Excel includes several convenience features that are meant to make it easy for you to create and edit data within the cells of a spreadsheet. One of these features is the ability to turn file paths and Web page URL into hyperlinks whenever you type one.
While the ability for people reading your spreadsheet to simply click on one of these links can be helpful, you might actually prefer to enter those file and Web locations without automatically turning them into clickable links. Luckily this is a setting that you can change in Excel.
How to Stop Excel from Automatically Turning File and Web Addresses into Hyperlinks
The steps in this article were performed in the Excel for Office 365 version of the application, but will also work in other versions of the program. Note that you will still be able to manually create hyperlinks if this setting is disabled.
Step 1: Open a file in Excel.
Step 2: Click the File tab at the top-left of the window.
Step 3: Choose the Options button at the bottom-left of the window.
Step 4: Select the Proofing tab at the left side of Excel Options.
Step 5: Click the AutoCorrect Options button.
Step 6: Choose the AutoFormat as You Type tab.
Step 7: Click the box to the left of Internet and network paths with hyperlinks to remove the check mark, then click OK at the bottom of the window.
Step 8: Click the OK button at the bottom of the Excel Options window.
Note that this setting will remain for other new and existing files into which you type Web and file addresses in the future, but will not affect any existing hyperlinks.
If the button is grayed out on the Proofing tab, then you probably don’t have a file open. For some reason the AutoCorrect Options button is grayed out unless a file is open.
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