Function Problems

How to Link an Excel Cell to Another Sheet and Highlight Rows

Camila Milosovich Oct 7, 2026 868 views

Question details

The user wants to create a hyperlink from a specific cell to another worksheet in Excel and automatically highlight the destination rows upon clicking.

How to Link an Excel Cell to Another Sheet and Highlight Rows

Product: Microsoft Excel
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Navigating between different worksheets while immediately drawing attention to specific rows of data.
Observed behavior: Standard Excel hyperlinks successfully navigate to a specific cell but do not automatically highlight the related rows unless VBA or complex conditional formatting is utilized.

Before you start

Ensure that your destination worksheet exists within the same workbook. If you decide to use VBA for automatic row highlighting, you must save your file as an Excel Macro-Enabled Workbook (.xlsm).

Solution 1Recommended

Use Standard Hyperlink and Manual Highlighting

The easiest way to link between sheets is using Excel's built-in Hyperlink feature, followed by manually highlighting the target row after navigation.

By default, Excel does not include a feature to highlight rows automatically when following a hyperlink. This manual method ensures your file remains macro-free and easy to share.

Select the source cell

Right-click the cell containing the sentence or text you want to turn into a link.

Insert the hyperlink

Click on 'Hyperlink' (or 'Link') from the context menu. You can also press Ctrl + K.

Configure the destination

In the dialogue box, select 'Place in This Document' on the left panel, choose your target worksheet, and specify the cell reference.

Navigate and highlight

Click OK. Test the newly created link to jump to the target sheet, then manually select the row and use the Fill Color tool in the Home tab to highlight it.

Use Standard Hyperlink and Manual Highlighting

Tip: If you need to highlight the entire row quickly after clicking the link, press Shift + Spacebar to select the row.

Solution 2

Automate Row Highlighting Using VBA

If you need the target row to be highlighted automatically upon clicking the link, you can implement a simple VBA macro.

Streamlined Spreadsheet Management

Create Links and Format Data Seamlessly with WPS Office

WPS Spreadsheet provides powerful hyperlinking capabilities and supports advanced formatting, making it simple to link data across multiple worksheets and highlight crucial rows without complicated procedures.

1. Select your cell: Open your spreadsheet in WPS Office and right-click the cell you want to turn into a link.
2. Insert Hyperlink: Choose 'Hyperlink' from the drop-down menu or simply press the Ctrl + K shortcut.
3. Set the target location: Click 'Place in this document', choose your desired target sheet and cell reference, then click 'OK'.
4. Format the destination: Click the link to navigate automatically, then use the Fill Color tool in the Home tab to quickly highlight the target row.

Seamless compatibility with Microsoft Excel (.xlsx and .xlsm formats)Intuitive interface for quickly creating hyperlinks across worksheetsAdvanced conditional formatting for dynamic data highlightingLightweight, fast, and completely free to use

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I link to a specific range of cells instead of a single cell?

Yes. In the Hyperlink dialog box, under the 'Type the cell reference' field, you can enter a cell range (such as A1:E10) instead of a single cell like A1. When clicked, Excel will highlight that exact range.

Why is my Excel hyperlink not working?

A hyperlink will break if the destination worksheet has been renamed, moved to an external workbook, or deleted. You can fix it by right-clicking the broken link, selecting 'Edit Hyperlink', and updating the destination path.

Can conditional formatting highlight a row without VBA?

Yes, but not directly through a hyperlink click. A common workaround involves setting up a helper cell with a drop-down menu to select a value, and applying a conditional formatting formula like '=$A2=$Z$1' to highlight matching rows.

Excel & Data Problems