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: Hyperlinks Not Found.

Hyperlinks Not Found

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated April 21, 2018)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


When you insert hyperlinks into your Word documents, how you specify the URL in the hyperlink's field can affect how the hyperlink behaves in the future. Typically, if you are referencing a URL in your hyperlink, it is inserted in the format http:\\word.tips.net. This is called an absolute hyperlink, because it indicates exactly where the resource is located, regardless of the location of the document in which the hyperlink is created.

When you create hyperlinks to files, it is much more common to create relative hyperlinks instead of absolute ones. For instance, let's say you have two documents, named (appropriately enough) MyDoc1 and MyDoc2. If you are working in MyDoc1, and you want to include a hyperlink to the bookmark CoolPlace in MyDoc2, the field containing your hyperlink may end up looking like this:

{ HYPERLINK "MyDoc2.doc" \l "CoolPlace" }

This is a relative hyperlink, and in later resolving the link, Word assumes that MyDoc2 is located in the same disk folder as MyDoc1. If you end up separating MyDoc1 and MyDoc2 into different folders, you will get "Error! Bookmark not defined" instead of the expected hyperlink in MyDoc1.

A partial solution to this problem is to always use absolute references for files when setting up hyperlinks. For instance, the foregoing hyperlink would look like the following when it uses absolute references instead:

{ HYPERLINK "D:\SomePath\MyDoc2.doc" \l "CoolPlace" }

Now, if you move MyDoc1 into a different directory, Word can still find MyDoc2 and the hyperlink will still work as expected. Notice, however, that I said this was only a "partial solution." The reason is that you will still get an error if you move MyDoc2 to a different place than the noted directory. In that case, the only solution is to modify your hyperlinks so they point to the new absolute location of MyDoc2.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (1751) 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: Hyperlinks Not Found.

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. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Inserting the Author Name

Did you know that Word tries to keep track of who the author of a document is? This information can be easily added to ...

Discover More

Putting a Chart Legend On Its Own Page

Displaying information using charts in Excel is easy and there are a variety of chart styles to choose from. Integrated ...

Discover More

Formatting Lots of Tables

Do you need a quick way to format your tables? Believe it or not, there are several tools you can use from Word's arsenal ...

Discover More

Learning Made Easy! Quickly teach yourself how to format, publish, and share your content using Word 2021 or Microsoft 365. With Step by Step, you set the pace, building and practicing the skills you need, just when you need them! Check out Microsoft Word Step by Step today!

More WordTips (menu)

Using Extend Mode

One of the most overlooked shortcut keys in Word has to be the extend key. Yet, learning how to use this simple key can ...

Discover More

Understanding Hyphens and Dashes

Word provides you with three types of hyphens and two types of dashes that you can use in your documents. Understanding ...

Discover More

Using the Copy or Move Text Keys

Most people use the Clipboard to copy and move text in Word. Before the Clipboard, Word used F2 to move text and Shift+F2 ...

Discover More
Subscribe

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.

What is five minus 1?

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.

Videos
Subscribe

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

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.