Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated September 28, 2019)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003
Do you have a worksheet that has a bunch of e-mail addresses in it, as a series of hyperlinks? If so, you may be interested in a way to pull out those addresses and put them into cells as plain text. There are a few ways you can perform this task.
The first method is to remember that the hyperlinks for e-mail addresses all start with the text "mailto" followed by a colon. Thus, you can use a formula that will strip out the first part of the hyperlink. For instance, if the e-mail hyperlink is in cell A1, you can use this formula:
=RIGHT(A1,LEN(A1)-7)
This checks the length of the cell contents, and then extracts all of it except the first seven characters, which is the "mailto:" portion. You could also use a formula that relies on the SUBSTITUTE function:
=SUBSTITUTE(A1,"mailto:","")
If you prefer, you can use a macro to do the conversion from hyperlink to text-only e-mail address. The following single-line macro is a user-defined function that returns the converted hyperlink:
Function ExtractEmailAddress(rCell As Range) ExtractEmailAddress = _ Mid(rCell.Hyperlinks(1).Address, 8) End Function
In order to use the macro, all you need to do is use the function in some cell of your worksheet, in this manner:
=ExtractEmailAddress(A1)
Note:
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (2897) 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: Extracting E-mail Addresses from Hyperlinks.
Program Successfully in Excel! This guide will provide you with all the information you need to automate any task in Excel and save time and effort. Learn how to extend Excel's functionality with VBA to create solutions not possible with the standard features. Includes latest information for Excel 2024 and Microsoft 365. Check out Mastering Excel VBA Programming today!
When creating an e-mail address hyperlink using the Insert Hyperlink dialog box, Excel allows you to enter a subject for ...
Discover MoreGot a single worksheet that you want to e-mail to someone, but don't want them to see the rest of the worksheets in the ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2021-08-17 09:01:49
Anthony Waisanen
EXACTLY what I needed, and presented so I understood what to do. Thanks!
2020-08-26 16:46:44
Bobby
Allen, I need help. I just can't figure it out.
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