Fix SharePoint Excel Hyperlinks Changing to Relative Paths After Download
Question details
Users downloading Excel workbooks from SharePoint find that absolute website URLs in hyperlinks are converted into broken relative file paths.
- Product
- Microsoft Excel
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Downloading an Excel workbook from SharePoint and opening it on a local device.
- Observed behavior
- The website portion of the hyperlink is stripped away, leaving only a relative file path that breaks the hyperlink's functionality.
Ensure you have the Microsoft Excel desktop application installed on your device, as the required link calculation settings cannot be accessed or modified within Excel for the web.
Disable 'Update Links to Other Documents' in Excel Desktop
Stop Excel from automatically converting your absolute SharePoint links to relative local paths by adjusting the workbook calculation settings.
By default, Excel may try to update links to external documents when calculating the workbook. Disabling this feature forces Excel to maintain the original absolute web URLs for your hyperlinks when the file is downloaded and opened locally.
Download your problematic Excel file from SharePoint and open it using the installed Microsoft Excel desktop application.
Click on the 'File' tab located in the top-left corner of the Excel ribbon, then select 'Options' at the bottom of the left navigation pane.
In the Excel Options dialog box that appears, click on 'Advanced' in the left-hand menu.
Scroll down the menu until you find the section titled 'When calculating this workbook'. Uncheck the box labeled 'Update links to other documents'.
Click 'OK' to apply your changes. Save the workbook, close it, and reopen it to test the file and ensure the hyperlinks retain their absolute SharePoint paths.
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- 1. Download WPS Office: Visit the official WPS website and download the free desktop application for your operating system.
- 2. Install and Launch: Follow the straightforward installation prompts and open WPS Spreadsheet.
- 3. Open Your Workbook: Open your downloaded SharePoint Excel files directly in WPS Spreadsheet to experience stable formatting and intact hyperlinks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do SharePoint hyperlinks change to relative paths when downloaded?
When an Excel workbook is calculated, it attempts to update links to external documents based on its current location. If the file is downloaded locally, Excel may automatically interpret the absolute SharePoint URLs as relative local file paths, inadvertently breaking them.
Can I fix hyperlink path issues using Excel for the web?
No. The specific 'Update links to other documents' setting required to fix this issue is only available in the Microsoft Excel desktop application. You must download the file and open it locally to change this preference.
How do I completely stop hyperlinks from updating on save in Excel?
In the Excel desktop app, go to File > Options > Advanced. Scroll down to the 'General' section and click 'Web Options'. Switch to the 'Files' tab, uncheck 'Update links on save', and click OK to apply the changes.
