Hyperlink Function in Excel 2019 for MAC No Longer Working

Question

Same thread around Excel 2011: Related Topic

¿Any update from MIcrosoft to solve this issue?

A worksheet developed in Excel 2011 (for Mac) contains a series of Excel hyperlink functions that build strings referring to image files (.JPG) residing in the same directory of the worksheet.  When using Excel 2011, clicking one of the hyperlinks yields the following dialog:

Clicking OK opens the image file in Preview as expected.

Opening the same worksheet in Excel 2019 for MAC v16.29 and clicking on one of the hyperlinks yields the following dialog:

Regardless of whether I refer to the file with the fully qualified path or simply the file name results in the same error.  Also, I've tried to move the file(s) to different locations (not in Dropbox) with the same results.

Interestingly, if I instead create a Hyperlink (not the Hyperlink function) to one of the image files, clicking that link results in the following permissions dialog:

Clicking Select... presents a file open dialog allowing me to "Grant Access" to the file:

Clicking Grant Access opens the file with Preview as expected.  It would seem by implication that the Hyperlink Function issue is relate to Permissions, however I cannot find anything to substantiate this, nor can I find any place to specify permissions to a directory.

Shall I go throughout all the hundreds links and Grant Access permissions one by one?

Answer 1

Maybe I found a workaround (not found by me :)  source)

I just go to an empty cell, control-click and select HYPERLINK. Click select to navigate to the file I want to link to since it won't let me just select a folder. Then I delete the file name (and any subfolders, if necessary) in the path until the path is only to the parent folder that contains my files. (I've found you can go far back on this if you need to, if files are stored in folders all over the place.) Then click OK and it will insert the hyperlink to that folder in the cell. Click the link, and a Grant File Access window pops up, click Select... navigate back to your parent folder and click Grant Access. Then the security window pops up, click yes and the folder opens. Now all the links I insert via the path name in that folder work.

This has worked for me on a few different spreadsheets with files in different drives and it is the best solution I could find so far, through trial and error. Hope it helps someone!

PROBLEM: you have to do this each time you open the file :(

Answer 2

Hi Enrico Colabrese,

Really appreciate for your efforts!

We marked your reply as answer and hoping this will help other community members who may encounter the same problem.

Best Regards,

Hugo

Answer 3

I am having the same problem.  Any help to offer?  Thank you.

Answer 4

The best soluciton is to use some pre-defined folders that are permission-free:

http://www.rondebruin.nl/mac/mac034.htm

.. and maybe use some APP to synchronize the folder with the cloud. é.g. sync folder