Stop Excel Active Hyperlinks

Problem:  Excel displays email and web URL addresses as hot hyperlinks.  Clicking the cell launches the browser or email client.  This article discusses how to stop this behavior.


Disable the Hyperlink Feature in Excel

Stop the original data entry from constructing a hyperlink
Steps (Excel 2013) and probably older versions


1.  From any Excel sheet, select File, Options

2.  Select left-nav [Proofing]
     In the Proofing menu, select button [AutoCorrect Options]

3.  In [Autoformat As You Type]
     [  ] Uncheck Internet and network paths with hyperlinks

4.  OK, OK, to close the File options menu

Results:  Newly-entered cells will not activate hyperlinks.  Cells that were previously formatted with hyperlinks remain hot.  This change takes effect on this sheet and all subsequent sheets, but does not affect previously-built sheets or cells that were previously formatted with hyperlinks.  See below.

I recommend this setting for all Excel users.



UnFormat Existing Hyperlink Cells

A.  Highlight the cells or columns.

B.  "other-mouse-click" (context menu click), chose "Remove Hyperlinks"



Manually Create Hyperlink, Overriding  the AutoCorrect Bypass from above

A.  In the normal, non-formatted cell, type the web or email address into the cell as normal text.
      Press ENTER to accept.
      e.g.  www.keylinercsharp.com

B.  Copy the text (copy the address)

C.  Re-highlight the cell. 
     With the context menu (other-mouse-click), choose "Hyperlink"
     Paste the copied address

Click for Larger View

Avoid Hyperlinks on Existing Formatted Cells

To avoid hyperlinks on an existing cell, but to leave the hyperlink active, click in the white area on the right-side of the text.  This allows you to select the cell, but not activate the link.  This annoying.

Similarly annoying:  Click and hold on the cell to select the cell without activating.



Opening an Address when a Hyperlink is not formatted

I do not know a direct way to do this.  Once the hyperlink format is removed, excel does not give a way to manually re-engage the link unless the cell is re-formatted.  Too bad a ctrl-click does not work.


Vaguely Related articles:
Stop Excel 2013, 2016 Cursor and Screen Animations
Keyliner - Excel User-Defined Functions