How to Remove External Links in Excel (8 Easy Methods)

Method 1 – Using Edit Links Feature to Remove External Links from Cells

Steps:

• Go to the Data tab.
• From the Queries & Connections group >> select Edit Links.

• An Edit Links dialog box will appear.
• The dialog box will contain all the External links.
• To delete an external link, click on that link.
• Click Break Line to remove the link.

• A warning message will appear.
• Click on Break Links.

• The external link will be removed.

• Repeat this process for all the links..
• To remove all the links at once, press Ctrl on your keyboard and select all the links, or press Ctrl + A.

• Click on Break Link to remove all the links.

Read More: How to Remove Unknown Links in Excel

Method 2 – Use of Named Manager Feature to Remove External Link

Steps:

• Go to the Formulas tab.
• From the Defined Names group >> select Define Name.

• A Name Manager dialog box will appear.
• The External Link appears in the dialog box.
• Click on the link >> select Delete.

• A warning will pop up >> click OK.

• Click Close to get out of the dialog box.

Read More: How to Remove Hyperlink from Excel

Method 3 – Removing External Links from Pivot Tables

Steps:

• To start, insert a Pivot Table by selecting cells B4:D9.
• Go to the Insert tab.
• From the PivotTable group >> select From Table/Range.

• A PivotTable from table or range dialog box will appear.
• Select New Worksheet.
• Click OK.

• The new Pivot Table is in a Workbook that is named Book6.

• To copy the Pivot Table, select the Pivot Table >> press CTRL+C.

• Go to a new Workbook >> press CTRL+V.

• To remove the external link from the Pivot Table, we will click on any cell of the Pivot Table.
• Go to the PivotTable Analyze tab.
• From the Change Data Source group >> select Change Data Source.

• A Change PivotTable Data Source dialog box will appear.
• In the Table/Range box, you can see the external link.
• Click on the external link >> press DELETE.

• There is no longer an external link in the Table/Range box.
• Click OK.
• The external link from the pivot table will be removed.

Read More: How to Remove Hyperlink Permanently in Excel

Method 4 – Using Objects Feature to Remove External Links

Steps:

• Go to the Home tab.
• From the Find & Select group >> select Go To Special.

• A Go to Special dialog box will appear.
• Select Objects >> click OK.
• The external link for the object will be shown in the Formula Bar.

• To remove the external link, go to the Formula Bar and clear the formula by pressing DELETE.
• Click ENTER.

• If there is more than one object, do this for all the objects.

Read More: How to Remove Email Link in Excel

Method 5 – Removing External Links from a Chart

Steps:

• There is a sample Column chart in the Workbook named BOOK1.

• Copy the Column chart >> Paste it to a different Workbook.

• To find the external link in the chart, click on any of the columns of the chart.
• The external link will appear in the Formula Bar.

• Clear the external link from the Formula Bar by pressing the BACKSPACE key.
• Press ENTER.

• The external link and chart will both be removed.

Read More: How to Remove Excel Links from Word Document

Method 6 – Using Find and Replace with Operator Symbol

Steps:

• Press the CTRL+F keys to bring up the Find and Replace dialog box.

• In the Find what box, type the “[“ operator.
• Click on Find All.

• All the external links that will appear.
• Click on the link to be removed >> press DELETE.

Select multiple external links by holding the CTRL key and selecting the external links. Press DELETE to get rid of all the external links at once.

Read More: How to Remove Broken Links in Excel

Method 7 – Use of File Extension in Find and Replace Method

Steps:

• Press the CTRL+F keys to bring out the Find and Replace dialog box.

• A Find and Replace dialog box will appear.
• In the Find what box, type .xlsx.
• Click on Find All.
• All the external links will appear.

• Select all the links by holding the CTRL key >> press DELETE.

• There are no longer any external links in the Find and Replace dialog box.

Read More: How to Delete Hidden Link in Excel

Method 8 -Using Compatibility Checker to Remove Excel External Links

Steps:

• Go to the File tab.

• From Info >> select Check for Issues.
• Select Check Compatibility.

• A Microsoft Excel – Compatibility Checker dialog box will appear.
• Select the Check compatibility when saving this workbook box.
• Click on Copy to New Sheet.

• The external links will appear in a new sheet.

• Right-click on a link >> select DELETE from the Context Menu.

• A Delete dialog box will appear.
• Shift cells left are already marked here, but you can select any of the four options according to your needs.
• Click OK.

• The link has been removed.

Read More: [Solved]: Remove Hyperlink Not Showing in Excel

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