I am using Word 2016 and one singular link isn't working, despite working normally in-browser.

Question

Greetings,

we are working on Microsoft Word 2016 and a colleague sent me this link that the couldn't get to work properly.
I have tried to paste it different ways, using different browsers, different documents...

I have also tried other links of that site, which also don't work, so it seems like theres something about that specific site that is causing issues. The problem is that I dont see any (https, no special characters, nothing that seems out of the ordinary)

Here's the link, if anyone could manage to make a working word hyperlink it would be much appreciated.
https://www.oesterreichwein.at/unser-wein/winzerhandwerk-im-jahresverlauf

https://answers-afd.microsoft.com/static/images/image-not-found.jpgTranslation of the Error Message: couldn't be opened. The required information couldn't be downloaded.

Answer 1

Hi Eisenmenger Felix, 

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Community. 

When Microsoft Word 2016 displays the error message “Unable to open … Cannot download the information you requested” for a valid HTTPS link that works fine in a browser, it’s typically due to one of the following reasons: 

• The website sends a Pragma: no-cache header, and Internet Explorer is configured not to save encrypted pages.
• Microsoft Office uses Internet Explorer’s rendering engine to open hyperlinks, rather than launching the system’s default browser directly.  Here are step-by-step solutions you can try:

1. Disable “Do not save encrypted pages to disk” in Internet Explorer 

1. Open Internet Explorer (or Edge in IE compatibility mode).
2. Go to Tools > Internet Options > Advanced tab.
3. Scroll down to the Security section.
4. Uncheck the box for “Do not save encrypted pages to disk.”
5. Click OK, close Internet Explorer, and restart your computer.

Explanation: 
If the website prevents caching and IE is set not to save encrypted pages, Word cannot retrieve the necessary data to pass the link to the browser. 

2. Force Office to Use the Default Browser (ForceShellExecute) 

1. Close all Office applications.
2. Press Windows + R, type regedit, and press Enter.
3. Navigate to the following registry path:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Common\Internet 

1. If the Internet key doesn’t exist, right-click on Common, select New > Key, and name it Internet.
2. Inside the Internet key, right-click and choose New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
3. Name it ForceShellExecute.
4. Double-click it and set the Value data to 1, then click OK.
5. Close the Registry Editor and restart Word.

Word will now use the system’s default browser to open links, bypassing the Internet Explorer engine that may be causing the issue. 

3. Verify Word Settings 

In Word, go to File > Options > Advanced and ensure that “Use CTRL + Click to follow hyperlink” is enabled (if you prefer that behavior). Otherwise, simply clicking the link should work after applying the fixes above. 

4. Test the Link Again 

Try inserting the link into a new Word document: 

https://www.oesterreichwein.at/unser-wein/winzerhandwerk-im-jahresverlauf 

Use Ctrl + Click (if enabled) or a regular click to test. 

Additional Notes 

If the issue persists even after applying the above fixes, it’s possible that the website uses dynamic link generation or requires authentication headers that Office cannot handle. In such cases, you may consider: 

• Using PowerShell or Power Automate to fetch the content and embed it manually.
• Contacting the website administrator to review server-side headers or SSL/TLS settings that may block Office-based requests.

Please let me know if the issue continues after these steps. I’ll be happy to assist further. 

Best regards, 
Rin-L | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

Answer 2

Hi Eisenmenger Felix, 

Is there any update on this thread? If the issue has been resolved, please mark the helpful replies as answers. This helps others in the community facing similar problems. Thanks for your understanding.