How to list all filenames in a folder and create hyperlinks for them in Excel?

For your daily work, you may need to import multiple filenames from a folder to a worksheet, and create hyperlinks for each files so that open the file quickly and easily. Maybe, you can copy and paste the filenames and create a hyperlink for it one by one manually, but, this will waste much time if there are hundreds files in the folder. Today, I will talk about some quick and interesting methods to deal with this job.

List all filenames in a folder and create hyperlinks with VBA code

List all filenames in a folder and create hyperlinks with Kutools for Excel

To list and create hyperlink with files from a folder, the following VBA code can do you a favor.

1. Activate a new worksheet to put the result.

2. Hold down the ALT + F11 keys to open the Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications window.

3. Click Insert > Module, and paste the following code in the Module Window.

VBA: List all filenames in a folder and create hyperlinks

Sub Example1()
'Updateby Extendoffice
    Dim xFSO As Object 
    Dim xFolder As Object
    Dim xFile As Object
    Dim xFiDialog As FileDialog
    Dim xPath As String
    Dim I As Integer
    Set xFiDialog = Application.FileDialog(msoFileDialogFolderPicker)
    If xFiDialog.Show = -1 Then
        xPath = xFiDialog.SelectedItems(1)
    End If
    Set xFiDialog = Nothing
    If xPath = "" Then Exit Sub
    Set xFSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
    Set xFolder = xFSO.GetFolder(xPath)
    For Each xFile In xFolder.Files
        I = I + 1
        ActiveSheet.Hyperlinks.Add Cells(I, 1), xFile.Path, , , xFile.Name
    Next
End Sub

4. Then press F5 key to run this code, and choose the folder that you want to list the files from the Browse window, see screenshot:

doc list create hyperlinks 1

5. After specifying the folder, click OK button, and all the files in the specific folder have been listed into active worksheet with hyperlinks, see screenshot:

doc list create hyperlinks 2

Note: If there are subfolders in your specific folder, the files in the subfolders will not be listed.

To list all files both in a folder and its subfolders and created hyperlinks for each file, Kutools for Excel’s Filename List may do you a favor. With this feature, all files in folder and subfolders will be listed at once with some attributes, such as file name, file size, created time, containing folder and so on.

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If you have installed Kutools for Excel, please do with following steps:

1. Click Kutools Plus > Import & Export > Filename List, see screenshot:

2. In the Filename List dialog box, please do the following operations:

(1.) Click doc list create hyperlinks 5 button to select the folder that you want to list the filenames;

(2.) Check Include files in subdirectories if you want to list filenames within subfolders, check Include hidden files and folders if you want to list the hidden files;

(3.) Specify the file types that you want to find and list under the Files type section;

(4.) Select the file size unit that you want to display;

(5.) Check Create hyperlinks at the left bottom of the dialog box.

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3. Then click Ok button, and all the files in the folder and subfolders have been listed in a new worksheet with the hyperlinks as you need, see screenshot:

doc list create hyperlinks 6

Click to know more details about the Filename List utility…

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SerajB · 9 months ago
@skyyang Hi,
Could this code be edited to hyperlink path for files instead of folders. For example, instead of hyperlinking the paths of the folders inside Folder1, it would hyperlink the paths of all files in Folder1 (i need the text to display as the path of the file, not the file name), that would be the perfect use case for me.
appreciate any help you could offer :)
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Ellie · 3 years ago
How would I change this code to have it list folder names rather than file names? And how would I change it to check subfolders for files?
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  skyyang · 2 years ago
  
  Hi, Ellie,
  To list all folder and subfolder names from a directory, the below VBA code can help you, please try, hopt it can help you.
  
  Sub FolderNames()
  Application.ScreenUpdating = False
  Dim xPath As String
  Dim xWs As Worksheet
  Dim fso As Object, j As Long, folder1 As Object
  With Application.FileDialog(msoFileDialogFolderPicker)
  .Title = "Choose the folder"
  .Show
  End With
  On Error Resume Next
  xPath = Application.FileDialog(msoFileDialogFolderPicker).SelectedItems(1) & "\"
  Application.Workbooks.Add
  Set xWs = Application.ActiveSheet
  xWs.Cells(1, 1).Value = xPath
  xWs.Cells(2, 1).Resize(1, 5).Value = Array("Path", "Dir", "Name", "Date Created", "Date Last Modified")
  Set fso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
  Set folder1 = fso.getFolder(xPath)
  getSubFolder folder1
  xWs.Cells(2, 1).Resize(1, 5).Interior.Color = 65535
  xWs.Cells(2, 1).Resize(1, 5).EntireColumn.AutoFit
  Application.ScreenUpdating = True
  End Sub
  Sub getSubFolder(ByRef prntfld As Object)
  Dim SubFolder As Object
  Dim subfld As Object
  Dim xRow As Long
  For Each SubFolder In prntfld.SubFolders
  xRow = Range("A1").End(xlDown).Row + 1
  Cells(xRow, 1).Resize(1, 5).Value = Array(SubFolder.Path, Left(SubFolder.Path, InStrRev(SubFolder.Path, "\")), SubFolder.Name, SubFolder.DateCreated, SubFolder.DateLastModified)
  Next SubFolder
  For Each subfld In prntfld.SubFolders
  getSubFolder subfld
  Next subfld
  End Sub
  
