Microsoft Excel Advanced

Microsoft Office Excel 2010 Advanced 46

When this add-in is enabled, currency commands will appear on the Formulas tab:

These tools can be used to convert various European currencies to Euros or other European
currencies. Take the following worksheet as an example.

© 2005-2011 Velsoft Training Materials, Inc.

Microsoft Office Excel 2010 Advanced 47

Here we have a column of values that represent Austrian Schillings. To convert this column of
Schillings to Euros, simply select the range of values, and then choose Formulas → Euro
Conversion:

© 2005-2011 Velsoft Training Materials, Inc.

Microsoft Office Excel 2010 Advanced 48

At this point, a Euro Conversion dialog box will appear. In the dialog, you must specify the range
of source data (A2:A13 in this case) and the destination range for the conversion (B2:B13).
Next, you can use the drop lists provided to specify the source currency (Schillings) and the
destination currency (Euros).

Once everything is ready, click OK in the dialog to convert the currency. Here is the result:

© 2005-2011 Velsoft Training Materials, Inc.

Microsoft Office Excel 2010 Advanced 49

You can also format cells so that Excel recognizes the cell values as Euro currency, much the
same as if you formatted the cells as standard ($) currency. To do this, start by selecting a range
of cell values.

Next, choose Formulas → Euro Formatting.

Here is the result:

Just as with standard currency formatting, if you change the value in the cell, the Euro currency
formatting still remains with the cell.

As you can see, this add-in isn’t really for data analysis, but it is worth mentioning these tools in
this overview as they can be useful if you work with European currencies.

© 2005-2011 Velsoft Training Materials, Inc.

Microsoft Office Excel 2010 Advanced 50

The final Excel add-in is Solver:

When the Solver is enabled, it can be accessed by a button on the Data tab:

Solver is a fairly advanced tool for examining complicated what-if scenarios. Essentially, it is
used to minimize or maximize systems of equations based on a set of constraints. We won’t get
into too much detail about it here because we will explore it in depth at the end of this lesson.

Using a One or Two Input Data Table

You can use Excel data tables to test how your formula results will vary when the data that the
formula operates on changes. You do this by specifying a series of hypothetical values that Excel
will use to evaluate the formulas with. This allows you to then view the results of the
evaluations and compare the results for the different data inputs. Data tables save you the
trouble of entering a series of input values into a worksheet and recording each recalculation of
the worksheet for each new input that you enter. When you use a data table, Excel will
substitute a range of values into the worksheet formulas for you, and tabulate the results so
they can be viewed easily.

In Excel, you can create a single input data table or a two input data table. A single input table
will substitute a range of values as a single variable in as many formulas as you like. With a two
input data table, you can specify ranges for two input variables, but these input variables can
only be applied to one formula.

© 2005-2011 Velsoft Training Materials, Inc.

Microsoft Office Excel 2010 Advanced 51

The following example involves a hypothetical consulting firm. Our first goal is to examine the
effect of the number of clients on the total profit, expenses, and income.

Currently, the firm has 10 clients. The values for Wages, Total Costs, Total Expenses, and Profit
are all calculated by formulas dependent on the number of clients the firm can retain. For
example, you might like to see what the profit formula and other formulas in the worksheet
would produce for a varying number of clients. To manage this, we can use a single input data
table.

© 2005-2011 Velsoft Training Materials, Inc.

Microsoft Office Excel 2010 Advanced 52

Keep in mind that there are some strict rules you should follow when building your data table
to help ensure that it works correctly. First, list the input values that you want to try in a row or
column of adjacent cells. For this example, we’ll use a column of input values. The column will
be named Hypothetical Clients and will hold different values for our variable (the number of
clients).

In the row just above your input data (row 4 in this example), enter the cell references to the
formulas that you want to evaluate. Make sure you enter the references starting one cell to the
right of the column of input values. In this case, we want references to cells C5, C13, and C15
placed in the row just above our input values (row 4), and starting one cell over to the right
from the input column (in column F).
The resulting worksheet looks like the following:

© 2005-2011 Velsoft Training Materials, Inc.

