Microsoft KB Archive/202261

= You cannot use a pound character in a file name for a hyperlink in an Office program =

Article ID: 202261

Article Last Modified on 2/1/2007

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Office Access 2007
 * Microsoft Office Access 2003
 * Microsoft Access 2002 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft Office Excel 2007
 * Microsoft Office Excel 2003
 * Microsoft Excel 2002 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft Excel 2000 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft Office FrontPage 2003
 * Microsoft FrontPage 2002 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft Office Outlook 2007
 * Microsoft Office Outlook 2003
 * Microsoft Outlook 2002 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007
 * Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2003
 * Microsoft PowerPoint 2002 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft PowerPoint 2000 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft Office Publisher 2007
 * Microsoft Office Publisher 2003
 * Microsoft Office Word 2007
 * Microsoft Office Word 2003
 * Microsoft Word 2002 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft Word 2000 Standard Edition

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This article was previously published under Q202261





SYMPTOMS
When you create a hyperlink to another file, the file name that appears in the hyperlink text may appear to be different than the actual file name. For example, a hyperlink to a file with the following file name:

C:\My Documents\Book#One.xls

may appear as follows:

C:\My Documents\Book - One.xls

Also, when you attempt to click the hyperlink, you may receive the following error message:

Cannot Open the Specified File.



CAUSE
These problems may occur when the name of file to which you create the hyperlink contains a pound sign (#).

NOTE: The pound sign is a valid character to use in a file name but is not accepted in hyperlinks in Office documents.



WORKAROUND
To work around this problem, use one of the following methods.

Method 1
Rename the file with a name that does not include the pound sign, and then edit or recreate the hyperlink.

For more information about how to rename a file in Windows, see your Windows printed documentation or online Help.

To edit the hyperlink, follow these steps:

For Office 2003 and earlier versions of Office:
 * 1) Right-click the cell that contains the problem hyperlink. On the shortcut menu that appears, point to Hyperlink, and click Edit Hyperlink.
 * 2) In the Type the file or Web page name box, type the name of the file that you are linking to. If you do not know the name of the file, click File and browse to the file. Click OK.

For 2007 Office programs:
 * 1) Right-click the cell that contains the problem hyperlink, and then point to Edit Hyperlink.
 * 2) In the Address box, type the name of the file that you are linking to. If you do not know the name of the file, use the search tools on the Look in... line to locate the file. Select the file, and then click OK.

Method 2
Use the Paste as Hyperlink command:

For Office 2003 and earlier versions:
 * 1) Open the document that you are trying to link to (which contains the # sign in the name).
 * 2) Copy the cell that you want to link to.
 * 3) In your document, on the Edit menu, click Paste as Hyperlink.

For 2007 Office programs:
 * 1) Open the document that you are trying to link to. This is the document that contains the # sign in the name.
 * 2) Copy the cell that you want to link to.
 * 3) In your document, click the cell in which you want the hyperlink to appear.
 * 4) On the Home tab, click the arrow below Paste in the Clipboard group, and then click Paste as Hyperlink.

Additional query words: 2000RTMPublic OFF2000 kboffice12yes OFF2007

Keywords: kbprb kbweb KB202261

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