Excel: Can not edit Links to Files

Question

We had a folder named "2018 Registries" and someone changed the name because "it has stuff from 2019 in there too".

An Excel workbook links to another workbook for data. The link is now incorrect because the folders name changed. When I try to edit the link it will not update.

Steps"

1. File is open. Click File. Click Edit Links to Files

2)  I highlight the source, click Change Source

3. I navigate to the new source. Click OK. Nothing changes. Source path will not update.

Break Link also does nothing and I see no way to change Update from Automatic to Manual.

I am not the creator of the file. Permissions tab shows I have Full Access.

This file is in a shared folder on Onedrive for Business/Sharepoint. I am doing these tasks in the Excel app, not online. The online version simply says linking to external file is not supported which kinda makes OneDrive for Business pointless....but that's another discussion.

(Links to Files  NOT Hyperlinks. If one more person tells me how to fix Hyperlinks......  ;o)

Answer 1

Hi Robert Lewis (rlewis),

Thanks for posting in our forum.

Based on your descriptions, I first possible way you link to file via the steps below:

Insert > Text > Object > Create from File > click Browse > choose a file > tick the “Link to file” option > click OK.

Based on your screenshot, the “type” is showing “Remote File”, and the location is a URL starting with https://, we also test by our side with a workbook stored in OneDrive for Business. This is how we do that:

1.Insert > Text > Object > create from file > click Browse 2.Copy the OneDrive Online folder URL to the address box. For example: https://contoso-my.sharepoint.com/personal/testuser_contoso_com/Documents/

Then click the → button beside the address box. Then the browser window will browser to the online site location. We will be able to see the content under that location in the window.

3.Select the related file under the online location > click insert

4.Go back to the “Object” window and tick the “Link to file” option, then click ok.

5.Then go to File > Info > Edit Links to Files

6.See our result, the type is “Excel. Sheet. XX”, it is not “remote file” like yours. And all the button is active, we can also break links or change source without issue.

The second possible way how you link the file, we also test with the steps below:

1.Select a cell > right click > link > existing File or Web Page

2.If we add link in this way, when we go to File > Info > Edit Links to Files, the Manual button will be greyed out, but the break links still works.

Please help us confirm the reproduce steps you do. And we would also like to collect the information below:

1.Please go to File > Account > produce information to provide us a screenshot about that. To protect your privacy, please also mask your mail address.

2.To check whether the issue only happens to this specific workbook, please use the same way to link a new created workbook to the related files and see whether you can reproduce the same issue.

3.What kind of the URL you use for linking the file?

Regards,

Waqas Muhammad

Answer 2

Hi Robert Lewis (rlewis),

Feel free to post back if you need further assistance.

Best Regards,

Waqas Muhammad