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ONLYOFFICE Spreadsheet Editor · References and calculation · Intermediate

Link cells across sheets and workbooks and manage external links in ONLYOFFICE

Link cells across sheets and workbooks and manage external links.

Documentation reviewed; native checks remain manual · Editorial standards

Quick answer

A cell reference pulls a value into a calculation; a hyperlink merely opens a destination. For local workbook links in ONLYOFFICE, copy the source cell, paste into the destination, and choose Paste Special > Paste link. Manage the connection through Data > External Links, including explicit refresh and a deliberate break to a fixed value.

Prepare two local workbooks

Use the English ONLYOFFICE Desktop Editors 10.0.0 interface and two local XLSX files in a practice folder. This local-file workflow is distinct from online linking: online links stay within the current portal and require the integrator to implement the feature. Connecting a cloud account alone does not establish that support.

Create Costs.xlsx with a worksheet named Rates. Enter Item in A1, Unit price in B1, Service in A2 and 12 in B2. Save it. Create Quote.xlsx with a worksheet named Quote. Enter Quantity, Linked price and Total in A1:C1, and 5 in A2. Keep both workbooks open.

Create and inspect the reference

  1. In Costs.xlsx, select Rates!B2 and copy it with Ctrl+C.
  2. Switch to Quote.xlsx and paste into Quote!B2 with Ctrl+V.
  3. Open the Paste Special button and select Paste link. The pasted 12 should now be backed by an external reference, not just a copied constant.
  4. Select B2 and inspect the formula bar. The documented pattern is ='[SourceWorkbook.xlsx]Sheet1'!A1; your reference should identify Costs.xlsx, Rates and B2.
  5. Enter =A2*B2 in C2. The expected total is 5 × 12 = 60.

For another worksheet in the same file, use a sheet reference instead of an external workbook connection. For example, create a Summary sheet and enter =Quote!C2 in A1. Its expected value is 60. This internal link does not require a second file or the External Links manager. Use simple sheet names in this fixture so quoting does not obscure the distinction.

Refresh and check the dependency chain

Change Costs.xlsx Rates!B2 to 15 and save the source. In Quote.xlsx, open Data > External Links, select the relevant link and choose Update values. The documented successful status is OK. Verify B2=15, C2=75 and Summary!A1=75. These three checks distinguish receiving the new value from recalculating dependent cells.

The manager also offers Automatically update data from the linked sources. Leave that choice deliberate: a reproducible quotation may need reviewed refreshes, while a live planning workbook may need current values. When opening a workbook with an update warning, decide whether refreshing is appropriate before accepting changed inputs.

Repair a location or freeze a snapshot

If the source is unavailable, use Open source to investigate the referenced file and Change source to select the intended replacement. Do not point to a similarly named workbook merely to remove an error. Verify the item and cell meaning as well as the displayed number.

First save the linked Quote.xlsx at price 15 and total 75. Then use Save As to create a distinct Quote-snapshot.xlsx copy. In that snapshot copy, select the link under Data > External Links and choose Break Links for the selected connection, not Break all links unless that is your intention. The values remain, but future source updates stop. Save and close Quote-snapshot.xlsx after breaking the link.

As a check, reopen the still-linked Quote.xlsx original. Change the source price to 18, save Costs.xlsx, refresh Quote.xlsx and save it: its expected total becomes 90. Reopen Quote-snapshot.xlsx separately; the broken-link copy should retain price 15 and total 75. Do not assume a later refresh can recreate a broken formula; keep the linked original for that purpose. Reopen both files and inspect formulas and values, not just filenames. For navigation without a data dependency, use workbook hyperlinks.

Sources and verification

Official documentation snapshots retrieved on 20 October 2026 support the procedures above. The worked checks are independently reasoned expectations, not a report of native application testing. Save/reopen, rendering and platform behavior remain checks for the stated installation.