title: Have Excel open a URL using a browser -- not via Excel
body: <p>Is there any way to tell Excel to just pass a URL included in a cell directly to the system browser and don't try and open directly in Excel first?</p>
  
  <p>Here's the detail of the issue:</p>
  
  <p>I have a web app that requires a valid session (a cookie is required).  If a request comes in (for a protected page) without a cookie a redirect is issued to the login page.</p>
  
  <p>This web app can generate an Excel spreadsheet with cells that have URLs that point to a resources in the web app.   The hope is that one could open the spreadsheet and then click on links in cells to open the pages in their browser (assuming the browser has the cookie).</p>
  
  <p>If I paste one of these URLs into the browser's location bar it works (because the browser will include the cookie).  Likewise, if one of these URLs was included in an Email I can click on it, and if currently logged in, will access the resource.</p>
  
  <p>Here's the problem:</p>
  
  <p>But, if I click the link directly in Excel what happens is <em>Excel</em> sends the request, not the browser.  Since Excel has no idea about the cookies the browser is holding no cookie is sent.</p>
  
  <p>What happens is Excel request the correct URL.  The web app sees the request <em>without</em> the cookie and sends a redirect back to Excel with a Location: header pointing to the login page.</p>
  
  <p>Next, Excel makes another request for the login page.</p>
  
  <p>Finally, the browser is opened (if not already opened) and it makes another request to the login URL.</p>
  
  <p>I assume what's happening is Excel is seeing the login pages is text/html and decides to hand off to the browser, but it's giving the browser the URL provided in the Location:, not the URL that is in the spreadsheet.</p>
  
  <p>Is there a way to configure Excel to not try and open URLs in cells directly?</p>
  
  <p>Running Excel 14.3.5 (Mac 2011).</p>