Hyperlink does not work when pasted or imported

When you paste or import text that looks like a hyperlink into a cell, the hyperlink does not actually work but remains as a text entry. If you type the same text into a cell by using the keyboard, Microsoft Excel interprets the entry as an active hyperlink.

Microsoft Excel does not interpret these text values as hyperlinks unless they are typed from the keyboard.

To convert cells that contain valid hyperlink text in Excel to active hyperlinks, use one of the following methods.

Method 1: Edit the Hyperlink by Using the Keyboard

1. Select a cell that contains a hyperlink that appears as text.
2. Press F2 and then press ENTER.
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 for each cell, as needed.

Method 2: Use a Macro

Microsoft provides programming examples for illustration only, without warranty either expressed or implied. This includes, but is not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. This article assumes that you are familiar with the programming language that is being demonstrated and with the tools that are used to create and to debug procedures. Microsoft support engineers can help explain the functionality of a particular procedure, but they will not modify these examples to provide added functionality or construct procedures to meet your specific requirements.

For additional information about how to use the sample code in this article, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

To see an example of this problem, follow these steps:

1. Open Notepad and type the following text:
   http://support.microsoft.com
   http://support.microsoft.com/search/
2. Copy the text to the clipboard, and open or switch to Excel.
3. Paste the text into Excel. Notice that the hyperlinks appear valid but are not active. When you click them, nothing happens.
4. Use one of the methods in this article to convert the text to valid hyperlinks. Now when you click one of the links, the page opens in your browser.