Microsoft Office Excel 2010 Advanced 53

The input variables are in the cell range E5:E19. Cell F4 contains the reference =C5, cell G4
contains the reference =C13, and cell H4 contains the reference =C15. These references point
to the Total Income, Total Expenses, and Profit formulas respectively.

It is a good idea to label your new columns appropriately, so you can clearly understand the
data table results. In the preceding example, the new columns are labeled Total Income, Total
Expenses, and Total Profit. Now, let’s have a closer look at the structure.

Notice that the formula references (in cells F4:H4) are in a row just above, and one cell to the
right of the first input variable (in E5). The data table is now ready. The input variables are listed
in the “Hypothetical Clients” column and the formula references are one row above and one
cell to the right with respect to the first input value. Also, all of the elements in the data table
are clearly identified.

The next step is to select the full range of cells from the data table formed by the input
variables and the formula references. In this example, the range is E4:H19:

© 2005-2011 Velsoft Training Materials, Inc.

Microsoft Office Excel 2010 Advanced 54

After you have the correct cells selected, choose Data → What-If Analysis → Data Table:

This action will display the Data Table dialog box:

At this point in the process, it is important to remember the reasoning behind our choice of
input variables: we want to see our formula results over a range of different values for the
number of clients. It is now time to tell Excel that we will be using the number of clients as the
variable for the data table.
Looking back to the section of the worksheet that contains the formulas and original data, we
see that the number of clients is stored in cell C3.

© 2005-2011 Velsoft Training Materials, Inc.

Microsoft Office Excel 2010 Advanced 55

The next step is to enter this cell reference into the Data Table dialog. Because the values that
we are substituting for the number of clients are arranged in a column, the cell reference C3
(the original location of the number of clients) should be entered into the “Column input cell”
box in the dialog.

Then, click OK in the dialog to see your values:

You can now see at a glance how the 15 different values in the Hypothetical Clients column
influence the results for total income, total expenses, and total profit.

© 2005-2011 Velsoft Training Materials, Inc.

Microsoft Office Excel 2010 Advanced 56

If you change the values in the Hypothetical Clients column, the data table will automatically
recalculate in accordance with the new values. You can also apply formatting styles, borders,
shading, and other enhancements to the data table in the same way that you could any other
area of your worksheet:

Now, what if you want to consider the effects of two input variables on a single formula? For
example, what would be the effect of both the number of clients and the fee per client on
profit? To find out, you can use a two input data table.

© 2005-2011 Velsoft Training Materials, Inc.

Microsoft Office Excel 2010 Advanced 57

To start, choose an empty cell, and then enter a reference to the formula you want to examine.
Using the same consulting firm example as before, we will choose cell E2 and enter the
reference =C15 to refer to the cell containing the profit formula:

The next step is to create two variable ranges. One range will be a column starting in the cell
immediately beneath the cell that contains the formula reference. The other range will be a
row starting on the immediate right of the cell that contains the formula reference. This means
that the formula reference cell (E2) will be at the upper left corner of the two input data table.
For the column of input variables, we will again use the number of clients. For the row of input
variables, we will use the fee per client. (The formula for the Profit values is indirectly
dependent on both of these variables.)

© 2005-2011 Velsoft Training Materials, Inc.

Microsoft Office Excel 2010 Advanced 58

After entering some hypothetical values for the number of clients in cells E3:E15 and some
different client fee values in cells F2:J2, we will end up with a worksheet that looks something
like the following:

(In the preceding picture, shading and labels have been added to the data table for organization
and clarity.)

© 2005-2011 Velsoft Training Materials, Inc.

Microsoft Office Excel 2010 Advanced 59

Once the table is set up, the next step is to select the range of cells covered by the new data
table and invoke the Data Table dialog (Data → What-If Analysis → Data Table):

© 2005-2011 Velsoft Training Materials, Inc.

Microsoft Office Excel 2010 Advanced 60

This time, we have two input variables into the Data Table dialog; one corresponding to the row
of client fees, and one corresponding to the Number of Clients column:

After the correct cell references are entered, it is simply a matter of clicking OK in the dialog
box to complete the table. This time, the formula referenced in E2 will be evaluated once for
every combination of Clients and Client Fees that exists in the table:

Now the data table contains speculative profit values based on a varying number of clients and
varying fees per client.

