How to Find External Links in Microsoft Excel Workbooks

Clean up broken links quickly and easily

Finding links and external references in a Microsoft Excel workbook isn’t as easy as you’d expect. To find all workbook links, you’ll need to search in the formulas, defined names, objects, chart titles, and chart data series.

In this tutorial, we’ll explain how to find external links in Excel quickly and easily.

The first way to find external links is by searching within cell formulas. To do so, you need to use the Excel Find feature:

Note:If you’ve linked your spreadsheet to an external workbook, the link name will display the workbook’s filename along with its .xl file extension. This should be either .xlsm, .xls, or .xlsx.

Defined names are used toname rangesand cells so that they’re easier to reference in formulas and data validation drop-down lists. These lists and formulas often reference external sources of data, so it’s worth searching them for external links:

It’s possible to link objects like text boxes, shapes, and WordArt to external Excel files. To find external links within objects:

Note:To check each object for links, select the object and refer to the formula bar. Alternatively, hover over the object to see where the external link goes.

To find any external links used in chart titles or chart data series:

Occasionally, Excel users will create PivotTables that reference outside data. To check for external links in your PivotTables:

To break links in Microsoft Excel:

Note:This method will only help you break links that are present in your cells. Links in PivotTables, Charts, and elsewhere require a different method. Read our in-depth guide onhow to break links in Microsoft Excel. If they won’t break,find out why.

Cleaning Up Your Excel Workbook

Broken links can be a nightmare, preventing your workbook from functioning correctly. Worse, Excel doesn’t make it easy to quickly scan, break, and replace links — you have to check each possible location manually or create complicatedVBA code macrosto do it for you. But with this guide, you should be able to find external links and clean your workbook up in no time.

Jake Harfield is an Australian freelance writer whose passion is finding out how different technologies work. He has written for several online publications, focusing on explaining what he has learned to help others with their tech problems. He’s an avid hiker and birder, and in his spare time you’ll find him in the Aussie bush listening to the birdsong.Read Jake’s Full Bio

Welcome to Help Desk Geek- a blog full of tech tips from trusted tech experts. We have thousands of articles and guides to help you troubleshoot any issue. Our articles have been read over 150 million times since we launched in 2008.

HomeAbout UsEditorial StandardsContact UsTerms of Use

Copyright © 2008-2024 Help Desk Geek.com, LLC All Rights Reserved