The fastest way to remove a hyperlink

Right-click the hyperlink and select Remove Link from the menu. The text stays; only the link disappears. This works in Word on Windows, Mac, and the web version.

If you are using a keyboard, select the hyperlink text, then press Ctrl+Shift+F9 on Windows or Command+Option+F9 on Mac. The link removes when ready without opening a dialog.

The web version of Word (Word Online) does not have a keyboard shortcut for this, so right-click is your only option there. The shortcut is faster if you work with many hyperlinks in a single session, since your hands stay on the keyboard.

Key Takeaways

  • Right-clicking a hyperlink and choosing Remove Link is the fastest method and works across all Word versions.
  • Keyboard shortcuts (Ctrl+Shift+F9 on Windows, Command+Option+F9 on Mac) remove links without opening menus.
  • Removing a link leaves the text in place — you are only breaking the connection, not deleting words.
  • If you need to delete the text itself along with the link, select it and press Delete as you would any other text.
  • Word can automatically turn text that looks like a web address back into a hyperlink, which you can disable in AutoCorrect settings.

Removing multiple hyperlinks at once

If your document has many hyperlinks and you want to strip them all out, select all text with Ctrl+A (Windows) or Command+A (Mac), then press Ctrl+Shift+F9 or Command+Option+F9. Every hyperlink in the document removes at once, and all text remains.

This is useful when you are preparing a document for printing or sending to someone who should not click links. The text formatting stays intact — bold, italics, colors, and everything else remains as it was. This bulk method is much faster than removing links one at a time, especially in longer documents with dozens of hyperlinks.

Word Online does not support this bulk removal through keyboard shortcuts. You will need to right-click each link individually or use the desktop version of Word if you want to remove all hyperlinks at once.

Deleting the text and the link together

If you want to remove both the hyperlink and the words it contains, straightforward select the text and press Delete or Backspace. This works the same way as deleting any other text in Word.

You do not need to remove the link first. Selecting the hyperlinked text and deleting it removes both the text and the link in one action. This is faster than removing the link and then deleting the text separately if you actually want the words gone from your document.

When hyperlinks reappear after deletion

Sometimes after you remove a hyperlink, Word automatically converts the text back into a link. This usually happens when the text looks like a web address or email (for example, "www.example.com" or "name@example.com"). Word treats these as automatic hyperlinks and creates them without you asking.

To stop this, go to File > Options > Proofing > AutoCorrect Options (Windows) or Word > Preferences > AutoCorrect (Mac). Uncheck the box that says Internet and network paths with hyperlinks. This prevents Word from automatically linking anything that looks like a URL or email address going forward.

If you only want to stop it for one specific piece of text, you can also right-click the auto-linked text and choose Remove Link again, then when ready undo the auto-link by pressing Ctrl+Z (Windows) or Command+Z (Mac) if it reappears. Sometimes you need to do this twice if Word is aggressive about relinking.

Hyperlinks in tables and headers

Removing hyperlinks from inside tables works the same way — right-click and select Remove Link, or use the keyboard shortcut. The cell content stays; only the link breaks.

Hyperlinks in headers and footers also remove the same way. Click inside the header or footer area first, then right-click the hyperlink or use the keyboard shortcut. Word treats them no differently than hyperlinks in the main document body, so the process is identical.

Checking if a link actually removed

After you remove a hyperlink, the text should no longer be underlined or colored differently. Hover your mouse over the text — if no link preview appears and your cursor does not change to a hand icon, the link is gone.

If you are not sure whether a link is still there, press Ctrl+Click (Windows) or Command+Click (Mac) on the text. If nothing happens, the link is removed. If a browser opens or an email program launches, the link is still active and you need to remove it again.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does removing a hyperlink delete the text?

No. Removing a hyperlink breaks the connection but leaves the text exactly as it was. If you want to delete the text itself, you must select it and press Delete separately.

Can I remove all hyperlinks from a document at once?

Yes, on Windows and Mac. Select all text with Ctrl+A or Command+A, then press Ctrl+Shift+F9 or Command+Option+F9. Every hyperlink in the document removes when ready. Word Online does not support this bulk action.

Why does Word keep turning my text back into a hyperlink?

Word automatically converts text that looks like a web address or email into a hyperlink. Turn this off in File > Options > Proofing > AutoCorrect Options (Windows) or Word > Preferences > AutoCorrect (Mac) by unchecking "Internet and network paths with hyperlinks."

How do I remove a hyperlink from text inside a table?

The same way as anywhere else — right-click the hyperlink and choose Remove Link, or select it and press Ctrl+Shift+F9 (Windows) or Command+Option+F9 (Mac). The table cell content stays intact.

What if the Remove Link option does not appear when I right-click?

Make sure you are right-clicking directly on the hyperlinked text itself, not the space around it. If the text is not actually a hyperlink, the option will not appear. Try using the keyboard shortcut instead — it works on any selected text that contains a link.