© 2005-2011 Velsoft Training Materials, Inc.

Microsoft Office Excel 2010 Advanced 61

Using Goal Seek

Goal Seek is another useful what-if analysis tool built into Excel. With Goal Seek, Excel can help
you find a value for a specified cell that makes a given worksheet formula equal to a value that
you define. In other words, you can set a formula to a value (goal) that you would like to attain,
and then specify one of the cells that the formula references as a cell that Excel should adjust in
order to reach the goal.

Take the following small worksheet as an example.

In the formula bar, you can see that the formula for total profit is the Total Income (B4) minus
the total cost (B7). It should be noted that cells B4 and B7 themselves contain formulas. The
formula in cell B4 is =B2*B3 (units sold multiplied by price per unit). The formula in cell B7 is
=(B5*B2)+B6 (materials per unit multiplied by units sold) plus the labor to make the units. The
following image shows the worksheet with some sample data.

Clearly, at current production levels the company is losing money. How would you figure out
how many units to manufacture to break even or make a profit? One solution is to use goal
seek to find a breakeven point based on changes to a cell that is referenced (directly or
indirectly) by the profit formula (in cell B8).

© 2005-2011 Velsoft Training Materials, Inc.

Microsoft Office Excel 2010 Advanced 62

To begin, select cell B8 (the cell with the profit formula) and then invoke the Goal Seek dialog
by choosing Data → What-If Analysis → Goal Seek:

When the dialog box appears, B8 is already entered in the “Set cell” box because that is the cell
that you selected just prior to invoking Goal Seek:

In the “To value” box enter 0, since a profit of 0 is the breakeven point). In the “By changing
cell” field enter B2 (the number of units required).

© 2005-2011 Velsoft Training Materials, Inc.

Microsoft Office Excel 2010 Advanced 63

When everything is set up, the Goal Seek dialog looks like the following:

When you click OK, Goal Seek will find a value for cell B2 (units sold) that will make the profit
formula (B8) equal to 0 (breakeven).

The Goal Seek Status dialog reports that a solution has been found, and you can see the value
300 in cell B2. This means that if all other variables remain unchanged, you must sell 300 units
to break even. At this point, you can click Cancel to restore the original worksheet values, or
click OK to enter the goal seek solution values into the worksheet.
You can just as easily use goal seek to find the price per unit, materials per unit, or labor that
would make the worksheet break even. You could also set a specific level of profit for your goal
by entering a value of your choice in the “To value” field of the Goal Seek dialog.

© 2005-2011 Velsoft Training Materials, Inc.

Microsoft Office Excel 2010 Advanced 64

The following example image shows how goal seek evaluates the price per unit required to
make 1000 dollars in profit with 150 units sold.

© 2005-2011 Velsoft Training Materials, Inc.

Microsoft Office Excel 2010 Advanced 65

Lesson 1.4: Using Solver

Sometimes, when dealing with more complex problems, tools like data tables or Goal Seek
cannot provide the kind of forecast or data analysis you are looking for. In this type of situation,
Solver might be able to help.

Solver is a data analysis tool that is designed to optimize systems of equations (formulas) that
are subject to specific constraints. Solver can be used to find optimal solutions for linear
programming problems involving multiple equations and multiple unknowns. For example, an
optimal solution might be one that maximizes profit, or it could be one that minimizes costs.
Basically, the optimal solution will depend on the context of the situation (the constraints and
formulas) and what you are looking for (the objective).

If you are trying to solve a complex problem, Solver will require certain information to work
correctly. You will have to designate one or more formulas that reference the unknowns you
want to solve for, and you will have to define constraints that model the given situation. Really,
the best way to get an idea of how Solver works is to see it used in an example. Let’s get
started!

Understanding Solver

First, since Solver is an Excel add-in, you should make sure that it is enabled. To do this click the
Data tab. If Solver is enabled, you will see it on the Data tab:

(If you need more information on how to enable Solver, refer to the “Enabling Data Analysis
Tools” concept at the beginning of this lesson.)

© 2005-2011 Velsoft Training Materials, Inc.

