title: Excel: moving files that contain relative file references
body: <p>When a formula in Excel refers to a cell in another file, Excel stores a relative pathname so that if you move the files the links don't break. This works as I expect when the files are stored on a network drive, but not when the files are stored in a SharePoint doc library. Any ideas why and how I can fix it?</p>
  
  <p>In more detail ...</p>
  
  <p><strong>Setup 1 (works perfectly)</strong></p>
  
  <ul>
  <li><code>\\server\UserFiles$\MClarke\My Documents\Folder1\a.xlsx</code> includes the formula <code>='\\server\UserFiles$\MClarke\My Documents\Folder1\[b.xlsx]Sheet1'!$A$1</code></li>
  <li>Move both files from Folder1 to Folder2</li>
  <li>Open <code>\\server\UserFiles$\MClarke\My Documents\Folder2\a.xlsx</code> and the formula automatically changes to <code>='\\server\UserFiles$\MClarke\My Documents\Folder2\[b.xlsx]Sheet1'!$A$1</code></li>
  </ul>
  
  <p><strong>Setup 2 (fails)</strong></p>
  
  <ul>
  <li><code>http://intranet-server/dept/Folder1/a.xlsx</code> includes the formula <code>='http://intranet-server/dept/Folder1/[b.xlsx]Sheet1'!$A$1</code></li>
  <li>Move both files from Folder1 to Folder2</li>
  <li>Open <code>http://intranet-server/dept/Folder2/a.xlsx</code> and the formula <strong>(incorrectly)</strong> still says <code>='http://intranet-server/dept/Folder1/[b.xlsx]Sheet1'!$A$1</code></li>
  </ul>
  
  <p>I have tried moving and opening files in Setup 2 with both a mapped network drive and using SharePoint's "Open with Explorer" function. Both approaches give the same undesired behaviour: the formula in the moved file continues to point to the original location of the file rather than the new location. So why would Excel store an absolute path in that case but a relative path in Setup 1?</p>