Remove hidden hyperlinks in Excel 2003

1. From the Menu bar click on Help.
2. From the drop list click on Microsoft Excel Help.
3. In the Search for: box type delete hyperlinks then click the green go arrow.
4. At the bottom of the search panel click the drop list arrow and select Offline Help.

1. In the Search Results list click on Remove a hyperlink.
2. In the Remove a hyperlink topic pane click on Delete a hyperlink and the text or graphic that represents it.
3. Follow the directions.

Regards,
GEWB

GEWB said:

1. From the Menu bar click on Help.
2. From the drop list click on Microsoft Excel Help.
3. In the Search for: box type delete hyperlinks then click the green go arrow.
4. At the bottom of the search panel click the drop list arrow and select Offline Help.

1. In the Search Results list click on Remove a hyperlink.
2. In the Remove a hyperlink topic pane click on Delete a hyperlink and the text or graphic that represents it.
3. Follow the directions.

Regards,
GEWB

I found the relevant help topic. However, I tried it, and it does not work. I can go through the steps, but the invisible link, and invisible graphics, remain. I also tried the other instructions under the general Remove a hyperlink topic (including a weird one which entails typing 1 in a separate cell, then using Special Paste and Multiply), and they do not work either.

MoxieMomma said:

Hi:

I cannot answer your question directly, as I am on Excel 2010 and Excel 2016 (Excel 2003 is long ago dead).

However, a quick Google search turned up a few possibilities.
They are offered "as is" - I have not verified either the safety of the links or the accuracy/safety of the suggestions"

Code:

https://www.ablebits.com/office-addins-blog/2013/09/20/remove-hyperlinks-from-excel/
https://www.techonthenet.com/excel/macros/delete_hl.php
https://www.techonthenet.com/excel/hyperlinks/delete.php
http://excel.tips.net/T001925_Uncovering_and_Removing_Links.html
http://www.techrepublic.com/forums/discussions/how-can-i-erase-hyperlinks-in-excel-2000-2003/

HTH,

MM

Thanks, I will try that (the Tech on the Net links are the ones I tried, and the method does not work, including the macro).

More info : normally, when you want to change or delete a hyperlink in Excel, you click on the cell and stay there without releasing the mouse for sometime. This prevents the link from opening. You can then right-click on the cell and do what you please with the link. Which works fine on my own links, in the same sheet, outside of the polluted columns. However, the phantom leftover links cannot be prevented from opening this way. However long I keep the mouse button depressed on them, the little devils activate when I release it.

Ranger4 said:

Clairvaux. Is there anything in this Youtube video that could help you.

Removing Hyperlinks in Excel 2003 - YouTube

Ha ! Now that works, up to a point. It removes all phantom links and graphics in the contaminated columns, however it also removes (obviously) the legitimate links I have created in an adjacent column.

So I slightly modified the method, by selecting all the worksheet to be copied except the contaminated columns (through use of the Ctrl key), then ordinary Copy in a new worksheet inserted in the workbook. The result is a contiguous worksheet without the offending columns, and the phantom links and graphics are gone. No need to Special Copy.

It seems that Copy/Paste/Delete operations within the same worksheet can't get rid of the phantom links, but copying-pasting to another worksheet leaves the unwanted baggage behind.

Another (minor) disadvantage of the method in the vid is it did not copy some formatting inside of cells (colour fonts applied to some words only within text cells). This is a spreadsheet without formulas, so I was not able to observe related problems.

Thanks to all. :)

Quoting myself, this :

Clairvaux said:

I've tried the following :

• Creating a new sheet and copying only the adjacent data, without the contaminated columns. [...]

Nothing works.

Seems to contradict my last, successful experiment. Now I'm not sure exactly how I did this in the first place, but it's possible I selected an area of cells, then pasted it in a new worksheet (and failed), as opposed to selecting whole columns to copy, pasting them (and succeeding).