SharePoint Document Issues

Fix SharePoint Exported Excel Hyperlinks Opening the Wrong Page

Guest Writer Oct 10, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user needs to fix hyperlinks that redirect incorrectly or fail to load after exporting a SharePoint list to an Excel spreadsheet.

Fix SharePoint Exported Excel Hyperlinks Opening the Wrong Page

Product: Microsoft Excel, SharePoint
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Exporting a SharePoint list containing document or folder links to an Excel spreadsheet for offline viewing or data management.
Observed behavior: Hyperlinks work correctly in the SharePoint web interface but fail in Excel, either showing a 'can't reach this page' error or redirecting to the top-level SharePoint folder instead of the specific file.

Before you start

Ensure you have the necessary 'Edit' or 'Full Control' permissions in the SharePoint list to modify column settings, and verify that you have active network access to reach the SharePoint site from your desktop Excel application.

Solution 1Recommended

Verify and Change the SharePoint Column Type

Ensure the column containing the URLs is specifically formatted as a 'Hyperlink or Picture' type, which ensures Excel parses the links correctly during export.

When exporting lists to Excel, standard text columns or calculated columns containing URLs often lose their proper hyperlink encoding. Excel may fail to read the exact path, defaulting to the root directory.

Navigate to the SharePoint List

Open your web browser and navigate to the SharePoint list containing the problematic hyperlinks.

Check Current Column Settings

Click the gear icon in the top right corner and select 'List settings', or click the dropdown arrow directly on the column header and choose 'Column settings' > 'Edit'.

Update to Hyperlink Type

Verify the column type. If it is set to 'Calculated (calculation based on other columns)' or 'Single line of text', you must create a new column and set its type specifically to 'Hyperlink or Picture'.

Re-enter the URLs

Populate the new Hyperlink column with the exact absolute URLs of your files and save the list changes.

Export to Excel

Click 'Export' on the top command bar, select 'Export to Excel', and open the downloaded file to test the newly configured links.

Verify and Change the SharePoint Column Type

Calculated Columns Limitation: Calculated columns that use HTML formulas to generate clickable links in the browser view are known to break or export as plain text in Excel.

Solution 2

Use Absolute URLs Instead of Relative Links

Replace any relative file paths in your SharePoint list with full absolute URLs to ensure Excel knows exactly where to direct your browser.

Free Microsoft Office alternative

Open and Edit Exported Data Seamlessly with WPS Office

While SharePoint export issues originate from Microsoft's column configurations, once your data is properly structured, you can rely on WPS Office to view, edit, and manage your spreadsheets efficiently. WPS Office offers a high-performance alternative for handling complex exported data tables.

1. Download WPS Office: Visit the official WPS website, download the free installation package, and install it on your computer.
2. Open the Exported List: Locate the '.xlsx' or '.iqy' file exported from your SharePoint site, right-click it, and select 'Open with WPS Spreadsheet'.
3. Manage Links and Data: Click your properly configured hyperlinks directly within WPS Spreadsheet to seamlessly open your cloud files, and easily edit your offline data.

Highly compatible with Microsoft Excel (.xlsx, .xls) and SharePoint export filesLightweight architecture ensures fast loading of large exported data listsFree to use with a familiar, easy-to-navigate tabbed user interfaceBuilt-in robust hyperlink handling ensures precise web navigation

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do my SharePoint links open the root folder in Excel instead of the file?

This typically happens when the hyperlink in the SharePoint list is a relative path or is generated using a calculated column. Excel loses the contextual site URL during the export, forcing it to default to the top-level SharePoint directory.

Can I use a calculated column to generate hyperlinks for Excel export?

While calculated columns work well for generating dynamic links within the SharePoint web view, they often break or fail to parse correctly when exported to Excel. It is highly recommended to use the dedicated 'Hyperlink or Picture' column type to ensure export compatibility.

How do I fix the 'Hmmm… can’t reach this page' error for exported Excel links?

This error means Excel is trying to reach an invalid or incomplete web address. Ensure the URLs in your SharePoint list are absolute (starting with https://), verify the list column is set to 'Hyperlink', and check that your current device has active network access to the SharePoint domain.

Document & File Issues