Software

Ask something
Question Locked

Hyperlink in Excel

0 helpful
10 replies

by lirv2151

Closed to new repliesThis discussion is closed. It stays readable, but it takes no new replies.

I have a spreadsheet in Excel 2010, with numerous hyperlinks to documents on my computer. For no rhyme or reason the link keeps breaking. The spreadsheet shows all the necessary details of an existing link (its in blue and underlined) but when selected the computer can no longer open it. This has happened over and over again.

What am I doing wrong??

thank you
Lena

10 replies

by jqbecker

Are you moving the files after the links are created? This includes the Excel spreadsheet and/or the linked documents.
So. if you create the Excel sheet in C:\Users\Lena\Documents it is OK, but if you copy the Excel sheet to a flash disk "F:" and try to open it from the Flash, it will no longer work.

by gechurch

It's not possible to say without seeing the document. What does the link reference? Does it reference the same thing after closing and re-opening the Excel document? Are the links relative or absolute? Did the documents that are referenced move at all? Is the document opening in protected mode?

by lirv2151

the links are referencing scanned pdf, they don't move, and the spreadsheet is not in protected mode. The spreadsheet contains the information of expenditure with each line linked to the scanned receipt where applicable.
Relative or absolute not sure what you mean, I attach via the Hyperlink select the pdf and done.
thank you for replying....

by gechurch

Thanks for the update.

Right-click the cell with the hyperlink and click 'Edit Hyperlink.' What appears in the 'Address' field? An absolute path will include the drive letter. Eg. 'C:\docs\file.pdf'. This path will always work from the same computer, no matter where the Excel file is stored. You could move the Excel file from your desktop to the F: drive and it would still know to link to file.pdf in the folder C:\docs\.

A relative path to the same folder might look like '..\docs\file.pdf'. Relative paths give directions to the linked file, starting from the folder where your Excel file is saved. In the example relative path above, the directions are 'go up a level, then go into the folder called docs and link to the document called file.pdf'. This might work fine, but if you move your Excel file to F: for example the relative path will stop working.

Let us know what the address is when you choose Edit Hyperlink. Also hover your mouse over the hyperlink (without clicking it). You will see a tooltip which shows the full path to the file. Is that path correct?

by lirv2151

here is an example of one that works:
Receipts\Office%202012-12-22%20Dick%20Smith%20crade%20for%20phone%2039.98.pdf
one that doesn't work:
2012-2013\Receipts\Office%202012-11%20various.pdf
What I have just noticed, is it the norm that '%20' has been added into the gaps of the words?
thank you for your time.

by lirv2151

when hovering over the hyperlink...it shows the full path which is correct. In both cases

by lirv2151

files aren't moved, the files gets sent to the accountant every quarter, that's all that happens with it.

by jqbecker

Therein lies the problem. If you have all the links in the path
C:\Data\file1,
C:\Data\file2, file3, etc.
then you put on a flash disk and send to accountant, when accountant gets the disk they will not open because now the files are on some other drive letter, like E: or F:, whatever. Accountant would have to move the files to the exactly same file path on their disk as it is on your disk.

by lirv2151

the file is emailed to the accountant. I just continue to work on the original.

This discussion is closed to new replies.