Why you might want to disable links in Word

Disabling links in Word means breaking the connection between the blue underlined text and the web address or file it points to. When a link is disabled, clicking it does nothing. You might want to do this if you are sharing a document with people who should not follow certain links, if you want to edit text that happens to be formatted as a link, or if you are printing a document and do not want readers accidentally clicking links on paper.

Word treats links as active by default. A link stays active even after you save and close the document, so disabling is permanent unless you re-enable it later. The method you use depends on whether you want to disable one link, all links in the document, or links of a specific type.

Key Takeaways

  • Right-click a single link and select "Remove Hyperlink" to break that one connection without changing the text itself.
  • Press Ctrl+A to select all text, then Ctrl+Shift+F9 to disable every link in the document at once.
  • If you want to keep the link but prevent it from opening when clicked, you can convert it to plain text instead of removing it entirely.
  • Disabling links in Word does not affect the original web page or file — it only changes what happens when someone clicks inside your document.

Disable a single link by right-clicking

The fastest way to disable one link is to right-click directly on the blue underlined text. A menu will appear with several options. Look for "Remove Hyperlink" and click it. The text will stay in your document, but it will no longer be blue, underlined, or clickable.

This method works for links to websites, email addresses, and files. It does not delete the text itself — only the link behavior. If you want to edit the text after removing the link, you can do that normally.

Disable all links at once with a keyboard shortcut

If your document has many links and you want to disable them all, use the keyboard shortcut. First, press Ctrl+A to select every word in the document. Then press Ctrl+Shift+F9. Word will remove the link formatting from every hyperlink in the file.

This shortcut works on Windows. On a Mac, select all text with Cmd+A, then press Cmd+Shift+F9. After you run this command, all the text that was linked will become regular text. You cannot undo this action by pressing Ctrl+Z if you have made other changes since, so use this only when you are certain.

Convert links to plain text without removing them

Sometimes you want to keep the link address visible but prevent it from being clickable. You can do this by converting the link to plain text. Right-click the link and select "Edit Hyperlink". In the dialog box that opens, copy the web address or file path shown in the "Address" field.

Then remove the hyperlink using the method above. After that, you can type or paste the address as regular text if you want readers to see where the link pointed. This is useful if you are sharing a document where people need to know the URL but should not click it directly.

What happens when you disable a link

When you disable a link in Word, only your copy of the document changes. The original website or file remains untouched. If you send the document to someone else, they will receive it with the links disabled. If they open it in Word and re-enable the links, they can make them active again.

Disabling links does not prevent someone from copying the text and pasting it into a browser, nor does it hide the URL if you have set Word to display link addresses. If you need to prevent access to a link for security reasons, removing the text entirely is more effective than disabling the link.

Re-enable a link you have disabled

If you disabled a link and want to turn it back on, right-click the text and select "Add Hyperlink". A dialog box will open where you can enter the web address or file path. Type or paste the address and click OK. The text will become blue and underlined again, and clicking it will open the link.

If you disabled all links at once using Ctrl+Shift+F9, you cannot undo them all at once. You would need to re-enable each link individually using this method, or use Ctrl+Z when ready after running the shortcut if you have not made other changes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does disabling a link in Word affect the website it points to?

No. Disabling a link only changes what happens when someone clicks inside your Word document. The website, email address, or file you linked to is not affected in any way. You can disable and re-enable links as many times as you want without impacting anything outside the document.

Can I disable links when I print a document?

Word does not have a print-only option to disable links. If you want links disabled in a printed copy, you must disable them in the document itself before printing. Alternatively, you can save a separate copy of the document with links disabled, print that copy, and keep the original with links active.

What is the difference between removing a link and deleting the text?

Removing a link keeps the text but breaks the connection. Deleting the text removes both the link and the words themselves. If you want readers to see the text but not be able to click it, remove the link. If you want the text gone entirely, delete it.

Will disabling links work the same way in Google Docs or other programs?

No. Google Docs, LibreOffice, and other programs have different methods for disabling links. The right-click menu and keyboard shortcuts described here work only in Microsoft Word. Check the help documentation for whatever program you are using.