6 Ways to Fix Hyperlinks Not Working in Microsoft Word for Windows

Quick Tips

• If Microsoft Word shows your hyperlinks as normal text, press Alt + F9 to make the link clickable.
• Configure Word to format links automatically and disable the Protected View feature.
• Consider running the Microsoft Office repair tool if nothing else works.

Fix 1: Check the Link for Typos

Your first course of action is to check the hyperlink for any typos. If the link you have added is inaccurate or unavailable, Word won’t redirect you to the intended section, document, or web page.

Step 1: Open the Word document you intend to edit, right-click on the hyperlink text, and select Edit Hyperlink from the list.

Step 2: In the Address field, enter the correct file path or website URL. Then, click OK.

Fix 2: Disable Ctrl + Click to Follow the Hyperlink

By default, Microsoft Word does not automatically follow a link upon clicking. To open a hyperlink, you need to hold down the Ctrl key while clicking on it. If you don’t want that, disable the “Use Ctrl + Click to follow hyperlink” option in Word’s settings. Here’s how.

Step 1: Open Microsoft Word on your PC and click the File menu in the upper-left corner.

Step 2: Select Options from the left sidebar.

Step 3: In the Advanced tab, uncheck the Use Ctrl + Click to follow hyperlink option, and hit OK.

Fix 3: Prevent Word From Showing Field Codes

Does Microsoft Word show your hyperlinks as normal text? That happens when you have configured Word to show field codes instead of their values. As a result, when you hyperlink text in Word, you see {HYPERLINK “link”} instead of the actual hyperlink.

To make your hyperlinks clickable in Word, press the Alt + F9 (or Alt + Fn + F9) keyboard shortcut.

To configure Word to always show your hyperlinks like this, use these steps:

Step 1: In Microsoft Word, head to File > Options.

Step 2: In the Advanced tab, clear the Show field codes instead of their values checkbox and hit OK.

Fix 4: Check Hyperlink Formatting Settings

Microsoft Word may fail to create a hyperlink when you type in a website URL if you have prevented the app from formatting links automatically. This can force you to add your hyperlinks for URLs and network paths manually. Here’s how you can change that.

Step 1: In Microsoft Word, head to File > Options.

Step 2: In the Proofing tab, click the AutoCorrect Options button.

Step 3: Under the AutoFormat As You Type tab, tick the Internet and network paths with hyperlinks checkbox. Then, click OK.

Fix 5: Disable Protected View

Protected View is a security feature in Office apps that keeps you from opening malicious links or files on your PC. This feature may be preventing Word from opening any links. However, if you are confident about the legitimacy of a document, you can temporarily disable Protected View in Word and see if that helps.

Step 1: In Microsoft Word, head to File > Options.

Step 2: In the Word Options window, switch to the Trust Center tab and then click the Trust Center Settings button.

Step 3: Clear all three checkboxes to disable Protected View and click OK to save changes.

Fix 6: Run the Office Repair Tool

If you encounter similar issues with other Office apps, there may be an issue with the Office installation files on your PC. Fortunately, Microsoft includes a repair tool specifically designed to address these problems with Office apps. Here’s how to run it.

Step 1: Right-click on the Start icon and select Installed apps from the list.

Step 2: Scroll down to locate the Microsoft Office product on the list. Click the three-dot menu icon next to it and select Modify.

Step 3: Select the Online Repair option and click Repair.