Hyperlink in Excel Not Working (3 Reasons & Solutions)

In Excel sheets, we often use Hyperlinks to link any sheet or page. Sometimes Hyperlinks may give you reference errors or links can be broken etc. In this article, I’m going to explain the reason and solution why Hyperlink in Excel not working.

For the demonstration purpose, I’m going to use a sample dataset that contains Hyperlinks of particular articles. The dataset has two columns; these are Topic and Article Name.

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3 Reasons Hyperlink Not Working in Excel

1. Pound (#) Sign is Not Accepted in Hyperlinks

If your used link contains Pound (#) sign then the Hyperlink won’t work in Excel.

Here, I wanted to open the Hyperlink C4 cell article but it’s showing an error that says Reference isn’t valid.

To know why the Hyperlink is not working,

➤ Select cell C4 then right click on the mouse it will open a context menu.

From there select Edit Hyperlink.

A dialog box will pop up. From there check the Address bar.

⏩ The link contains a Pound (#) sign.

⏩ Next, remove the Pound (#) sign.

Hence, click on the cell it will redirect you to the required page.

Read More: [Fixed!] Excel Hyperlink Formula Not Working

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2. HyperLink Not Working Because of Providing Different Name

It may happen that you or someone changed the actual file name but didn’t update it in Hyperlink for this type of reason Hyperlink also does not work.

Here, I will check C5 cell Hyperlink does work or not.

➤ Click on the C5 cell to open the Hyperlink.

Here, it will redirect a page where it will show a 404 error.

To know why the Hyperlink is not working,

➤ Select cell C5 then right click on the mouse it will open a context menu.

From there select Edit Hyperlink.

A dialog box will pop up. From there check the Address bar.

⏩ Address bar link is https://www.exceldemy.com/vlookup-average-excel/

⏩ The actual file is https://www.exceldemy.com/vlookup-average-in-excel/

➤ Edit the Hyperlink in the Address bar.

Then, click OK.

Now, select cell C5, it will redirect you to the page given below.

Read More: [Fixed!] Excel Hyperlink Is Not Redirecting Properly

3. Hyperlink Not Working If Update Links on Save is Unchecked

It is very much possible to occur unwanted shutdown on your system for any types pc issue or power cut issue. If the Excel file is not saved properly before closing then Hyperlinks may not work.

To avoid this type of problem, you’ll need to change some settings.

➤ Open File

Then, select Options.

It will open a dialog box of Excel Options.

⏩ Open Advanced tab >> Scroll down then select Web Options

Another dialog box will pop up.

⏩ Open Files >> Check on Updates links on save

Then, click OK.

Now, it will save the updated link in case of any sudden shutdown.

Read More: [Fixed!] Hyperlinks in Excel Not Working After Saving (5 Solutions)

Things to Remember

🔺 Except for those 3 reasons Hyperlink may not work in Excel if your file is corrupted.

Practice Section

You can practice the explained reason in the practice section.

Conclusion

In this article, I have shown 3 reasons why Hyperlink in Excel Not Working. These solutions will help you to solve any problem related to Hyperlink. Feel free to comment down below for any types of queries and suggestions.

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