How to break an external link that won't break

Anonymous

I have studied all the Excel help available and followed the advice, but I have encountered an external link in an Excel 2010 workbook that simply will not break. No matter how many times I select "Break Link," this zombie is always there. I have tried deleting range names that came from the source file, to no avail. I "break the link" in the destination file, save, close the file, reopen it -- and the link is still there. I have tried adjusting the options every which way, no luck.

How do I absolutely, positively, completely and forever, send this link to Davy Jones's locker?

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Anonymous

Dear Long_John_Silver

I had a similar issue and in addition to Raju S Das' recommendation, I have also checked the data validations for various fields; this is where I found some zombie links that were not required anymore.

Maybe you can find some in your file too and remove them:

Select the cells where you expect the zombie data validation (I could narrow it down to one section on a specific worksheet)
In the Data Tools section of the Data ribbon, select Data Validation from the Data Validation dropdown
Check if there is any list validation with a reference to a linked file location.

Hope this helps.

Best regards,

Roger

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69 additional answers

Anonymous

2017-07-14T06:17:02+00:00

What data validation dropdown provides anyone the ability to look for pointers to remote files?

The only thing I have in the data validation dropdown is 3 options - 1. Data Validation, 2. Circle Invalid Data and 3. Removed circled invalid data. I am struggling to se how the instruction can be applied to fix this problem with Excel 2013? I can see the remote file it has references to in the Break links dialog box but I ask why will Break Link option does not work in any version of Excel as designed?

This has been a problem for years and years and Microsoft will simply not fix. Well why not?
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Anonymous

2017-07-12T14:33:18+00:00

I failed at the first stage, I have no named ranges in the workbook (other than print areas) nothing in the data validation. I have even tried changing the source to the current spreadsheet but that doesn't work either?
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Anonymous

2017-07-09T08:46:54+00:00

Hi all - I tried these options (except the software download) but I still had links. The links were to a column that I had actually deleted so I didn't even need the links. So I highlighted the whole sheet & changed data validation to 'any value' & got the message that this would change the ones that had been set. Then once I uploaded to onedrive & downloaded again the dreaded Edit Links has been greyed out.
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Anonymous

2017-05-13T19:52:19+00:00
Dear Roger & Long_John_Silver,

Alas neither worked for me, but you did point me in the right direction.
1. Remove all data validation - thanks John
2. Name manager / delete names - thanks Long John Silver
[but not all my names would delete! so I still had zombie links]
1. You now need to replicate the 'problem' sheet without zombie links
a/ Find worksheet where names won't delete (the 'problem' sheet)

b/ create new worksheet

c/ copy across values ONLY

d/ copy across formatting ONLY

e/ delete the 'problem' sheet, which you have just replicated, but without the 'zombie' link in it.

There - simple (not).

Come on Microsoft, this one needs fixing please.

Best wishes,

Donna
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