Fix Unable to unlink error in Excel

This error usually occurs when users link an Excel spreadsheet with referenced links. A value in an Excel file is then linked to another file. Normally, users can delete those reference links with the Edit Links dialog box, including the Break Link option .

However, sometimes users cannot cancel the links in the workbook using the Edit Links dialog box. If you do not know how to solve it, please refer to the easiest ways to fix this error that I will guide in the article below.

1. Turn on the Unprotect feature in an Excel spreadsheet

The steps are as follows: Step 1: Click the Excel Review tab , and then select the Unprotect Sheet button .

Step 2: If the Unprotect Sheet asks for a password, you'll need to enter it in the login window that opens. Then click the OK button .

Step 3: At this point, the Break Link option may not be blurred. Then click the Data tab .

Step 4: Click the Edit Links option and select the listed links and click the Break Link option to proceed to unlink.

2. Delete the named range of cells

The steps are as follows:

Step 1: Click on the Formulas tab > Name Manager.

Step 2: Select a cell range name and press Delete button to delete it. Then click OK to confirm.

Step 3 : Delete all the names of the referenced range of cells listed in the Name Manager and click Close to close this window.

3. Remove all data validation rules from the worksheet

The steps are as follows:

Step 1: Click the Select All button at the top left of the worksheet, then click the Data tab .

Step 2: Click the Data Validation button and select the Data Validation option .

Step 3: A dialog box will open to delete all, click the OK button to confirm. Then repeat the above steps for other sheet tabs in the Excel workbook.

4. Use the Break Link Excel utility

The Break Link tool is an Excel-enabled utility that you can use to quickly remove all referenced links from an Excel spreadsheet.

Although the utility is not free, you can still try them out with a one-week free trial version.You just need to click the Download button on the Break Link Tool website to download and install it.

Once installed, you will see the Break Links button on the Home tab . Click that button to open the tool's window. You can then click the Select all option to select all unlink settings of the tool, and finally pressing the Start button deletes all those links in the Excel spreadsheet.

It can be said that this is a way to help users remove links in their sheets without having to use the Edit Links tool . Note that spreadsheet objects and pivot tables will also include reference links.

Therefore, you also check if any objects and pivot tables on the worksheet contain any reference links.So I have shown how to fix the Unable to unlink error in Excel menu. simplest.

Hope this article will be useful for you. Wish you all success!

Marvin Fry

Update 21 August 2020