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Delete a Link in Microsoft Word

When there is linked content in Microsoft Word that you no longer need, you can delete the ActiveLink in Word using the Delete Link option. Deleting links in Word disables the link's connection between Excel and Word and removes the linked content from Word, including any embedded content if applicable such as parenthetical or narrative content tagged with XBRL and Word comments. Deleting a link does not delete the link's corresponding value(s) or named range in Excel.  

You can also delete links you've broken to remove the broken link's content from Word.

There is no option to restore the link after it has been deleted.

Note: If you need to disable a link so it is no longer updated but do not want to delete the linked content from Word, see Break a Link in Microsoft Word.

Note: When you delete a link in the Word document, all stored information about the link is removed from the Word document. This includes Preferences, Excel Link Properties, Calculated Properties, Content Control Properties, and Created and Modified Date information.

For more information about deleting links, see the following sections:

Delete a link using the Delete Link button

This topic describes how to delete links using the Delete Link button and the Index panel.

To delete a link in Word using the ribbon

Note: You cannot use the Delete Link button to delete a broken link. To delete a broken link, use the Index panel (refer to 'To delete a broken link using the Index panel' below).

  1. In the Word document, select the link or links that you want to delete.

    1. To delete a single link, select the link in the document, click Delete Link on the ActiveLink ribbon.

    2. To delete multiple links at once, highlight the part of the document that contains the links, click the arrow on the Delete Link button, and then click Selected Links.

    1. To delete all links in the document, click the arrow on the Delete Link button, and then, click All Links in Document.

  2. In the Delete Links dialog box, click Delete to delete the selected links. When the Delete Links operation is successful for a link, the link and corresponding linked content are removed from Word.

    Note: The # column reflects the order that the links will be deleted, not the order that the links appear in the document.

  3. To filter by the links that were successfully deleted or by links that encountered errors, use the Filter by check boxes. If there were no errors during the Delete Links operation, the Filter by check boxes are not available.

Delete a link using the Index panel

You can use the Index panel to delete links.

When you delete links using the Index panel, you can easily select the links you want to delete by selecting the check box next to each link. You can also use the Index panel to quickly delete a single link or delete all links in the document.

To delete a link using the Index panel

  1. With the Word document open, click Index from the ActiveLink ribbon to open the Index panel, ActiveLinks tab.

  2. To delete ActiveLinks, do one of the following:

    • From the Index panel, ActiveLinks tab, right-click a single link to delete and click Delete Link from the menu that appears.

    • From the Index panel, ActiveLinks tab, select the check box next to the links to delete, click the Options icon , and click Delete Link(s) from the menu that appears.

  3. In the Delete Links dialog box, click Delete to delete the selected link(s). When the Delete Links operation is successful for a link, the link is no longer listed in the ActiveLinks tab and the corresponding linked content is removed from Word.

    Note: The # column reflects the order that the links will be deleted, not the order that the links appear in the document.

  4. To filter the links that were deleted or by links that encountered errors, use the Filter by check boxes. If there were no errors during the Delete Links operation, the Filter by check boxes are not available.

Delete a Broken Link Using the Index Panel

When you delete broken links using the Index panel, you can easily select the links you want to delete by selecting the check box next to each link. You can also use the Index panel to quickly delete a single broken link or delete all broken links in the document.

Note: You cannot delete broken links using the ActiveLink ribbon.

To delete a broken link in Word using the Index panel

  1. With the Word document open, click Index from the ActiveLink ribbon to open the Index panel, ActiveLinks tab.

  2. In the Index panel, click the Broken Links tab. The Broken Links tab displays, listing each broken link in the Word document.
  3. To delete broken links, do one of the following:

    • Right-click a single broken link to delete and click Delete Link from the menu that appears.

    • Select the check box next to the links to delete, click the Options icon , and click Delete Link(s) from the menu that appears.

  4. In the Delete Links dialog box, click Delete to delete the selected link(s). When the Delete Links operation is successful for a broken link, the link is no longer listed in the Broken Links tab and corresponding linked content is removed from Word.

    Note: The # column reflects the order that the links will be deleted, not the order that the links appear in the document.

  5. To filter the links that were deleted or by links that encountered errors, use the Filter by check boxes. If there were no errors during the Delete Links operation, the Filter by check boxes are not available.

See also

Update a Link in Microsoft Word

Break a Link in Microsoft Word

Restore a Broken Link in Microsoft Word

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