Why can’t I break links in Excel?

a) When the active sheet is protected and you try to edit links the BREAK LINK button will be grayed out. You will need to unprotect this sheet or go to another sheet before you try and break links. b) If a cell within a protected sheet is linked to an external file then you won’t be able to break links.

How do I remove a link break in Excel?

To remove/break the link, simply select the rows you wish to remove and click the Break Link button. You will get a prompt (shown below) asking if you are sure you want to break the links as this action is irreversible. Click Break Links and all your links “should” be broken.

How do I remove links in Excel but keep data?

Select the cells you need to remove all references, then press Ctrl + C keys, keep these cells selected, right click and select Values under Paste Options section. See screenshot: Then you can see all formula references of selected cells are removed immediately, and only kept the cell values as below screenshot shown.