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  yuri · 2 years ago
  
  How would you code this to make hyperlinks for path and directory
  
  Reply
  
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  skyyang · 2 years ago
  
  Hi, yuri,
  To solve your problem, please try the following code:
  
  Sub FolderNames()
  Application.ScreenUpdating = False
  Dim xPath As String
  Dim xWs As Worksheet
  Dim xRg As Range
  Dim fso As Object, j As Long, folder1 As Object
  With Application.FileDialog(msoFileDialogFolderPicker)
  .Title = "Choose the folder"
  .Show
  End With
  On Error Resume Next
  xPath = Application.FileDialog(msoFileDialogFolderPicker).SelectedItems(1) & "\"
  Application.Workbooks.Add
  Set xWs = Application.ActiveSheet
  Set xRg = xWs.Cells(1, 1)
  xRg.Value = xPath
  xWs.Hyperlinks.Add Anchor:=xRg, Address:=xPath, TextToDisplay:=xPath
  xWs.Cells(2, 1).Resize(1, 5).Value = Array("Path", "Dir", "Name", "Date Created", "Date Last Modified")
  Set fso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
  Set folder1 = fso.GetFolder(xPath)
  getSubFolder folder1
  xWs.Cells(2, 1).Resize(1, 5).Interior.Color = 65535
  xWs.Cells(2, 1).Resize(1, 5).EntireColumn.AutoFit
  Application.ScreenUpdating = True
  End Sub
  Sub getSubFolder(ByRef prntfld As Object)
  Dim SubFolder As Object
  Dim subfld As Object
  Dim xRow As Long
  Dim xStr As String
  Dim xRg As Range
  For Each SubFolder In prntfld.SubFolders
  xRow = Range("A1").End(xlDown).Row + 1
  Cells(xRow, 1).Resize(1, 5).Value = Array(SubFolder.Path, Left(SubFolder.Path, InStrRev(SubFolder.Path, "\")), SubFolder.Name, SubFolder.DateCreated, SubFolder.DateLastModified)
  Set xRg = Cells(xRow, 1)
  xRg.Worksheet.Hyperlinks.Add Anchor:=xRg, Address:=xRg.Value, TextToDisplay:=xRg.Value
  Set xRg = Cells(xRow, 2)
  xRg.Worksheet.Hyperlinks.Add Anchor:=xRg, Address:=xRg.Value, TextToDisplay:=xRg.Value
  Next SubFolder
  For Each subfld In prntfld.SubFolders
  getSubFolder subfld
  Next subfld
  End Sub
  
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  SerajB · 9 months ago
  
  @skyyang Hi,
  Could this code be edited to hyperlink path for files instead of folders. For example, instead of hyperlinking the paths of the folders inside Folder1, it would hyperlink the paths of all files in Folder1 (i need the text to display as the path of the file, not the file name), that would be the perfect use case for me.
  appreciate any help you could offer :)
  
  Reply
  
  To post as a guest, your comment is unpublished.
  SerajB · 9 months ago
  
  @skyyang Hi,
  Could this code be edited to hyperlink path for files instead of folders. For example, instead of hyperlinking the paths of the folders inside Folder1, it would hyperlink the paths of all files in Folder1 (i need the text to display as the path of the file, not the file name), that would be the perfect use case for me.
  appreciate any help you could offer :)
  
  Reply
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jms · 3 years ago
"VBA: List all filenames in a folder and create hyperlinks" is great! It works perfectly! Thank you for posting! One question... Now that you told us how to add links from folder, is it possible to use those links to get information from say one or two different sheets in each of the files listed? They would be the same cells for each of the files we now have a list for. This would help create a comprehensive contents with active links to otherwise unintelligible file names.
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alice · 3 years ago
Great thanks although can not view the files in the selected directory as barry said, it creates hyperlinks for all files in that directory anyway.
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mubashirazizch@gmail.com · 4 years ago
Awesome ..thanks a lot. It really saved my time.
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barry · 6 years ago
Running the VBA code listed above, shows the selected directory is empty, when it is full of Excel files.
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