How to use HYPERLINK Google Sheets formula?

The syntax for the HYPERLINK formula is =HYPERLINK(url, [link_label]), it has 1 required parameter and 1 optional parameter.

Why is HYPERLINK Google Sheets formula not working?

One common reason the HYPERLINK formula may not be working is due to forgetting to include the protocol in the url. The <code>HYPERLINK</code> formula requires a valid URL as its first parameter, including the protocol (e.g. https://). Forgetting to include the protocol will result in a broken link.

HYPERLINK

The HYPERLINK function creates a clickable hyperlink in a cell. It is commonly used to link to external websites, other sheets within the same document, or to specific cells within a sheet.

How to use HYPERLINK formula?
Examples of using HYPERLINK formula
HYPERLINK formula not working?
Similar formulas to HYPERLINK

Usage

Use the HYPERLINK formula with the syntax shown below, it has 1 required parameter and 1 optional parameter:

=HYPERLINK(url, [link_label])

Parameters:

url (required):
The URL to link to. This can be a cell reference or a string containing the full URL.
link_label (optional):
The text to display as the link label. If no label is provided, the URL will be displayed instead.

Examples

Here are a few example use cases that explain how to use the HYPERLINK formula in Google Sheets.

Linking to an external website

You can use the HYPERLINK function to create a clickable link to an external website. Simply provide the URL as the first argument and a label for the link as the optional second argument.

Linking to another sheet within the same document

If you have a multi-sheet document, you can use the HYPERLINK function to link to another sheet within the same document. Simply provide a cell reference to the target sheet as the URL, and provide a label for the link as the optional second argument.

Creating a table of contents

You can create a table of contents for your document by using the HYPERLINK function to link to specific sections within the document. Simply provide a cell reference to the target section as the URL, and provide a label for the link as the optional second argument.

Common Mistakes

HYPERLINK not working? Here are some common mistakes people make when using the HYPERLINK Google Sheets Formula:

Forgetting to include the protocol in the URL

The HYPERLINK formula requires a valid URL as its first parameter, including the protocol (e.g. https://). Forgetting to include the protocol will result in a broken link.

Using invalid characters in the URL

The URL parameter of the HYPERLINK formula must be a valid URL and cannot contain invalid characters such as spaces or certain special characters. Invalid characters will result in a broken link or an error message.

Not including a link label

While the link label parameter of the HYPERLINK formula is optional, forgetting to include one can result in a hyperlink that is difficult to understand or misleading. It is recommended to include a descriptive link label whenever possible.

The following functions are similar to HYPERLINK or are often used with it in a formula:

IMPORTHTML
The IMPORTHTML function is used to import data from a table or list within an HTML page. This function is commonly used to pull data from websites and display it in a Google Sheet.
IMPORTXML
The IMPORTXML formula allows you to import data from an XML or HTML document on the web. This can be useful for scraping data from websites or for importing data from APIs that return XML data. The formula takes a URL and an XPath query as inputs and returns the data that matches the query.

Learn More

You can learn more about the HYPERLINK Google Sheets function on Google Support.