Remove link to external source when 'Break Link' results in "PowerPoint cannot break the link"

Question

Can anyone tell me how to remove a link that is no longer pointing to the expected source?  Lot's of suggestions on the Internet but nothing I've found addresses this specific scenario:

When I go to File>Info>Edit Links to Files, then highlight any link path in the list and click on 'Break Links', I get "PowerPoint cannot break the Link... Check that the linked file is in the expected location".    

The problem is, the file was created by someone else, then emailed to me for editing, so the links associated with some images in the file are no longer linked nor needed.   I don't want the links at all.  The links cause a Security Warning that has to be cleared every time the file is opened.     

I've tried everything including shaking my laptop like an Etch-A-Sketch, but nothing seems to work.

Answer 1

I assume you want to keep the item linked to visible in your presentation. Right-click on it and choose Save As Picture. Then delete the linked object and replace it with the picture.

I like the mental image of shaking your laptop like an Etch-a-Sketch, some software designer should make that action actually fix the computer.

Answer 2

It's already been done. On the iPad and the iPhone, shaking like an Etch-a-Sketch activates the Undo function.