Links within a document do not work

Question

I have placed quite a few links in a large Word document which enable me to hop around within it.  Now those links are not working.  I get a message that the "item you requested could not be found".  I need help.

Answer 1

You could test one or two cross-references to see whether they remain stable and do what you want. The main difference is that, whereas you can use any display text you want for a hyperlink, with a cross-reference to a heading you're limited to the heading text, heading number, page number, or "above/below." Also, the cross-reference, though hyperlinked, won't be formatted as a hyperlink (the Hyperlink style is applied but suppressed), which makes it less obvious that it's a link. On both counts, it appears a hyperlink is more suitable for your purposes. Both HYPERLINK and REF fields may need to be updated manually if the heading changes.

Answer 2

I initially asked whether the hyperlinks were to bookmarks, and you said they were. Since the headings seem to be numbered, you will likely have to update the HYPERLINK fields if the numbers change. If you are tracking changes, the numbering won't be stable till you accept the changes.

Answer 3

Okay, so something is happening when you save, close, and reopen. A few things to check:

At File | Options | Advanced: General, if the box for "Update automatic links at open" is checked, you could try clearing it to see whether this makes a difference.

At File | Options | Trust Center | Trust Center Settings | Privacy Options, make sure that the box for "Remove personal information from file properties on save" is not checked. This really shouldn't have anything to do with hyperlinks, but it's worth a shot. 

What file format are you using for the save? Hyperlinks should work in .doc, .docx, and .pdf files but not in, say, .txt files.

Are you tracking changes? That might be relevant. Obviously, I'm grasping at straws here, but I do think your bookmarks could be part of the problem.

Answer 4

You said the hyperlink was to a bookmark, but a bookmark name cannot contain spaces, and yours appears to. It's also an unusually long bookmark name. It appears you're using multilevel list numbering. If so, you could insert a cross-reference to "Numbered item" (or "Heading" if it's in one of the built-in heading styles), and the cross-reference would automatically be hyperlinked; you wouldn't then have to assign a bookmark.

Answer 5

Were these links to bookmarks? Have the bookmarks moved or been removed?