In Excel: open Data ▸ Queries & Connections ▸ Edit Links to list every linked workbook, then use Ctrl+F for [ across the whole workbook, looking in Formulas, to find the cells themselves.
On this page7
Data ▸ Queries & Connections ▸ Edit Links to see which files are linked and whether each link still resolves.
Ctrl+F ▸ Options ▸ Within: Workbook ▸ Look in: Formulas, search for [ and Find All to list the linked cells.
Formulas ▸ Name Manager, sort by Refers To, and look for names containing [.
Click each chart and read its series formula in the formula bar for a bracketed path.
Check Data Validation and Conditional Formatting rules for ranges pointing at another workbook.
To sever them: Edit Links ▸ Break Link — take a copy of the workbook first, because the formulas become values and cannot be restored.
What this does
An external link is a reference to another workbook, written with the file name in square brackets: ='C:\Budget\[2026.xlsx]Sheet1'!$B$4. Edit Links names every source file but does not show you where the references sit, and it is blind to three hiding places that produce the maddening "this workbook contains links" prompt with an apparently empty link list: defined NAMES (Formulas ▸ Name Manager, look for [ in the Refers To column), CHART series formulas, and data-validation or conditional-formatting rules that point at another file. Searching the workbook for the [ character with Look in: Formulas finds the cell references; the other three have to be checked in their own dialogs. Break Links replaces every external reference with its current value — permanently, and Undo will not bring the formulas back. Before you run it on a workbook other people depend on, try it on a copy or a few rows first. Undo only reaches back through the current session, so a quick trial run is the cheapest way to see exactly what will change before the file is saved and shared. Treat “excel find broken links” as a small repeatable workflow rather than a one-off click you hope to remember next time. Use a small test block before the live file, so any surprise in the affected cells shows up while it is still harmless. When this is a ribbon command, the selection matters more than the button: confirm the range, apply the command, then spot-check the output before saving. That turns a data step that keeps your analysis trustworthy into a method you can reuse, explain, and defend when the workbook leaves your screen.
A worked example
A report prompts to update links on every open. Data ▸ Edit Links lists Prices.xlsx, but Ctrl+F for [ in Formulas across the workbook finds nothing. Formulas ▸ Name Manager shows a name Cost_Base whose Refers To reads ='[Prices.xlsx]Rates'!$A$1 — deleting or repointing that name clears the prompt. Links to a file someone has since moved are one of the commonest reasons a workbook shows stale numbers, and finding them is the part Excel makes hardest. A practical tip: try it on a copy of the sheet or a handful of sample rows first and check the result before you apply it to the real data. That one habit catches almost every surprise while it is still cheap to reverse.
In Google Sheets
References to another workbook do not carry over: Excel's [Workbook.xlsx]Sheet1!B4 syntax is not valid in Google Sheets, where data from another spreadsheet is pulled in with IMPORTRANGE. References to another tab in the same file (Sheet2!B4) work in both. Keep this page bookmarked for the next time the same question comes up. Better still, repeat the steps once in your own workbook — doing it yourself is what turns a copied answer into something you remember. Treat “excel find broken links” as a routine rather than a one-off. Once you know which setting or command controls it, the same few steps handle every workbook where it comes up in Excel, and you can explain them to a colleague in a sentence.
Common mistakes
- Searching for the file name instead of [ — the stored path may differ from the name you remember.
- Leaving Look in: on Values, which finds results rather than the formulas containing the links.
- Breaking links without a backup, converting every external formula to a static value irreversibly.
- Assuming an empty Edit Links list means no links; names, charts and rules are not listed there.
- Moving the source workbook and expecting the link to follow it — the path is stored, so the link breaks.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find external links in Excel?
Data ▸ Edit Links lists the source files; Ctrl+F for [ with Look in: Formulas across the workbook finds the cells that use them.
Why does Excel say there are links when Edit Links is empty?
The reference is in a defined name, a chart series formula, or a data-validation or conditional-formatting rule. Check Name Manager first — it is the usual culprit.
How do I remove external links?
Data ▸ Edit Links ▸ Break Link converts them to values. Save a copy first; the change cannot be undone.
What does the square bracket in a formula mean?
It wraps the source file name in an external reference, as in ='[Budget.xlsx]Sheet1'!$A$1. Inside a Table, square brackets mean something different — a structured reference to a column.