![](data:image/svg+xml, %3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' height='64' class='font-weight-bold' style='font: 600 30.11764705882353px "SegoeUI", Arial' width='64'%3E%3Ccircle fill='hsl(128, 8%, 22%)' cx='32' cy='32' r='32' /%3E%3Ctext x='50%25' y='55%25' dominant-baseline='middle' text-anchor='middle' fill='%23FFF' %3EA%3C/text%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | For home | Windows
A family of Microsoft spreadsheet software with tools for analyzing, charting, and communicating data.
Hi Michelle,
Sorry for the inconvenience the problem caused for you.
Based on your description, you have already tried changing source, breaking links and search function, however they still couldn’t remove all unknown links. Here are some suggestions for your reference.
- It may be due to defined names that exist in workbook. You can see if you have defined names by clicking the "Name Manager" on the Formulas ribbon. Delete any names here that have errors or that are linking to external sources (make sure you correct any of the formulas using these names first, of course).
- If you have data validation rules in your workbook, it’s possible that they relate to other workbooks. Unless you know exactly which cells have such rules you unfortunately have to search them.
a. Select the cells having data validation rules referring to other workbooks.
b. Go to the Data ribbon.
c. Next, click on Data Validation.
d. The most common is the type List. If the source refers to other workbooks you should remove the path and link them to a place within your workbook. Alternatively remove the data validation rule completely by setting the “Allowed” type to “Any Value”.
- Conditional Formatting rules can relate to other workbook as well. Especially when copying worksheets to other workbooks such links can be created. Finding them must be done for each worksheet separately:
a. Click on Conditional Formatting in the center of the Home ribbon.
b. Click on Manage Rules.
c. In the drop down list on the top of the newly opened window select ‘This Sheet’. Now all the conditional formatting rules of the current worksheet will be shown.
d. The easiest way is deleting the rules referring to other workbooks. Otherwise you have to change them manually and link them to your current workbook.
- If the data source of Pivot Tables is in another workbook you can break this link too. Remove the Pivot functionality and copy and paste the complete Pivot Table as values.
If you still have problems about it, please post back and I’ll keep on with it.
Regards,
Jazlyn