Microsoft Office Excel 2010 Advanced 66

In order to use Solver, you must set up the worksheet correctly. This requires a solid
understanding of the problem you are trying to solve. The following example involves a
business that assembles and sells furniture. The business sells two types of tables: one made
from maple and another made from mahogany. The maple table is of lower quality than the
other table, but the price is reasonable. The mahogany table is of higher quality and is made
from more expensive wood, and so it has a higher price.

From the worksheet, you can see that it takes three hours of rough carpentry to assemble the
maple table and four hours of rough carpentry to assemble the mahogany table. Once the table
is assembled, it takes one hour of finish work for the maple table and two hours of finish work
for the mahogany table.
The goal is to find out how many of each type of table we should make to maximize our weekly
total revenue and what the maximum total revenue would be. To complicate matters, the
business employs one part time finish carpenter who is only available for 30 hours of finish
work per week, and two rough carpenters that are available for a combined 80 hours of rough
carpentry a week. Also, the lumber yard that supplies the business with mahogany can only
supply enough for 10 tables a week.
This means that the total finish work hours used must be less than or equal to 30 hours for the
week, and the total rough work must be less than or equal to 80 hours. Furthermore, the
number of mahogany tables we can make in a week must be less than or equal to 10. These
constitute the constraints of the problem.

© 2005-2011 Velsoft Training Materials, Inc.

Microsoft Office Excel 2010 Advanced 67

The following worksheet is the same as the previous one, except that the cell formulas are now
visible. Examine the cell references in the formulas carefully.

Cells B4 and C4 hold the number of rough carpentry and finish work hours required to build a
maple (less expensive) table. Similarly, cells B5 and C5 contain the number of rough work and
finish work hours required to assemble a mahogany table. The revenues from the maple tables
can be calculated by multiplying the number of tables assembled by the sale price. This is what
the formula in F4 does. The revenues from the mahogany tables are calculated by a similar
formula in cell F5.

Notice that in both cases, the revenue formulas depend on the number of tables assembled
(cells D4 and D5). Because of this, the total revenue formula (F6) is indirectly dependent on D4
and D5.

The formula we want to optimize (also known as the objective formula) represents the total
revenue (F6). The cells we will change to maximize the total revenue formula represent the
quantities of each type of table assembled (D4 for maple and D5 for mahogany).

The constraints for this problem are shown in the lower right area. It is not absolutely necessary
to label the constraints as they are shown here, but clearly identifying them on the worksheet
helps when entering the constraints in Solver. We have specified that:

 The rough work hours are to be less than or equal to 80
 The finish work hours are to be less than or equal to 30
 The number of mahogany tables that can be assembled is less than or equal to 10
 The number of each type of table assembled has to be greater than or equal to 0

This last constraint may seem obvious and silly, but it is important to include it so the Solver
knows that using negative values in the changing cells is not an option when optimizing the
objective formula.

The formulas that calculate the total finish-work hours and rough-work hours used are in cells
G4 and H4 respectively. You should notice that these formulas are also dependent on the
number of each type of table assembled.

© 2005-2011 Velsoft Training Materials, Inc.

Microsoft Office Excel 2010 Advanced 68

To summarize, in order to use Solver you must have a formula to optimize (called the objective
formula) and you must have cells that can be changed to optimize the objective. The cells to be
changed should be precedents to the objective formula; that is, the calculation of the objective
formula should depend on results in the cells to be changed. If constraints are involved, the
formulas to be subjected to the constraints should also be dependent on the changing cells.

In the preceding worksheet, you can see that cells G4 and H4 contain formulas that will be
subject to the constraints. Cell F6 contains the objective formula and cells D4 and D5 are the
changing cells (the numbers of each type of table that will be made). You should notice that the
formulas in cells G4, H4, and F6, are all dependent on the changing cells (either directly or
indirectly).

Note: It is assumed throughout that there is enough demand to ensure that every table that is
made will be sold.

To use Solver, click Data → Solver:

© 2005-2011 Velsoft Training Materials, Inc.

