Why is the hyperlink not working in Excel

A hyperlink is an amazing tool that allows you to link information in a spreadsheet to another file or data on the Internet. The user can insert them both in the document itself and in a specific area of ​​the diagram. The procedure for adding a link is very simple, but some users have problems when they try to follow them. And often they arise suddenly: before, everything was done the first time, but now it gives an error. Why does this happen? And how to fix this situation? Let’s look into this in more detail.

What is the problem?

Up to a certain point, everything is fine: the user wants to open the link, and the document or web page that he needs is shown in front of him. But after a while with the same actions, the following message appears.

And this error is repeated in all office applications, not just Excel!

Well, if there really is a system administrator who is asked to contact. But what if you are the one and you don’t know how to solve this problem?

Why hyperlinks don’t work in Excel

This problem is due to the fact that the spreadsheet program cannot find the browser that is installed as preinstalled. Very often this happens when a person used Google Chrome, and then deleted it for one reason or another. This browser does not clean the registry well during the removal process, so old entries remain there.

A default program is an application that opens automatically when a user opens a certain type of file or performs a specific action. In our case, this data type is a web page. When a user clicks on a link, it must open through a program called a browser. And if it is deleted, then the corresponding changes associated with the deletion are not always made to the registry.

How to make hyperlinks open in excel

So, what can be done in order to solve the problem with opening hyperlinks in Excel? The first thing to do is close absolutely all office applications that are currently open on your computer. After that, you need to follow the following instructions. It works for Windows 7, but the principle is the same for any other version of Windows.

1. Press the “Start” button.
2. Open the browser that will be used by default to open hyperlinks. We will show how this works using Internet Explorer as an example. The sequence of actions to be performed in other browsers will be different. But the principle itself does not change.
3. So, after we open Internet Explorer, we need to go to the settings menu (gear), and then click on the “Internet Options” item.
4. After that, a dialog box with Internet Explorer options will appear. We need to go to the “Programs” tab. There will be an option called “Default Web Browser”. We need to click on the “Set as default” button. 
5. We confirm our actions. To do this, click on the “OK” button.

You can follow these steps for a different browser.

For example, you accidentally deleted another browser that left traces in the registry. Let’s say you have installed Google Chrome. In this case, the sequence of actions will be as follows:

1. Click on the three dots in the upper right corner. After that, go to the “Settings” menu.
2. After we go there, there will be a “Default Browser” section. There you need to make Google Chrome the default browser.

It is also possible to independently solve this problem. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Click on the “Start” menu and open notepad (under “All Programs”). 
2. Next, you need to paste the following text into notepad (these are commands for adding the corresponding registry keys).

REG ADD HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareClasses.htm /ve /d htmlfile /F

REG ADD HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareClasses.html /ve /d htmlfile /F

REG ADD HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareClasses.shtml /ve /d htmlfile /F

REG ADD HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareClasses.xht /ve /d htmlfile /F

REG ADD HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareClasses.xhtml /ve /d htmlfile /F

1. Next, this file must be saved under the name MSO_Hyperlinks.CMD. After that, the notepad can be closed.  
2. It is an executable file, so it can be run just like any program. Since it involves adding important system entries, it must be run with administrator rights. To do this, right-click on this file and click on the “Run with administrator rights” button. Next, a message will appear in which you need to write down the administrator password, if any.
3. After that, click on the “Continue” button.
4. A warning dialog will then appear asking if you are confirming the changes to the registry. Confirm (click on “Yes”).

The registry has now been changed. Now the problem with following hyperlinks should be solved. If you have Windows 10, then the sequence of actions in general will be similar. But there is another way how you can change the default program settings in order to fix the problem with opening a link through a browser.

The easiest way to open the Windows 10 default programs settings is to press the Win + I key combination. You can also open the Default Apps option in Apps Options. 

We are interested in the “Web Browser” item. Click on the application that is installed by default. After that, we select the one that we need to use as a standard web page viewer.

Now the problem should be solved. As you can see, there is nothing difficult in solving this situation. If the link does not open, then it is always associated with that application. which does not open it. As a last resort, you can always copy the problematic link and paste it into the browser that you get. If the computer is owned by a company, and there is no access to the system administrator settings at the moment, and the problem needs to be resolved urgently, then there is no other option. Good luck.