I'm about to put my foot through my computer! I hate it when I go to a help screen, I understand the message I find, and the program won't behave the way the help screen says it will!

I'm running Excel 2010 which I'm comfortable with without being an expert. I've inherited a membership list file that has a column containing members' email addresses. Some of the members' email addresses in that column are formatted as a hyperlink format, so that they automatically launch my email program when I click on those entries. Some of the addresses in the same column are in a format that LOOKS like the typical hyperlink format (blue underlined etc) but which are actually simply text format. When I click on those addresses in that column, I do not launch my email program. That's how I want all the entries in that column to behave!

I do NOT want ANY of them to automatically launch my email program!!!!!!!!!!!!

I went to the Office online help and found a message for how to delete a hyperlink. It says I click and hold the cell containing the entry I do NOT want to be a hyperlink that will automatically launch my email, and the cursor will change from the pointer to a cross. OK. Been there done that. It then says Right click and in the context-sensitive drop down menu that appears, click "remove hyperlink". I can understand that, too.

But guess what! When I do that, the "remove hyperlink" entry in the drop down menu is grayed out!

What am I doing wrong?

How am I supposed to do what I want to when the program doesn't behave the way the help message says it does!