Forum Discussion
Problems network folders linked in excel after migrating to sharepoint (Excel,Sharepoint,PowerPivot)
I'm using Excel, Sharepoint, and PowerPivot with Office365
After migration to Sharepoint I need to redirect links in Excel that refer to other Excels contained in a previously network folder now in Sharepoint.
But I cannot locate the sharepoint connector in my excel, as it seems I should as specified in Microsoft documentation. (See images)
Any idea why it's not working for me or how it should be done?
Best Regards.
3 Replies
There are actually two different scenarios here: updating existing links between Excel workbooks and configuring a SharePoint connector for Power Query/PowerPivot.
If your main problem is that Excel workbooks still reference files on the old network share, you don't necessarily need a SharePoint connector to fix those references.
Full disclosure: I'm the developer of ReplaceMagic and SmartMapper.
For example, if your Excel workbook references:
\\fileserver\finance\reports\sales.xlsx
and that file has moved to:
https://company.sharepoint.com/sites/finance/Shared Documents/reports/sales.xlsx
ReplaceMagic can help identify and update existing external references across multiple Excel workbooks, rather than requiring you to edit each workbook individually.
I'd suggest starting with a link inventory. ReplaceMagic allows you to scan and analyze links free of charge. The trial limits actual replacements, but you can use the inventory to identify which workbooks still reference the old network locations.
If the files have also been reorganized during migration (different folders, libraries, or sites), SmartMapper can help by mapping old file locations to their new SharePoint destinations and identifying references that cannot be resolved automatically.
One important distinction: if you're dealing with Power Query or PowerPivot data connections rather than regular Excel external workbook links, those may require updating the connection settings or query definitions separately.
Are your broken references regular Excel formulas linking to other workbooks, or are they Power Query/PowerPivot data connections? The solution depends on which type you're dealing with.
In Office 365, some features are integrated differently, and certain add-ins or connectors may not be visible or enabled by default.
Batch replace old network path links in Excel with SharePoint URLs (using =HYPERLINK(https://yourdomain.sharepoint.com/..., display text)), or refresh the data source path using Power Query.
