Fix Excel file will not break links

Some Excel users put reference links in their spreadsheets to connect them. Then, a value in one Excel file will be linked to a value in another file.

Most of the time, users can get rid of these reference links by using the Break Link option in the Edit Links dialog.

But the Edit Links dialog doesn’t always let users break all links in a spreadsheet.

Try one of the solutions below if you can’t break all reference links in an Excel file.

Unprotect the Excel worksheet

Open your protected MS Excel file.

Go to the Review tab and select Unprotect Sheet.

If the sheet protection has a password, you’ll need to enter it in the window that pops up.

Click OK.

Go to the Data tab and select Edit Links.

Choose the links from the list and then click the Break Link button.

Delete named cell ranges

Open your MS Excel file.

Click on the Formulas tab and select Name Manager.

Select a cell range and press the Delete button to remove it.

Click OK when to confirm.

Click the Close button when done.

Clear all data validation rules from the sheet

Click the Select All button at the top left of a worksheet.

Go to the Data tab and select Data Validation.

Choose Data Validation.

Press OK when a dialog box opens that asks to clear all.

Repeat the steps for other sheet tabs in the spreadsheet.