Table of Contents
About the Author
Reviews and Awards
- Video Recovery
- SD Card Recovery
- Recycle Bin Recovery
- Recover Data from USB
- Recover Deleted Emails
- Hard Drive Not Showing Up in Windows
- Recover Unsaved Word Documents
- Recover Deleted Files
- Recover Files from Virus Infected Hard Drive
- Best Free Photo Recovery Software
- Recover Files from Formatted Hard Drive
Whenever you are using Excel or Word, you may use the hyperlink. It refers to a file's location on the computer or within the same worksheet. A hyperlink can also be a reference to a URL. You can visit the site through this link. However, some users complain about hyperlinks not working in Excel and receive the error message below:
Cannot open the specified file
If you are one of the victims of the "Excel hyperlink not working" error, this post can get you out of your problem. It addresses everything related to this error, and you may get the way out.
Possible Causes of Hyperlink Not Working in Excel
Generally, there are four main reasons for Excel not working in Windows 10. Here is the list of the leading causes.
- The file name has a pound (#) sign.
- The Excel has become corrupted or Excel keeps crashing.
- There is a change in the name of the hyperlinked file.
- A sudden system shutdown causes the abrupt closing of Excel.
How to Fix Hyperlink Not Working in Excel in Windows 11/10
Do you meet the situation above? If you can't open the specified file because of Excel hyperlink errors, follow these solutions below to fix the Excel hyperlink not working.
Method 1. Link to the Renamed File Location
You may receive this error message - you cannot open the specified file if you have changed the file location or name. The most straightforward way to fix this error is to edit the link again.
Step 1. Copy the address of the new file from File Explorer.
Step 2. Open Excel and right-click the hyperlink.
Step 3. Select "Edit hyperlink" in the menu.
Step 4. In the address box, replace the current filename with the renamed one and click "OK".
After that, you can try to open this Excel file and check if this error still exists.
Method 2. Repair Corrupted Excel Files to Fix Hyperlink Errors
You may encounter this issue if the Excel file has become corrupted and damaged. Repairing the corrupted files can get you out of this problem. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is an all-in-one data recovery and repair software. It can repair all corrupted videos, documents, and pictures with simple clicks. This Excel repair tool has many excellent features.
EaseUS Excel Repair Tool
- It can repair all corrupted videos like MP4, MOV, AVI, MKV, FLV, etc.
- This photo repair software supports many photo repairs, including JPG, JPEG, and GIF.
- Besides, you can recover deleted files with this software from an HDD, SSD, SD card, USB flash drive, etc.
Download this data recovery software and follow the steps below to repair Excel files in Windows 11/10/8/7.
Step 1. Launch EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard, and then scan disk with corrupted documents. This software enables you to fix damaged Word, Excel, PPT, and PDF files in same steps.

Step 2. EaseUS data recovery and repair tool will scan for all lost and corrupted files. You can find the target files by file type or type the file name in the search box.

Step 3. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard can repair your damaged documents automatically. After file preview, you can click "Recover" to save the repaired Word, Excel, and PDF document files to a safe location.

After you have repaired the Excel file, click the hyperlink to check if you have solved your problem.
Method 3. Rename the File and Remove the Pound Sign
If you find a "#" sign in your file name, remove it and edit the hyperlink again. Open the file that contains the "#" sign and rename it by following these steps.
Step 1. Right-click the hyperlink that is not working, and click "Edit Hyperlink".
Step 2. In the Address box, copy the file address you are linking to.
Step 3. Go to the location where the file is stored, right-click on the file, and click "Rename".
Step 4. Remove the "#" character from the name of the file.
Step 5. Return to the Excel file, right-click the problematic hyperlink, and choose "Edit Hyperlink".
Step 6. Browse and select the renamed file. Click "OK".
Method 4. Disable the "Update Links on save" Option
If this error still exists, you can try disabling the "Update Links on save" option. Here are the steps to disable the "Update Links on Save" feature in MS Excel. (Applies to Excel 2013, 2016, or 2019)
Step 1. Open Excel and go to "File > Options > Advanced".
Step 2. Scroll down to find the "General" tab and select "Web Options".
Step 3. When Web Options pop up, Click "Files" and uncheck the "Update Links on save" box.
Step 4. Click "OK" to save your changes.
Contact our experts for further assistance if you still need help making Excel hyperlinks work using the above-discussed solutions.
Conclusion
I hope you have solved your Excel problems with one of these solutions. If nothing helps, use EaseUS free data recovery software to restore all components of the Excel file, including tables, chart sheets, charts, cell comments, formulas, images, and more.
Hyperlink Not Working in Excel FAQs
Read these related questions and answers to get additional help.
1. How do I make a link clickable?
- Select the text or picture that you want to display as a hyperlink.
- Right-click the text or picture and click the Link on the shortcut menu.
2. How do I fix runtime error 1004 in Excel?
You can fix runtime error 1004 in Excel with these solutions:
- Delete the GWXL97.XLA Files
- Check the Trust Access to the VBA Project Object Model
- Create Another Excel Template
- Repair Corrupted Excel File
3. Why is the hyperlink file not working?
If your hyperlink is suddenly not working, the reasons might be as follows:
- The path has been changed
- The Excel file is corrupted
- There are security restrictions on your Internet browser
4. How can I fix Excel cannot open the file?
To fix Excel cannot open the file because the extension is not a valid error:
- Ensure you have enough permissions
- Enable Safe Mode
- Open Excel in Safe Mode
- Repair and recover the Excel
If you find this post helpful, share it on your Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to help more people.
Was This Page Helpful?

Brithny is a technology enthusiast, aiming to make readers' tech lives easy and enjoyable. She loves exploring new technologies and writing technical how-to tips. In her spare time, she loves sharing things about her favorite singer - Taylor Swift on her Facebook or Twitter.
-
EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is a powerful system recovery software, designed to enable you to recover files you’ve deleted accidentally, potentially lost to malware or an entire hard drive partition.
Read More -
EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is the best we have seen. It's far from perfect, partly because today's advanced disk technology makes data-recovery more difficult than it was with the simpler technology of the past.
Read More -
EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Pro has a reputation as one of the best data recovery software programs on the market. It comes with a selection of advanced features, including partition recovery, formatted drive restoration, and corrupted file repair.
Read More
Related Articles
-
How to Recover Overwritten Excel with No Previous Version Windows 10/11
Tracy King/2023/04/18
-
How to Fix PDF Blank Pages Problem [PDF Repair]
Dany/2023/04/29
-
Top 14 Best Free Video Repair Software for Windows/Mac
Cedric/2023/03/09
-
How to Recover Deleted YouTube Videos with or Without Link
Tracy King/2023/03/22