Microsoft Office Excel 2010 Advanced 69

This will invoke the Solver Parameters dialog:

Place your cursor in the “Set Objective” text box and click on the worksheet cell that contains
your objective formula (cell F6 from the preceding worksheet).
Since we want to find the maximum total revenue, select the “Max” radio button in the dialog.
To enter the changing cells, place your cursor in the text area under the “By Changing Variable
Cells” heading, and select the appropriate cells from the worksheet. For the problem shown
here, the changing cells are D4 and D5.

© 2005-2011 Velsoft Training Materials, Inc.

Microsoft Office Excel 2010 Advanced 70

At this stage, the Solver dialog should look like this:

The next step is to add the constraints by clicking the Add button to the right of the large white
Constraints area. This will display the Add Constraint box:

To add the first constraint, place the cursor in the Cell Reference box and select the cell with
the formula you want to constrain. In this particular example, cell G4 is selected, which contains
the formula for calculating the total finish work used. Next, click in the Constraint box and click
the cell that contains the appropriate constraint value. Here, we chose cell H10, which contains
the value 30. Next, use the drop down list in the center to specify the type of relationship
required between the two cells. In this case, the constraint reads G4 <= H10; that is, total finish
work hours should be less than or equal to 30.

© 2005-2011 Velsoft Training Materials, Inc.

Microsoft Office Excel 2010 Advanced 71

Click OK to enter the constraint and close the Add Constraint dialog. The Solver Parameters
dialog now looks like this:

Next, we will follow the same process to enter the cell references for the rest of the constraints:
 Total rough work hours less than or equal to 80: (H4 <= H9)
 Number of mahogany tables less than or equal to 10: (D5 <= H11)
 Number of mahogany tables greater or equal to 0: (D5 >= H12)
 Number of maple tables greater or equal to 0: (D4 >= H12)

© 2005-2011 Velsoft Training Materials, Inc.

Microsoft Office Excel 2010 Advanced 72

Here is the resulting Solver Parameters dialog:

Here is the original worksheet with formulas shown:

Examine the worksheet carefully so that you understand the relationships between the
objective, the changing cells, and the constraints as specified in the Solver Parameters dialog.
To implement the Solver, click the Solve button at the bottom of the dialog.

© 2005-2011 Velsoft Training Materials, Inc.

Microsoft Office Excel 2010 Advanced 73

You will now see the Solver Results box:

If the Solver Results dialog reports that a solution has been found, the values that maximize the
total profit (the solution) will now be visible in the changing cells in the worksheet (D4 and D5).
Moreover, the value of the maximum profit will now be visible in the target cell (F6). The “Keep
Solver Solution” radio button will be selected by default. If you click OK, the new (optimum)
values will remain in the worksheet.
If you select the “Restore Original Values” radio button and click OK, the solutions that the
Solver found will not be entered into the worksheet and the original values will be retained.
The following image shows the worksheet after the Solver solution has been implemented. If 10
maple tables and 10 mahogany tables are assembled, the total revenue will be maximized at
17500.

© 2005-2011 Velsoft Training Materials, Inc.

Microsoft Office Excel 2010 Advanced 74

Generating Reports and Scenarios with Solver

In the Solver Results dialog, you also have the option to save the results as a scenario that you
can name and reload into the worksheet at a later date. (Refer to Lesson 1.2 for more
information on scenarios.) To do this, click the Save Scenario button in the Solver Results dialog.

You can also select one or more report types from the list at the right of the Solver Results
dialog. Just click on a report type to select it and Excel will generate it for you. These formatted
reports will be generated on separate worksheets.

Now let’s look at a Limits report based on the Solver solution. (It is generated on a separate
worksheet if you select Limits from the report list in the Solver Results dialog before you click
OK.) Here is what the report looks like for this case:

Changing Solver Values
Next, let’s look at a Solver solution if some of the factors in the situation were to change.

Here we changed the price for the maple tables from 550 dollars to 750 dollars. Since we have
not yet closed Excel or used Solver on another set of data and constraints, when we invoke the

© 2005-2011 Velsoft Training Materials, Inc.

Microsoft Office Excel 2010 Advanced 75

Solver Parameters dialog, it will be populated with the same cell references and constraints as
before.

