Extract email addresses from hyperlinks in Excel and Google Sheets
In short: Reads the mailto: address behind linked cells, from cells copied out of Sheets or Excel (the clipboard keeps the links) or from an .xlsx (Insert > Link and HYPERLINK formulas, every sheet). Flags cells whose text and link differ, and gives the VBA function for Excel desktop. Limit: It reads links that are in the paste or the file. A paste made as plain text has no links left to read.
When a cell shows a name like Jane Doe but links to mailto:[email protected], Excel and Google Sheets have no formula that returns the link. Copy the cells and paste them here, or upload the .xlsx, and you get the address behind every link, one row per cell, with cells whose text and link don't match flagged.
Price: this tool is free. Checking a whole email list is from $9/mo, and the first 100 checks are free with Google, no card. See pricing
Runs in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.
Sample result
The cell shows [email protected] but links to [email protected]: flagged as differs.
- Row 3
- [email protected]
- Shows
- [email protected]
What this means for you
The address in the link is the one mail goes to. Use it, then check it still works.
- Paste linked cells from Sheets or Excel
- Or upload an .xlsx, every sheet
- Text vs link mismatches flagged
- VBA LinkAddress included
- mailto:
- Hyperlinks
- Excel
By SimpleVerifier Team · Last updated · Runs in your browser; nothing you paste is sent to us
You have the real addresses. Check that they still work.
- Use the address column from the result.
- Upload or paste it at /verify. The first 100 email checks are free with a Google sign-in, no card.
- For every list after that, Pro includes unlimited email verification. Fair use: the first 100,000 checks a month at full speed, then slower, never cut off.
How do I extract the email address from a hyperlink in Excel?
- Select the linked cells in Excel or Google Sheets and copy them. The clipboard carries the links, not only the text.
- Click the paste box and paste (Ctrl+V or Cmd+V). For a whole workbook, upload the .xlsx instead.
- Each cell gets the text it shows, the address in its mailto: link, and a status: matches, differs, address only in the link or no link.
- Copy the address column back into the sheet, or download the CSV with every row.
Example
- You enter
- Pasted linked cells:
Jane Doelinking tomailto:[email protected],[email protected]linking tomailto:[email protected]?subject=Hello, plain[email protected],Team pagelinking to a web page,[email protected]linking tomailto:kim%40example.com. - You get
- Jane Doe: address only in the link,
[email protected]. [email protected]: link differs,[email protected]. [email protected]: no link, address typed. Team page: web link, no address. [email protected]: link matches the text. - Limits
- Runs in your browser; .xlsx files are read with every sheet, links and HYPERLINK formulas.
Is there a formula to get the address from a hyperlink?
No. Excel's HYPERLINK function makes links, but no worksheet function reads one back, and Google Sheets has none either. In Excel desktop the usual fix is a short VBA function, LinkAddress, shown under the result: add it in the Visual Basic editor and =LinkAddress(A2) returns the address. It doesn't run in Excel for the web or Sheets, and the file has to be saved as .xlsm.
If the links were made with a HYPERLINK formula, the address is in the formula text: =FORMULATEXT(A2) shows it, and the upload here reads it directly.
Why paste instead of typing the text?
Because the visible text isn't the address. A sheet exported from a CRM or a website often shows a name, a job title or "Email" while the link holds the address; a sheet edited by hand may show the old address after the link was changed. The clipboard keeps both, so the tool can compare them.
Links can also carry a subject or a second recipient (mailto:[email protected],[email protected]?subject=Hi, defined in RFC 6068). Every recipient is read and the rest is dropped.
Which method fits your file?
| Method | Works in | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| This tool, paste | Excel, Google Sheets | Copy the cells; links come with them |
| This tool, .xlsx upload | Any .xlsx | Every sheet, Insert > Link and HYPERLINK formulas |
| VBA LinkAddress() | Excel desktop | Needs macros and an .xlsm file |
| FORMULATEXT | Excel, Sheets | Only for links made with a HYPERLINK formula |
Who uses this tool, and for what?
- Recruiters
- Get the addresses behind a sheet of candidate names that link to mailto: from a job board export.
- Event teams
- Pull speaker addresses from a schedule sheet where each name is a link.
- Sales ops
- Find cells whose shown address and linked address differ after someone edited the text but not the link.
What can’t this tool tell you?
- It reads links that are in the paste or the file. A paste made as plain text has no links left to read.
- Old .xls files and links stored only in comments aren't read.
- It finds the address in the link; it can't tell whether that mailbox still exists.
Common questions
- How do I extract email addresses from hyperlinks in Excel?
- Copy the linked cells and paste them here, or upload the .xlsx. In Excel desktop you can also add a small VBA function, LinkAddress, which this page gives you.
- How do I get the URL from a hyperlink in Google Sheets?
- Sheets has no function for it. Copy the cells and paste them here; the pasted cells keep their links, and the address or URL of each is listed.
- Why does my pasted list show No link?
- The cells were plain text, or the paste came through without formatting. Copy straight from the sheet and paste with Ctrl+V, not Paste as plain text.
- Is my file uploaded?
- No. The paste and the workbook are read in your browser.
Sources
A tidy list can still be full of dead addresses.
Extracting, deduplicating and syntax checks all work on the text of an address. None of them can tell whether the mailbox exists. Only the server that hosts it can answer that, through an SMTP check, and that is what the paid product does.
- Upload the cleaned file as it is: CSVs up to 100,000 rows
- A real SMTP mailbox check on every row, with catch-all detection
- Small list? Starter at $9/mo covers 2,500 emails a month, cancel anytime
Plans from $9 a month, cancel anytime, no contract. Sign in with Google and your first 100 email checks are free, no card. The free tools stay free either way.