Follow link by double clicking

I’ve used spreadsheets that let you follow a link in a cell by double-clicking on the cell, but I can’t find the setting that makes this work. What setting do I have to change?

By Neale Blackwood

The setting you need to change is named after another feature, which is why it’s hard to find. Click the Tools menu, click Options then select the Edit tab. You need to uncheck the Edit directly in cell’ option. When this option is turned off it allows you to double-click on the cell and Excel will follow the link to its source. If the link is to another sheet it will go to the sheet. If the link is to another file it will open the file. This is a useful technique to follow links and find out how a spreadsheet is built.

Another useful feature is to press F5 and then press Enter to return to the cell that you double-clicked. If you leave the option checked it means you can edit the cell contents within the cell itself. Most users tend to use the formula bar to edit their cell contents, so disabling this setting isn’t a major change.