When we run the Solver with the new price for a maple table entered into the worksheet, the
Solver finds a new solution to maximize profits.

This time, we should assemble 20 maple tables and 5 mahogany tables, for a total revenue of
21000 dollars.

© 2005-2011 Velsoft Training Materials, Inc.

Microsoft Office Excel 2010 Advanced 76

Managing Solver Constraints

Let’s have a look at a few more details about using Solver. In the Solver Parameters dialog, you
will see a series of buttons next to the Constraints area:

Here is what each command does.
 If you want to add a new constraint, click Add.
 If you want to change a constraint, select it and click Change.
 If you want to delete a constraint, select it and click Delete.
 Reset All will clear all of the constraints, variables, and options in the Solver Parameters
dialog

Choosing a Solving Method
You will also notice an option to select a solving method in the Solver Parameters dialog.

To choose a method, simply select it from the drop list. The default choice is “GRG Nonlinear.”
To understand these solving method options, you have to know a little something about
formulas. Let’s start with one of the formulas in our furniture company example:
C4*D4+C5*D5. This formula is using just basic multiplication and addition so it is a linear
formula. In other words, if you graphed this formula it would basically look like a straight line.
A formula like this: 3*(POWER(H11,3))+3 is not a linear formula. This is because we have a value
(H11) that is being raised to an exponent of 3. In other words, if you graphed this formula it
would look like a curve.

© 2005-2011 Velsoft Training Materials, Inc.

Microsoft Office Excel 2010 Advanced 77

If you use Solver with non-linear formulas (for example, formulas with exponents), use the
“GRG Nonlinear” solving method.

If you use Solver with linear formulas, we recommend that you use the “Simplex LP” solving
method.

Using Solver as a Goal Seek Tool

Finally, you can also use Solver as a kind of advanced goal-seek tool. As an example, have a look
at the following worksheet with formulas displayed.

Suppose you want to adjust the number of units sold, the price per unit, and the labor costs so
that we generate a profit of $1000. How would you do this?

One way to solve this problem is by using the Solver as a goal seek tool. To begin, you just
display the Solver Parameters dialog in the usual way (Data → Solver):

In the Solver Parameters dialog, we can simply choose cell B9 (total profit) as the objective, and
then click to select the “Value of” radio button rather than Max or Min. The next step is to set

© 2005-2011 Velsoft Training Materials, Inc.

Microsoft Office Excel 2010 Advanced 78

the value we are after; we will enter 2000 into the text box to the right of the “Value of” radio
button.

The final step is to enter the cells that we want to change to reach our objective. In this
example the cells are B2 (units sold), B4 (price per unit), and B7 (labor costs). We can enter
these cells into the “By Changing Variable Cells” text box by typing the references directly or
clicking in the worksheet to select the cells.

Once everything is ready, it is only a matter of clicking the Solve button in the dialog to find a
solution.

When Excel finds a solution, the Solver Results dialog will appear and the solution values will be
visible in the worksheet. As before, you can choose to keep the solution values, save them as a
scenario, or restore the original values.

© 2005-2011 Velsoft Training Materials, Inc.

Microsoft Office Excel 2010 Advanced 79

Lesson 1.5: Excel and Hyperlinks

Sometimes it can be useful to create links in your worksheets that users can follow with just a
click.

This worksheet contains three hyperlinks: one to another sheet in the same workbook, one to
an e-mail address, and one to a web page. In this lesson, you will learn what hyperlinks are and
how to insert them into a worksheet. You will also learn how to modify hyperlinks in a
worksheet and how to browse hyperlinks in Excel.

What is a Hyperlink?

A hyperlink is an object that links to another location in the same file, or to another file
altogether. Word processing documents, workbooks, and web pages are all types of files that
can contain hyperlinks. When you click on a hyperlink, the associated file or location will open.

The files connected by hyperlinks do not have to be in the same directory, or even on the same
computer. In fact, you can have a hyperlink in one file that links to a file thousands of miles
away. The World Wide Web makes extensive use of hyperlinks to link web pages together. This
is, in fact, where most computer users first become familiar with hyperlinks.

