Word turns every web or email address you type or paste into a blue, underlined link. That’s handy on screen but messy in print, forms and documents you’ll convert. You can remove links without losing a single word.
Removing a single hyperlink
Use this when only one or two links need to go. This is the first method in the video.
- Right-click the hyperlink.
- Click Remove Hyperlink.
Result: The text stays exactly where it was, but it is no longer blue, underlined or clickable.
To delete the link and its text together, select it and press Delete. Microsoft describes both options in Remove or turn off hyperlinks.
Tip: You can also click inside the link and press Ctrl + Shift + F9 on Windows, or Cmd + Shift + F9 on Mac. This unlinks just that one field.
Removing all hyperlinks at once
Use this when a pasted web page or long report is full of links. The video calls this the fastest method for large documents.
- Press Ctrl + A (Cmd + A on Mac) to select the whole document.
- Press Ctrl + Shift + F9 on Windows, or Cmd + Shift + F9 on Mac.
Result: Every hyperlink in the selected text becomes plain text, in one step.
On many laptops and Mac keyboards, the F keys control brightness or volume by default. If nothing happens, hold Fn as well.
Warning: Ctrl + Shift + F9 unlinks every field in the selection, not just hyperlinks. A table of contents, cross-references and date fields also become static text. If your document has these, select only the paragraphs that contain links before you press the shortcut.
Headers, footers and text boxes aren’t included when you press Ctrl + A in the body. Click inside them and repeat the steps if they contain links.
Stopping Word from creating hyperlinks automatically
Use this when you type a lot of URLs or email addresses and want them to stay as plain text. The video calls this the smarter way.
On Windows:
- Go to File > Options > Proofing.
- Click AutoCorrect Options.
- Open the AutoFormat As You Type tab.
- Clear Internet and network paths with hyperlinks.
- Click OK twice.
On a Mac:
- Go to Word > Preferences (called Settings in recent versions) > AutoCorrect.
- Open AutoFormat As You Type.
- Clear Internet and network paths with hyperlinks.
Result: New addresses you type stay as plain text. Links already in the document are unchanged, so remove those with the methods above.
Tip: If you want to keep auto-linking on, press Ctrl + Z (Cmd + Z on Mac) right after Word creates a link. It undoes the link but keeps your text.
Comparing the methods
| Method | Best for | Works on |
|---|---|---|
| Right-click > Remove Hyperlink | One or two links | Windows, Mac, web |
| Ctrl + A, then Ctrl + Shift + F9 | Every link in a long document | Windows, Mac |
| Turn off Internet and network paths with hyperlinks | Stopping new links as you type | Windows, Mac |
Platform differences
- Windows: all three methods work as shown in the video.
- Mac: use Cmd instead of Ctrl in the shortcuts, and add Fn if your F keys control the screen or sound.
- Word for the web: right-click a link to remove it. There is no shortcut to unlink every field, so open the file in the desktop app for bulk removal.
Hyperlinks when you convert to PDF
Removing a link in Word removes it from the PDF too. If you want to keep links working, the export method matters.
Save As or Export keeps hyperlinks clickable. Microsoft Print to PDF usually produces a PDF whose links don’t work.
See how to convert Word to PDF for the settings that keep links, including the Mac option to choose.
Troubleshooting hyperlinks in Word
- Blue links are hard to read on a black page: that’s Word’s Dark Mode, not the links. Turn off Dark Mode in Word or use View > Switch Modes.
- Links come back as you type: auto-formatting is still on. Clear Internet and network paths with hyperlinks in AutoFormat As You Type.
- The text is still blue after removing the link: the color came from the source. Select the text and press Ctrl + Space on Windows to clear character formatting.
- Your table of contents turned into plain text: you used Ctrl + Shift + F9 on the whole document. Press Ctrl + Z to undo, then select only the text with links.
- Pasted text is full of links: paste with Keep Text Only from the Paste Options button, or press Ctrl + Shift + V in recent versions.
- Links open when you click them by accident: make sure Use CTRL + Click to follow hyperlink is on in File > Options > Advanced.
Cleaning up a document that came from Google Docs? Links often survive the trip, so check them after you convert Google Docs to Word. More fixes are in the Microsoft Word guides.