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: Hyperlinks in Shared Workbooks.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated October 30, 2020)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003
Dan has a shared workbook into which he needs to insert a hyperlink. However, as long as the workbook is shared, the hyperlink features in Excel are not available. Dan wonders if there is a way to insert hyperlinks into shared workbooks.
The short answer is no, there is not. When you choose to share a workbook, some options in Excel are simply not available any more; inserting hyperlinks is one of those options that is removed once the workbook is shared.
If you absolutely must add the hyperlink to the workbook, the only option is to unshare the workbook, add the hyperlink, and then again share the workbook. You'll no longer be able to add any more hyperlinks, but the one you added while the workbook was unshared will work just fine.
There is one caveat in taking this approach to adding the hyperlink—you need to be careful that you don't unshare the workbook if you have the Track Changes feature of Excel turned on. In the process of unsharing the workbook, Excel will turn off the tracking and discard the change history. If this is important to you, the only option is to make sure that you add the hyperlinks before sharing the workbook and first turning on Track Changes.
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (2912) 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: Hyperlinks in Shared Workbooks.
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2022-03-11 00:59:11
Antti
My workaround is o create an empty workbook (unshared one) and make the cell there: contents and hyperlink. Then just copy-paste to the shared workbook. Works just fine, but seems kind of a strange decision on Microsoft to make our lives harder like this as well.
2018-10-24 08:14:32
Petr Sedláček
I just wonder why the functionality is blocked when sharing the workbook. Thanks!
PetrS
2017-04-21 04:14:46
Ana
The shorter answer is yes. just type into your desired cell "=hyperlink" and add whatever hyperlink you need.
2016-11-24 07:05:36
Stephane
I confirm that the statement "the only option is to unshare the workbook" is not true.
There is an ugly but easy way to get an hyperlink in a shared workbook. Create it in a non shared workbook and copy and paste it in your shared Workbook.
The positive aspect is that there is no need for specific knowledge or to remember a formula!!!
2016-05-20 04:31:52
Robin
"the only option is to unshare the workbook"
That's not true.
simply use
=hyperlink("http://www.google.com")
...or whatever your URL / path is.
2016-04-06 14:48:07
Franz
or you can write the link in A1 for instance and write the following function in B1:
=if(isblank(A1);"";hyperlink(A1;"Link"))
In B1 appears "Link" if something in A1 is written. If A1 is an URL, click on B1 with the mouse and you will be directed to the URL destination.
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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:
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