How to Link Cell to Another Sheet in Excel (7 Methods)

We have sales data for December’21 for three different cities: New York, Boston, and Los Angeles. They are in separate sheets, but all follow the same format. We want to link each city’s Total Sale amount to another sheet.

Dataset-Link Cell to Another Sheet


Method 1 – Using the Insert Link Option to Link a Cell to Another Sheet

Steps:

  • Identify the cell that you want to insert the link to. The cell is F13 of the New York sheet. You’ll need to repeat the steps for each cell you want to link.

Insert Link-Link Cell to Another Sheet

  • Go to another sheet where you want to insert the link to the cell.
  • Select the cell (i.e., C5) where you want to insert the link.
  • Go to the Insert tab and select Insert Link (from the Link section).

Insert tab

  • The Insert Hyperlink window opens.
  • Select Place in the Document (under Link to options).
  • Put F13 (in the Type the cell reference option)
  • Select ‘New York’ under Or select a place in this document.
  • You’ll see ‘New York’!F13 as Text to display.
  • Click OK.

Insert Hyperlink window

  • Clicking OK inserts the link to the cell.

Inserting link

  • Repeat for every cell you need to link.

Inserting all links

  • To check the link, click on it.

Cross checking

  • The first cell correctly links to the F13 cell in the New York sheet.

Destined cell-Link Cell to Another Sheet

  • The Context Menu option can also be used to bring out the Insert Hyperlink window. You can also use Ctrl + K.

context menu-Link Cell to Another Sheet

Read More: How to Link Excel Data Across Multiple Sheets


Method 2 – Using a Cell Reference to Link a Cell to Another Sheet in Excel

Steps:

  • Type the Equal Sign (=) in the formula bar in the cell you want.

Cell reference-Link Cell to Another Sheet

  • Go to the respective sheet (i.e., New York) you want to reference a cell from, then select the Total Sale sum amount cell (i.e., F13) as reference.

Selecting destined cell

  • Hit Enter.

Inserting link

Repeat for other cells and sheets.

Inserting all cell links-Cell reference 1-Link Cell to Another Sheet

Read More: How to Link Data in Excel from One Sheet to Another


Method 3 – Utilizing the Copy Paste Feature to Link a Cell to Another Sheet in Excel

Steps:

  • Select the cell you want to link from.
  • Right-click on the cell (i.e., F13).
  • Select Copy (from the options).

Copy and paste-Link Cell to Another Sheet

  • Go to the sheet (i.e., Copy and Paste) where you want to link the cell.
  • Right-click on the destination cell (i.e., C5) in that sheet.
  • The Context Menu appears.
  • Select Paste Special.
  • Select Paste Link (from Other Paste Options).

Paste special

  • The Total Sale value appears in the cell as shown in the following image.

Inserting link

  • Repeat the process for other cells and links.

Inserting all links

Read More: How to Reference Cell in Another Excel Sheet Based on Cell Value


Method 4 – Using the Name Box to Link a Cell to Another Sheet

Step 1:

  • Assign a name (i.e., NY_Total_Sale) for New York to cell F13 using the Name Box. Repeat for other cells you need to link.

Name Box-Link Cell to Another Sheet

  • Go to the Formulas tab and select Name Manager (from the Defined Names section) to check your names.

Name Manager

  • The Name Manager window pops up and you can find all the assigned names in the workbook.

Name Manager window

  • Go to any worksheet and type =NY… to insert the sum value from the New York sheet.
  • You’ll see assigned names as selectable options. Select the option you need.

Inserting link

  • The sum of the Total Sale (for New York) value appears in the cell.

Value appears

  • Repeat the process for other cells.

All values


Method 5 – Using the HYPERLINK Function

The syntax of the HYPERLINK function is

HYPERLINK (link_location, [friendly_name])

link_location; path to the cell you want to jump.

[friendly_name]; display text in the cell where we insert the hyperlink [Optional].

Steps:

  • We entered the sheet names in the cells in column B (B5:B7).
  • Paste the following formula the destination cell (i.e., C5):
=HYPERLINK("#'"&B5&"'!F13",B5)

 “#'”&B5&”‘!F13″= link_location

B5=[friendly_name]

Hyperlink function-Link Cell to Another Sheet

  • Press Enter and drag the Fill Handle down to make the other hyperlinks appear in cells C6 and C7.

Applying hyperlink formula

  • Click on a hyperlink to check if it works.

Cross checking the link

  • Excel will point you to the cell you needed.

Destined cell-Link Cell to Another Sheet


Method 6 – Applying the INDIRECT Function

The syntax of the INDIRECT function is

INDIRECT (ref_text, [a1])

ref_text; reference in the form of text.

[a1]; a boolean indication for A1 or R1C1 style reference [Optional]. The default option represents TRUE=A1 style.

Steps:

  • Use the following formula in the result cell (i.e., C5).
=INDIRECT("'"&B5&"'!F13")

The cell reference for the sum of Total Sale is in F13 for all three sheets, and B5 represents the sheet name from where the data will be fetched.

Indirect function-Link Cell to Another Sheet

Applying Fill Handle

Read More: How to Link Sheets in Excel with a Formula


Method 7 – Using the Drag and Drop Method

Steps:

  • Place the cursor at the edge of a cell’s (i.e., F13) border and wait until the entire selection icon appears.

drag and drop-Link Cell to Another Sheet

  • Right-click on the mouse so the Excel shows the cell number under the cursor.

Right click and drag

  • Holding the right-click, press Alt and drag the cursor to the destination sheet (where you want to insert the link). After moving closer to the destination sheet, Excel selects it.

Pressing ALT to shift between sheets

  • Place the cursor where you want the link (i.e., C5 in the Drag and Drop Sheet).
  • Release the right-click, and a Context Menu appears.
  • Select the Create Hyperlink Here option.

Creating hyperlink

  • This will insert the cell’s link in the Drag and Drop sheet’s C5 cell.

Inserting link

  • Repeat the process to insert the links of all required cells in the sheet.

Inserting all links-Link Cell to Another Sheet


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Maruf Islam
Maruf Islam

MARUF ISLAM is an excellent marine engineer who loves working with Excel and diving into VBA programming. For him, programming is like a superhero tool that saves time when dealing with data, files, and the internet. His skills go beyond the basics, including ABACUS, AutoCAD, Rhinoceros, Maxsurf, and Hydromax. He got his B.Sc in Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering from BUET, and now he's switched gears, working as a content developer. In this role, he creates techy content... Read Full Bio

4 Comments
  1. This is for the same document.
    I need to link to another Workbook. And I know how to do the link.
    Only they stop working properly after the initial click.

    Please help

    • Hello Monika Salinas,

      It seems like you’re facing a common issue with links to external workbooks in Excel.
      If your links stop working after the first click, it might be due to the linked workbook being closed or moved.
      Make sure the file path remains valid and the linked workbook is open when you access it.
      Additionally, check if there are any settings in Excel that might restrict external links.

      Regards
      ExcelDemy

      • Will sorting work after linking?

        • Avatar photo
          Shamima Sultana Nov 17, 2024 at 1:01 PM

          Hello Wally,

          Sorting can work after linking, but it depends on how the data is linked. If you’re linking to an external workbook and sorting the linked data in your current workbook, the formulas or references should still function correctly as long as the external workbook remains accessible.

          However, be cautious—sorting the linked data within the current workbook might alter references if you’re using formulas like INDEX or VLOOKUP based on a specific order. To avoid issues, it’s a good idea to ensure the linked workbook is open and double-check the formulas after sorting.

          Let me know if you need further assistance!

          Best Regards,
          ExcelDemy

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