Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Word 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Word, click here: Changing Document Links.

Changing Document Links

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated May 1, 2020)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003

You already know that Word allows you to establish links between your document and other objects, such as graphics, spreadsheets, and other items. There may come a time when you wish to change the links. For instance, you may have an Excel workbook you start over every year. However, the data within the workbook is in the same relative location as the previous year. To update your document for the new year, you can easily change the links established between your document and the worksheet. You do this in the following manner:

Choose Links from the Edit menu. Word displays the Links dialog box.
Select the link you want to change.
Click on Change Source. Word displays the Change Source dialog box. This dialog box is very similar to a standard Open dialog box in Word.
Use the controls in the dialog box to select the new source for the link.
Click on Open. The Change Source dialog box disappears and the Links dialog box reappears.
Make any additional link changes necessary by repeating steps 2 through 5.
Click on OK.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (1376) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Word (Word 2007 and later) here: Changing Document Links.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. Learn more about Allen...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Changing Chart Size

Place a chart on a worksheet and you may not be satisfied with its size. Changing the size of a chart is a simple process ...

Discover More

Printing Very Large Paper Sizes

Need to print on large pieces of paper? Word has a limit on the size of the paper it can use, but that might not be the ...

Discover More

Assuming Dates are in the Current Century

Type a date into Excel that includes a two-digit year, and you may not always get the year in the century you intended. ...

Discover More

Do More in Less Time! An easy-to-understand guide to the more advanced features available in the Microsoft 365 version of Word. Enhance the quality of your documents and boost productivity in any field with this in-depth resource. Complete your Word-related tasks more efficiently as you unlock lesser-known tools and learn to quickly access the features you need. Check out Microsoft 365 Word For Professionals For Dummies today!

More WordTips (menu)

Printing a Discussion

There are times you may have to work offline. Here is how to print out your discussion.

Discover More

Using the Discussion Pane

Tips for using the Discussion pane during a Discussion session.

Discover More

Handling Long Lines in Address Labels

When you print address labels, you only have a limited amount of horizontal space for each line of the label. If your ...

Discover More

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

Notify me about new comments ONLY FOR THIS TIP

Notify me about new comments ANYWHERE ON THIS SITE

Hide my email address

What is 5 - 4?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)

This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the menu interface (Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, or Word 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.