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In desktop Excel, go to File > Options > Proofing > AutoCorrect Options > AutoFormat As You Type and clear Internet and network paths with hyperlinks. Excel will then stop automatically turning typed URLs, network paths, and email addresses into hyperlinks. The setting is not available in Excel for the web.
Turn off automatic hyperlinks in desktop Excel
- Open File > Options.
- Select Proofing, then select AutoCorrect Options.
- Open the AutoFormat As You Type tab.
- Clear Internet and network paths with hyperlinks, then confirm the dialog.
The option controls automatic formatting of text you type; it does not remove links already in the workbook. Microsoft lists this feature for Excel for Microsoft 365, Excel 2024, Excel 2021, Excel 2019, and Excel 2016. See Microsoft’s Excel automatic-formatting instructions.
Excel for the web and Excel for Mac
Excel for the web
Microsoft says automatic hyperlink formatting is not available in Excel for the web. To change this setting, open the workbook in the desktop Excel app.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsExcel for Mac
The Microsoft support material confirms Excel for Mac is within the article’s applicability, but the displayed Mac steps for turning off automatic hyperlinks are specifically for Word. It does not establish an Excel for Mac menu path, so the Windows desktop path above should not be assumed to match Mac.
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Undo a link Excel just created
For a hyperlink Excel has just added, select the small AutoCorrect Options button that appears beside the edited text and choose Undo Hyperlink. Microsoft also documents Stop Automatically Creating Hyperlinks from that button as an option to stop automatic linking for the rest of the worksheet. See Microsoft’s instructions for removing or turning off hyperlinks.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Remove links that are already in the workbook
Turning off automatic hyperlink creation only affects future typing. To keep a cell’s text but remove its existing hyperlink, right-click the cell and choose Remove Hyperlink.
When the link comes from a formula
A cell using HYPERLINK is different from text Excel automatically converted. The function creates a link to a workbook location or a document or resource on a network, intranet, or the Internet. To keep the displayed result without the formula-generated link, copy the cell and paste using Values. This replaces the formula with its displayed result. See Microsoft’s HYPERLINK function documentation.
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