Quite often, hyperlinks come in the form of an underlined word or phrase in a bright blue font.
This does not have to be the case, though, as hyperlinks can be a word, a phrase, a symbol, or
even a picture! When you click on a hyperlink, an associated URL is used to locate and retrieve
the object or file that the hyperlink points to. In the case of the World Wide Web, hyperlinks
are used to link and unify web pages that are located on different servers all over the world.
You can create a hyperlink in an Excel workbook that links to an object located in the same
directory or on the same computer as the workbook. You can also create a hyperlink that points

© 2005-2011 Velsoft Training Materials, Inc.

Microsoft Office Excel 2010 Advanced 80

to a web page, to a file on a remote server, to a location in the same workbook, or to a specific
e-mail recipient.

Inserting Hyperlinks

There are times when you might want to insert a link in your Excel worksheet that takes you to
another location in the same workbook, or perhaps to another Excel workbook located on the
same computer. You might also want to insert a link to a Word document or to a web page that
contains helpful information. Fortunately, in Excel 2010 it is fairly easy to insert hyperlinks into
your worksheets.

To start, right-click on the cell that will contain the link, and then click Hyperlink:

Another way to display the dialog is to first select the cell that will contain your hyperlink, and
then choose Insert → Hyperlink:

© 2005-2011 Velsoft Training Materials, Inc.

Microsoft Office Excel 2010 Advanced 81

Either action will open the Insert Hyperlink dialog:

Take note of the four buttons running down the left side of the dialog box under the “Link to:”
heading. You can use these buttons to create a link to an “Existing File or Web Page,” a “Place in
This Document,” “Create New Document,” or to an “E-mail Address.”
At the top of the dialog, you can see a box named “Text to Display.” The text entered here will
appear as a blue underlined hyperlink in the cell that you originally selected. This is what the
user will see and click on.
If you choose the Existing File or Web Page button, you will see a drop list labeled “Look in” just
below the “Text to display” field. You can use this list to browse through the various folders on
your computer to find the file that you want to create a link to.

© 2005-2011 Velsoft Training Materials, Inc.

Microsoft Office Excel 2010 Advanced 82

When you select a folder or drive from the drop list, a list of available files or folders
corresponding to the selection will appear in the large center area of the dialog box.

You will also notice three buttons just to the left of the navigation area: Current Folder,
Browsed Pages, and Recent Files.

If you click Current Folder, the drives, files, or subfolders of the current item displayed in the
drop list will be displayed. In the preceding image, you can see that “Computer” is entered in
the drop box, and the drives on “Computer” are displayed. You can use these navigation tools
to navigate and select pretty much any file on your system.

© 2005-2011 Velsoft Training Materials, Inc.

Microsoft Office Excel 2010 Advanced 83

If you click the “Browsed Pages” button, a list of web pages that you recently visited will be
displayed, like this:

If you click an item in the list to select it, information for the selected item (a URL) will be
entered in the “Address” field and in the “Text to display” field (the text that forms the actual
hyperlink).

© 2005-2011 Velsoft Training Materials, Inc.

Microsoft Office Excel 2010 Advanced 84

If you click on the Recent Files button, you will see a list of recently accessed files.

If you make a selection from an item on one of these lists, the location information (URL or
directory path) for the item will be entered in the Address field at the bottom of the dialog box
(much like the preceding example for “Browsed Pages”).

You can also take the old fashioned route and type a URL for a web page or remote file, or the
path to a local file, directly into the “Address” field. In any case, the file or object referred to in
the Address field will be the target of the hyperlink.

© 2005-2011 Velsoft Training Materials, Inc.

Microsoft Office Excel 2010 Advanced 85

You can also click the ScreenTip button in the upper right of the dialog box to add a brief
comment that will appear when the mouse pointer hovers over the hyperlink.

Here is an example of a screen tip in action:

You can also the use the Bookmark button to link to a very specific location (like a cell range)
inside another Excel workbook. First, select the Excel file from the list in the large center area,
and then click the Bookmark button.

© 2005-2011 Velsoft Training Materials, Inc.

