Microsoft Excel Tutorial: Links stop updating in Excel 2007. A workbook that was working perfectly in Excel 2003 starts failing in Excel 2007. For no apparent reason, the links will no longer update. Episode #1174 shows why and how to fix this problem forever.

Welcome back to the MrExcel netcast! In today’s episode, we’re tackling a question sent in by Cathy, who recently upgraded from Excel 2003 to Excel 2007. She noticed that her links were no longer updating automatically and had to manually press F2 and Enter for each cell. This can be a frustrating and time-consuming task, so Cathy reached out to me for help.

After some investigation, I discovered that the issue lies with the Security Center in Excel 2007. External links, which have been used for decades, are now seen as a security risk and can be turned off by default. This can be a major problem for those who rely on links to update their data.

To fix this issue, we need to go to the File button, then Excel Options, Trust Center, and External Content. Here, we can change the security settings to prompt the user for automatic updates or to enable the content. However, in some cases, the IT department may have set the default to disable links altogether. This can be a major inconvenience and can lead to incorrect data being used.

I personally believe that having the option to disable links altogether is a dangerous move, as it can lead to incorrect data being used without the user’s knowledge. It’s important to always double-check your data and make sure that links are enabled to ensure accurate results.

So, if you’re experiencing issues with links not updating in Excel 2007, be sure to check your security settings and make the necessary changes. And if you ever come across any weird Excel problems, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I love solving these types of issues and sharing my knowledge with others.

Thank you for tuning in to this episode of the MrExcel netcast. I hope this information was helpful and saved you from the frustration of manually updating links. Don’t forget to subscribe to our channel for more Excel tips and tricks, and I’ll see you next time for another netcast from MrExcel!

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Table of Contents:
(00:00) Introduction and Sponsorship
(00:10) Question from Cathy about Excel 2007 links not updating
(00:22) Explanation of the issue with Excel 2007 and links
(01:05) How to access the Security Center and change settings for external content
(01:30) Prompting for automatic updates or manually enabling content
(02:02) Restarting Excel for changes to take effect
(02:12) The new location of the link update prompt in Excel 2007
(02:26) Personal opinion on the potential dangers of the new link update prompt
(02:56) The possibility of IT departments turning off link settings altogether
(03:06) Clicking Like really helps the algorithm

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