It is not an uncommon scenario where, while working on an application, Microsoft Word or Excel, you have to visit a link that is embedded in the document. If you don’t have any settings in place, every time you click on a hyperlink, a prompt asks you which browser you want to open it in. These prompts can be annoying if you find yourself using hyperlinks on a regular basis, in which case it is best that you set up apps to open them in your default browser. Today, we will be discussing how you can open hyperlinks in your default browser from one of the apps that use hyperlinks very often, Excel.
How to change default browser when opening hyperlink in Excel
This change can be made via two approaches to changing the default browser – The Microsoft Windows settings pages and your system’s Control Panel. They’re both very easy to follow.
1] Change hyperlinks default browser using Windows Settings
- Open Windows Settings on your computer using the Win + ‘I’ key shortcut. Here, click on the Apps section
- From the options pane to your left, click on Default apps
- Scroll down a bit and you’ll find a head named ‘Web Browser’. Here, you can select the browser to be opened by default, every time the command to visit a URL is passed
- If you are not satisfied with any of the browsers you have on your PC, there’s a direct option for you to visit the Microsoft Store and look for a different app
The method to make this modification in Windows 11 is slightly different, although you can do it using Settings as well. Just open Settings > Apps > Default Apps. Here, click on Choose default by link type, which will open a separate Settings page. Now, scroll down to find HTTP and HTTPS, and select the browser you want to open Excel hyperlinks in.
This is what the settings page looks like.
2] Change hyperlinks default browser using the Control Panel
An alternative approach to change the default browser for your Excel hyperlinks is by using the Control Panel.
- Open the Control Panel by searching for it in the search menu on your Taskbar
- Click to view the Control Panel as categories and click on the Programs category
- Further, select the Default Programs head
- You’ll now see an option named Set your default programs. Click on it and you’ll be taken to the same Windows Settings page we visited in the aforementioned process
- Repeat the third and fourth steps of the process above this one and exit the settings page to save these settings
Do so and every link you open thereon out in an Excel workbook will open in your default browser.
Now read: How to change default Search Engine in Office programs
What are the browser view options in Excel?
The browser view options can come in very handy if you’re someone who has to do his/her work on Excel and then present it to people over the internet, preferably on a browser. Using the browser view options, you can customize how your Excel work would look in a browser window.
There are three ways in which you can display the contents of your Excel workbook over a browser window:
- In the Gallery view
- In a Worksheet view
- In an Excel Web Access Web Part using the SharePoint website
You aren’t required to install an add-on to use this feature. Simply click on the File tab > Info > Scroll down and select the Browser View options.
How do I view Web pages in Excel?
Microsoft Excel gives you the option to view web pages in a workbook and scrap data from them for your work. This, too, doesn’t require any add-ons unless you need to explore websites of a particular kind. Here’s how you can import and connect to a website via Excel.
- Open Excel, click on the Data tab, and from Get External Data, select From Web
- This will open a box named New Web Query. Type the address in the box and click on Go. Wait a while and you’ll observe a window of the website you’ve just requested to open
- In order to extrapolate data from this web source now, click on Import, and the Import Data dialog box will appear. Put in the data codes for the information you’re looking to extract and click on Ok
This is how you can use Excel to your benefit and work on it like a professional. Taking the help of web sources makes your work more informative. We hope this helps!
