How to Update Excel Links (Manually/Automatically)

We’ll use the following datasets to demonstrate how you can update links inside and between sheets.

⏷Update Links Automatically
⏷Update Excel Links
 ⏵Update Links Without Opening File
 ⏵Change Source File for the Links
⏷Update Hyperlink to a Web Address
⏷Break Source Links
⏷Things to Remember
⏷Frequently Asked Questions
⏷Update Excel Links: Knowledge Hub

How to Update Links Automatically in Excel

Consider the following workbooks. We have linked the Physics Marks workbook with the Update Excel Link workbook.

Let’s change the values in the Physics Marks workbook i.e. source workbook.

Open the Update Excel Link workbook i.e. target file. The links in the target workbook can be updated manually or automatically.

Case 1 – Manually Updating All Links:

• After opening the target file, you will get a notification alert like the picture below.

• Click the Update button to update the values in the target file.

Case 2 – Automatically Updating All Links:

• Open the target workbook and go to the File tab.
• From the File tab, click Options.

• You will get the Excel Options dialog box. Click Trust Center from the left-side pane and select Trust Center Settings.

• In the Trust Center dialog box, select External Content from the left-side pane.
• Set Security settings for Workbook links to the Enable automatic update for all Workbook Links option.
• Click the OK button.

• Go to the Data tab and click Edit Links.

• In the Edit Links window, click the Startup Prompt button.

• In the Startup Prompt dialog box, select Don’t display the alert and update links and click OK.

• Click on the Close button in the Edit Links window.

• Whenever you open the target file, it will automatically update according to the source file values so long Excel can find the file.

How to Update Excel Links

Method 1 – Update Excel Links Without Opening the File

Consider the following workbooks. The Update Excel Link workbook is linked with the source file Physics Marks.

If you change the source file “Physics Marks”, the target file “Update Excel Link” doesn’t change.

Steps:

• To update the value, open the target file Update Excel Link.
• Go to the Data tab and select Edit Links.

• In the Edit Links dialog box, choose the source file and then click the Update Values button.

• This will change the Unknown status into OK.
• Click the Close button.

• This will update the linked values in the target Excel workbook.

Read More: Update Links Without Opening File

Method 2 – Change the Source File for the Links

For this method, consider the following workbooks. The source file is the Midterm Marks and the target file is the Change Excel Link. We want to change the source file from Midterm Marks to Final Marks, and this will also change the values in the target file.

Steps:

• Open the Change Excel Link Workbook.
• Go to the Data tab and click on Edit Links.

• Select the source file and click the Change Source button.

• You will get a File Manager window where you can select the new source file. Select the new source file and click OK.

Click the image for a detailed view

• The source file has changed.
• Click the Close button.

• This will update the values in the target file according to the new source file.

How to Update a Hyperlink to a Web Address in Excel

Consider the following dataset. The cell contents are hyperlinks to web addresses. However, the hyperlink address in cell B5 is incorrect here. Instead of hyperlinking to https://www.exceldemy.com/, it’s going to https://exceldemy.com/forum/.

Steps:

• Select cell B5.
• Right-click and select the Edit Hyperlink command.

• You will get a dialog box to edit the hyperlink.
• Go to the Existing File or Web Page tab.
• Replace the current incorrect Address with the correct web Address.
• Edit the Text to display if required.
• Click the OK button.

Click the image for a detailed view

• The link in cell B5 will get updated.

How to Break Source Links in Excel

Consider the following linked workbooks: the Physics Marks workbook and the Update Excel Link workbook. We will break the links between these workbooks.

Steps:

• Open the Update Excel Link workbook.
• Go to the Data tab and select Edit Links.

• In the Edit Links window, select the source workbook and click the Break Link button.

• You will get an alert. Confirm breaking links by clicking the Break Links button.

• This will break the link with the source workbook. No workbook is showing anymore in the Edit links window.
• Click the Close button.

• If you change the source workbook, no change will occur in the target workbook because we broke the link.

What Are the Things to Remember?

• Once you break links, you cannot undo it. You’ll need to relink the sheets manually.
• If you don’t change the settings to update the links automatically, you will get an alert notification. From there, you can update it manually.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is Excel asking me to update links?

When you open a workbook that is linked with another workbook, Excel shows you a notification such as “This workbook contains links to other data sources”. If you choose to update, it will update the file according to its source files.

How do you update linked Data in Excel?

Go to Data >> Edit Links >> Update Values. This will update the linked data.

What is the use of Edit Links in Excel?

You can update the values of the current workbook according to its source workbook. You can also change the source workbook for the current workbook and get values from another workbook.

Download Practice Workbooks

Update Excel Links: Knowledge Hub

• Update Hyperlink in Excel Automatically
• Disable Automatic Update of Links
• [Fix]: Excel Automatic Update of Links Has Been Disabled
• [Fixed!] Excel Links Not Updating Unless Source Is Open
• [Fixed!] Excel Update Links Manually Greyed Out

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