In Excel: select the cell and press Ctrl+K (Insert ▸ Link) — or build one with a formula: =HYPERLINK("#Summary!A1","Go to Summary").
Click the cell that should carry the link.
Press Ctrl+K, or Insert ▸ Links ▸ Link.
Pick the target type: Existing File or Web Page, Place in This Document, Create New Document, or E-mail Address.
Set Text to display so the cell reads as a label rather than a raw URL.
For a computed target, skip the dialog and use =HYPERLINK(target, friendly_name) instead.
To remove one link right-click ▸ Remove Hyperlink; for a whole range use Home ▸ Editing ▸ Clear ▸ Remove Hyperlinks.
What this does
Excel has two kinds of link. A static hyperlink, added with Ctrl+K, is attached to the cell and survives being copied; the dialog's four tabs point it at a web address, a place in this document, a new document or an email address. The HYPERLINK function builds the link from a formula instead, so the target can be computed — which is what you need when the destination comes from a column of IDs. To remove links, right-click ▸ Remove Hyperlink, or select the range and use Home ▸ Clear ▸ Remove Hyperlinks for a whole block at once. Most people learn this as a sequence of clicks and forget it by next week; learning it as a pattern instead is what lets you apply it to the next, slightly different version of the problem without starting from scratch. That is the difference this page is trying to make. For “delete hyperlink in excel”, the reliable version is a short checking loop, not just the first command that appears to work. Run it on a deliberately small range first, watch how the affected hyperlink change, and only then apply the same setup to the full sheet. When a formula is involved, keep the inputs labelled beside it, reference cells instead of typing values, and apply number formatting only after the result checks out. That is what makes a data step that keeps your analysis trustworthy useful in real work: repeatable, auditable, and not dependent on memory or luck.
A worked example
Static: select A1, Ctrl+K, choose Place in This Document, pick the Summary sheet and cell A1, set the display text to "Go to Summary", OK. Computed: with a ticket ID in A2, =HYPERLINK("https://tracker.example.com/"&A2, A2) makes every row link to its own ticket, and filling it down updates each target. To stop Excel auto-linking typed addresses, use File ▸ Options ▸ Proofing ▸ AutoCorrect Options ▸ AutoFormat As You Type ▸ untick "Internet and network paths with hyperlinks". Links turn a multi-sheet workbook into something navigable — a contents page, a jump back to the summary, a row that opens the record it describes — and the formula version scales that to every row without manual work. A practical tip before you scale it up: build it once on a small block of test data, confirm the number against the tool on this page, and only then point it at your real sheet. That one habit catches almost every mistake while it is still cheap to fix, long before a wrong figure reaches a report or a colleague.
In Google Sheets
Google Sheets handles this almost identically to Excel. The formula syntax above is the same, and the menu lives under a slightly different label rather than a ribbon tab. Use the platform toggle at the top of the page to switch every keyboard shortcut between Windows and Mac, and expect at most cosmetic differences in naming. Keep this page bookmarked for the next time the same question comes up. Better still, rebuild the example once in your own sheet — doing it yourself, with the tool above to check against, is what turns a copied formula into a technique you own. If you take one thing from this page on “delete hyperlink in excel”, make it the habit rather than the keystrokes: set the problem up with labelled inputs, reference those cells, and let Excel do the recomputing. Bookmark the page for the syntax, but do the example once in a blank sheet and check it against the tool above — five minutes of hands-on practice fixes the method in memory far better than re-reading, and it surfaces the small snags while they are still harmless. After that the technique is genuinely yours: faster than searching for it again, and reliable enough to drop into work that other people depend on.
Common mistakes
- Linking to a file by its local path and sending the workbook to someone who cannot reach that drive.
- Forgetting the # in the
HYPERLINKtarget when jumping within the same workbook — "#Summary!A1", not "Summary!A1". - Deleting the visible text and assuming the link went with it; the hyperlink is attached to the cell, not the text.
- Renaming a sheet after linking to it — a static Place-in-This-Document link updates, but a
HYPERLINKformula holding the old name as text does not. - Clicking a cell to select it and triggering the link instead; click and hold, or use the arrow keys.
Frequently asked questions
How do I insert a hyperlink in Excel?
Select the cell and press Ctrl+K, or use Insert ▸ Link. Choose the target type, set the text to display, and click OK.
How do I link to another sheet in the same workbook?
Ctrl+K ▸ Place in This Document ▸ pick the sheet and type the cell reference. As a formula it is =HYPERLINK("#Sheet2!A1","Go"), and the # is required.
How do I remove all hyperlinks at once?
Select the range, then Home ▸ Editing ▸ Clear ▸ Remove Hyperlinks. Right-click ▸ Remove Hyperlink does one cell at a time.
How do I stop Excel turning typed addresses into links?
File ▸ Options ▸ Proofing ▸ AutoCorrect Options ▸ AutoFormat As You Type, and untick "Internet and network paths with hyperlinks".