How to Extract URLs from Google Sheets

A detailed guide to extract hyperlinks from Google Sheets using URL Extractor, with tips for messy real-world spreadsheets.

1/15/2024

How to Extract URLs from Google Sheets


Google Sheets is excellent for collecting data, but it is not designed to give you a clean list of URLs. Links hide behind display text, collaborators paste content in different ways, and formulas can quickly become hard to manage.


This guide shows how to extract URLs from Google Sheets using URL Extractor. The goal is simple: copy once, paste once, click GET URL, and end up with a list of links you can reuse anywhere.


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Quick steps


  • In Google Sheets, select the cells that contain links.
  • Copy them with `Ctrl + C` / `Cmd + C`.
  • Paste into URL Extractor.
  • If links are plain text, click Convert URLs to Links.
  • Click GET URL, clean the list, then Copy All or Open All.

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    When to use URL Extractor instead of formulas


    Sheets power users often reach for formulas like `REGEXEXTRACT` or custom scripts to pull URLs out of cells. Those are useful, but they are not always the best option.


    URL Extractor is usually a better fit when:


  • You only need a one‑time export of URLs, not a permanent column in the sheet.
  • The sheet structure is owned by someone else and you do not want to add helper columns or scripts.
  • Links are spread across multiple tabs or ranges and you want to merge them into a single list.
  • You want to review, clean, and open links in bulk, not just extract them.

    • Think of URL Extractor as a lightweight “link console” that sits next to your spreadsheet and helps you manage the hyperlink part of the data.


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    Step 1 – Prepare your sheet


    Before you copy anything, take a quick look at the sheet and decide:


  • Which column or range actually contains the links you care about?
  • Do you have a reasonable number of rows for one batch, or should you split them?

    • Examples:


  • A “Resources” column with hyperlinks in each row.
  • A comments column where only some cells contain links.
  • A slice of recent data you want to review.

    • You do not have to change formatting or formulas. Just make sure you have selected the right cells before copying.


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    Step 2 – Copy the cells with hyperlinks


  • In Google Sheets, select the cells that contain the links you want.
  • Press `Ctrl + C` (Windows / Linux) or `Cmd + C` (macOS) to copy.
  • Avoid special options like “Copy as plain text”, because they strip hyperlink information.

    • Behind the scenes, Sheets usually puts both plain text and HTML into the clipboard. URL Extractor will prefer the HTML version so that it can read the real `href` values.


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    Step 3 – Paste into URL Extractor


  • Open URL Extractor in your browser.
  • Click inside the “Paste Your Content” area.
  • Press `Ctrl + V` or `Cmd + V` to paste.
  • Look for a message such as “Hyperlinks detected”. That is a good sign that anchor tags were preserved.

    • If the content looks like a grid of text similar to how it appeared in Sheets, you are in good shape. If you only see bare URLs, do not worry; the next step can still help.


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    Step 4 – Convert plain text URLs if needed


    Sometimes collaborators paste raw URLs into cells without creating hyperlinks. In that case, your clipboard may contain only plain text.


    If you suspect this is true:


  • After pasting, click the Convert URLs to Links button.
  • URL Extractor will scan the text and wrap each detected URL in an anchor tag.

    • This makes subsequent extraction more robust and also keeps the behavior consistent with content that originally had rich text.


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    Step 5 – Click “GET URL” to extract


    Now trigger the extraction:


  • Confirm that the input area contains the pasted spreadsheet content.
  • Click the yellow GET URL button.
  • Wait briefly while the tool parses the HTML and builds a list.

    • The result is a flat list of URLs with optional labels. Instead of hunting through cells, you now see everything in one place.


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    Step 6 – Clean and organise your links


    The next step is to shape the output to match what you actually need.


    Typical edits include:


  • Delete noise

    • Remove any links that are obviously out of scope, such as internal navigation, temporary test URLs, or links only relevant to a different project.


  • Adjust labels

    • If you plan to paste the list back into a document or task tracker, update any confusing labels so that each link is self‑explanatory.


  • Spot duplicates

    • When several cells point to the same URL, you can keep one entry and delete the rest, or keep them all but adjust labels to show context.


    The goal is not to make the list perfect, but to make it useful: something you would be comfortable sharing with teammates or dropping into another system.


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    Step 7 – Export the cleaned list


    Once the list looks right, you can export it in a couple of ways.


    Copy all URLs


  • Click Copy All.
  • In your destination (Sheets, Excel, Notion, documentation, issue tracker, and so on), paste the results.
  • If you are using a spreadsheet, you can split the pasted text into separate columns for labels and URLs if the format suits that.

    • Open URLs for review


  • After trimming the list to just the links you want to check, click Open All.
  • Your browser will attempt to open each link in a new tab.
  • If you see a pop‑up warning, allow pop‑ups for this site.

    • This is an efficient way to visually verify that links are live and point to the expected destinations.


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    Handling common issues


    No links were found


    If you click GET URL and see an error that no URLs were found, consider:


  • Did you copy from a view that stripped formatting, such as a CSV export or an intermediate text editor?
  • Are the cells actually hyperlinks, or do they just contain plain text that looks like URLs?

    • Try these fixes:


  • Copy again directly from Google Sheets in the browser, not from an export.
  • If the cells contain plain text URLs, use Convert URLs to Links before extracting.

    • The sheet is very large


    On huge sheets, you might not want to process everything in one go. Instead:


  • Work tab by tab, or column by column.
  • Use filters in Sheets to select only the rows you care about and copy just those.
  • Treat each filtered subset as a separate batch in URL Extractor.

    • This keeps each run fast and makes the output easier to scan.


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    Example workflows


    Collecting reference links for a project


    Imagine you maintain a sheet with rows for different resources: blog posts, documentation pages, videos, and tools. Each row has a hyperlink to the resource.


    To create a project reading list:


  • Filter the sheet to the rows relevant to your project.
  • Select the hyperlink column for those rows and copy.
  • Paste into URL Extractor and click GET URL.
  • Delete any internal links or outdated entries.
  • Use Copy All to build a clean list you can share with teammates.

    • Checking if any URLs are broken


    If you suspect some links in a sheet might be outdated:


  • Copy the relevant range from Sheets.
  • Paste into URL Extractor and extract URLs.
  • Click Open All to open them in your browser.
  • Note any 404 or redirect issues and fix them back in the sheet.

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    Recap checklist


  • Identify the range of cells that contains the links you care about.
  • Copy those cells directly from Google Sheets in the browser.
  • Paste into URL Extractor and optionally convert plain text URLs to links.
  • Click GET URL to build a list of all links.
  • Clean the list by deleting noise, adjusting labels, and spotting duplicates.
  • Use Copy All or Open All to export or review URLs.

    • This workflow turns a scattered collection of hyperlinks in Google Sheets into a clear, shareable list you can work with.


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