as soon as you press Enter? Here's how you can turn off ...

Discover More

Links to Hyperlinks

Hyperlinks in a worksheet can be helpful or essential, depending on the nature of your data. If you create a link to a ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is seven minus 4?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)

This Site

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.

Newest Tips
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.

Links and Sharing
OUR COMPANY
OUR PRODUCTS
OUR SITES
 

Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.