[Fixed!] Paste Link Not Working in Excel

Paste Link is one of the most widely used features of Excel. You can Paste Link in Excel by following any of the methods described in this article. But it becomes quite a frustrating problem when Paste Link is not working in Excel. In this article, we will discuss 3 convenient solutions to fix this issue. So, let’s start with this article and explore these solutions.

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Why Paste Link Becomes Greyed out in Excel?

When the Paste Link option in Excel doesn’t work, then generally the Paste Link option stays greyed out. It can happen for various reasons. But the common reasons are discussed in this article along with their respective solutions. You may face this problem if you accidentally protect your worksheet. Some unexpected changes in the Toolbar of Excel can also raise this issue. But don’t worry! We will discuss all of them and how to tackle them in this article.

3 Possible Solutions If Paste Link Is Not Working in Excel

In this section of the article, we will learn 3 simple solutions when Paste Link is not working in Excel. Let’s say we have the Sales Analysis of ABC Store as our dataset. Our goal is to copy the cells of the Sales and Profit columns and paste them as links.

Not to mention that we have used the Microsoft Excel 365 version for this article, you can use any other version at your convenience.

Solution 01: Unprotecting Worksheet

The Paste Link option doesn’t work if our worksheet is in a protected mood. So, we need to unprotect the worksheet before pasting the links. Let’s follow the steps mentioned below to do this.

Step 01: Pasting Link in a Protected Worksheet

First, let’s see what happens when we try to paste a link into a protected worksheet.

• Firstly, select the cells of the Sales and the Profit columns and press the keyboard shortcut CTRL + C to copy the cells.

• After that, go to the protected worksheet and select cell C5.
• Now, go to the Home tab from Ribbon.
• Then, choose the Paste option from the Clipboard group.
• Next, select the Paste Link option from the drop-down.

Consequently, you will have the following error message as shown in the following image.

Step 02: Unprotecting the Worksheet 

• Firstly, right-click on the worksheet name and select the Unprotect Sheet option.

As a result, the Unprotect Sheet dialogue box will open on your worksheet.

• Now, in the Unprotect Sheet dialogue box, enter your password.
• Then, click OK and your worksheet will be unprotected.

• Finally, follow the steps mentioned in step 01 of this method and you will be able to paste the copied cells as link.

Solution 02: Resetting Toolbar

Sometimes, the Paste Link option becomes unavailable in the Excel Toolbar. Resetting the Toolbar is a smart way to solve this issue. Let’s follow the steps outlined below to do this.

Steps:

• Firstly, right-click on any portion of the empty space on the Ribbon.
• Then, select the Customize the Ribbon option.

Subsequently, the Excel Options dialogue box will open on your worksheet.

Note: You can also use the keyboard shortcut ALT + F + T to directly open the Excel Options dialogue box from your worksheet. 

• Now, click on the Reset option as marked in the following picture.
• Then, choose the Reset all customizations option from the drop-down.

• After that, click OK in the Microsoft Office dialogue box.

• Finally, click OK in the Excel Options dialogue box.

• Now, you can use the steps outlined in step 01 of the 1st method and you will have the following outputs as shown in the image below.

Solution 03: Applying Excel Formula

When the Paste Link option is not working in Excel, then applying a simple Excel formula can solve the issue quite efficiently. Let’s use the procedure mentioned in the following section.

Steps:

• Firstly, select the cells where you want to Paste Link.
• Then, in cell C5 type in = to start the formula.

• After that, go to the worksheet with the original data. In this case, we selected the worksheet named Dataset 1.
• Then, choose the cells under the Sales and the Profit columns.
• Finally, press the keyboard shortcut SHIFT + ENTER to apply the formula.

Note: Here, we used SHIFT + ENTER instead of ENTER as it’s an array formula. However, you don’t need to press SHIFT if you’re a Microsoft 365 user.

Consequently, you will have the following outputs, as demonstrated in the following picture.

What to Do When Paste Special Is Not Working in Excel

While working in Excel, we often face the issue of the Paste Special option not working. A number of Excel users found this as an annoying problem. In this section of the article, we will learn what to do when the Paste Special option is not working in Excel. We can fix this issue by following 2 simple solutions.

Solution 01: Using Excel Options Feature

Using the Excel Options feature is one of the most effective ways to fix the issue of the Paste Special option not working in Excel. Let’s follow the steps mentioned below to do this.

Steps:

• Firstly, go to the File tab from Ribbon.

• Following that, click on Options as marked in the following image.

• Now, in the Excel Options dialogue box, select the Advanced tab.
• Then, make sure to check the field of the Show Paste Options button when content is pasted in the Cut, copy, and paste section.
• Finally, click on OK.

This should make the Paste Special option visible in your worksheet.

Solution 02: Opening Excel in Safe Mode

If the previous method doesn’t work for you, then you can open Excel in Safe Mode to fix the issue. Let’s see how it’s done.

Steps:

• Firstly, go to the search bar of windows and type in Excel.
• Then press and hold the CTRL key and click on the Excel App.

• After that, click on Yes in the following pop-up window.

As a result, Excel will start in Safe Mode as shown in the following picture.

• Now, select the cells and press the keyboard shortcut CTRL + C to copy the cells you want to paste into your target worksheet.

• Then, go to your target worksheet and select the cells where you want to paste.
• Subsequently, go to the Home tab from Ribbon.
• Next, choose the Paste option from the Clipboard group.
• Now, you will be able to see the Paste Special option in the drop-down.
• Afterward, click on the Paste Special option.

• After that, in the Paste Special dialogue box, choose the All option under the Paste section.
• Finally, click OK.

Consequently, your copied cells will be pasted as demonstrated in the following picture.

Practice Section

In the Excel Workbook, we have provided a Practice Section on the right side of the worksheet. Please practice it by yourself.

Conclusion

Finally, we have come to the very end of the article. I sincerely hope that this article was able to guide you to fix the issue of the Paste Link not working in Excel. Please feel free to leave a comment if you have any queries or recommendations for improving the article’s quality. To learn more about Excel, you can visit our website, ExcelDemy. Happy learning!