Microsoft Office Excel 2010 Advanced 86

You will then see the Select Place in Document dialog:

At this point you can click to select the specific worksheet that you want to link to and type in a
specific cell reference.
When you have finished making the necessary entries in the dialog box, click OK to return to
the Insert Hyperlink dialog. For whatever type of hyperlink you specify, once you have chosen
the correct settings, click OK to create your link.

© 2005-2011 Velsoft Training Materials, Inc.

Microsoft Office Excel 2010 Advanced 87

Editing Hyperlinks

To change the displayed text of an existing hyperlink, you can select the cell that contains the
link, and then edit the link text in the formula bar:

You can also right-click the hyperlink and click Edit Hyperlink:

This action will display the Edit Hyperlink dialog, which is almost identical to the Insert
Hyperlink dialog.

© 2005-2011 Velsoft Training Materials, Inc.

Microsoft Office Excel 2010 Advanced 88

You can now change the target for the hyperlink, the ScreenTip, or the text to display. You can
also remove the hyperlink from the worksheet by clicking Remove Link. Once you are ready to
commit to your modifications, click OK.

Formatting Hyperlinks

Hyperlinks will generally appear in bright blue before they have been clicked and purple after
they have been clicked. You can change the font color and size for an individual hyperlink by
right-clicking it and choosing Format Cells:

© 2005-2011 Velsoft Training Materials, Inc.

Microsoft Office Excel 2010 Advanced 89

This will display the Format Cells dialog box, which you can use to modify the font
characteristics, border, shading, and alignment of the link.

The method just described will allow you to format individual hyperlinks; but what about
modifying the default color and font size for all hyperlinks?

© 2005-2011 Velsoft Training Materials, Inc.

Microsoft Office Excel 2010 Advanced 90

To start, click the Cell styles button in the Style group on the Home tab. From the options that
appear, find the Hyperlink style, right-click it, and choose Modify:

© 2005-2011 Velsoft Training Materials, Inc.

Microsoft Office Excel 2010 Advanced 91

The Style dialog will then open:

Make sure that the word Hyperlink is visible in the “Style name” text box at the top of the
dialog. You should also see a check mark next to the word “Font” in the column of checkboxes
on the left. This means that the style for hyperlinks currently includes only font settings.
Next, click the Format button in the upper right of the dialog to open the Format Cells dialog.

© 2005-2011 Velsoft Training Materials, Inc.

Microsoft Office Excel 2010 Advanced 92

Here, you can make changes to the appearance of all hyperlinks:

When you are finished modifying the hyperlink style, click OK in the Format Cells dialog.

© 2005-2011 Velsoft Training Materials, Inc.

Microsoft Office Excel 2010 Advanced 93

You will now see the Style dialog again, with checkmarks corresponding to the style changes
you made in the Format Cells dialog. If you are finished, click OK in the Style dialog to
implement the changes.

Now every new hyperlink you create, along with the existing ones, will have this new style by
default.

© 2005-2011 Velsoft Training Materials, Inc.

Microsoft Office Excel 2010 Advanced 94

Using Hyperlinks in Excel

To follow a hyperlink in Excel 2010, let your mouse pointer hover over it until a pointing hand
appears. When you see the hand, left click the mouse and the target for the link will be opened
with a program that is suited to do so. For example, if you click a link to a Word document, the
document will open in Microsoft Word. If you click a link to an Access database, the database
will open with Microsoft Access. If you click a link to a web page, the page will open with your
default Internet browser.

The following worksheet contains two hyperlinks.

The first link is to a Word document and the second is to an Access database. The two linked
documents are in separate folders saved on the same computer as the workbook that contains
the links. If you click the first link (the Word document) the target document will open in
Microsoft Word. Depending on your security settings, you might see a dialog like this:

© 2005-2011 Velsoft Training Materials, Inc.

Microsoft Office Excel 2010 Advanced 95

This warning is reminding you that hyperlinks linking to unknown files can be a potential source
of trouble, since a hyperlink could link to a file that contains malicious data. If you trust the
source of the workbook or the linked file, click Yes. Then, the destination file will open:

You can see that the first link (in cell B1) is now purple, meaning that it has been followed. You
should also notice that the linked document has opened in Microsoft Word.

© 2005-2011 Velsoft Training Materials, Inc.