Wait, what didn't work? You mean that after you copied the email addresses back to the original worksheet, they turned back into hyperlinks? (You gotta be specific, Tom.)



If that's what you meant, then maybe I should have explained that you can turn off Excel's eagerness to create hyperlinks in the Options. Let's see, here... Ah, here it is: File, Options, Proofing, AutoCorrect Options, go to the AutoFormat As You Type tab, uncheck "Internet and network paths with hyperlinks".

And remember, that link I pointed out said that the workbook might be protected or shared, if that's any help.

I got this suggestion from another helper also. I actually really thought that was the problem since (and again I failed to mention this in the OP) the file I inherited IS a shared file! I did check the properties and the protection attribute, but it is entirely unprotected. I have not checked how it gets made a "shared" file yet, so I don't know if that's the problem. But from what I know about the source of the file I am betting you're onto something here!

I really appreciate your help! This is a PITA to me, but frankly it's not a showstopper. I'll make it clear when you don't need to keep working on this for me, if you haven't already reached that point!

Thanks very much.

..... I should have explained that you can turn off Excel's eagerness to create hyperlinks in the Options. Let's see, here... Ah, here it is: File, Options, Proofing, AutoCorrect Options, go to the AutoFormat As You Type tab, uncheck "Internet and network paths with hyperlinks".


Bob, I tried this and I think it would prevent any new email addresses I enter into the spreadsheet from being autoformatted as hyperlinks, but I've got nearly 700 lines of data, and I don't want to have to retype every email address to get them NOT to be hyperlinks! After I did this, the remove hyperlink choice is still not available.

I tried looking at protecting the file. It's completely unprotected. It is a shared file, however, but I don't know what that does or how to undo that.

Anyway...I'm done for the night.

Thanks again for helping!

Ain't technology grand?!

Gee, I was thinking—maybe I'm still thinking—that now that you have automatic hyperlinks turned off, you can do what you did before: copy that whole column of email address to another workbook, "break" the hyperlinks (if you still need to) and then copy them back. With that option turned off, I was thinking you'd get plain text even in the original shared workbook.

Of course, it may be easier to make it "not shared", remove the hyperlinks and then share it again. Problem is, I don't really know what's meant by "shared". Is it in a Sharepoint directory? Probably not that. Is there a flag somewhere? Does it simply mean that some other user has it open at the same time? I'm not sure.

I don't mind answering more questions, but I have no more ideas to offer just now until you hand me some.