Clearing Lists in the Insert Hyperlink Dialog Box

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated August 15, 2024)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021


1

When Willem displays the Insert Hyperlink dialog box, it shows a list of recent folders, recent web pages, and recent e-mail addresses in case he wants to use them again. Willem wonders if there is a way to clear these lists.

The short answer is no, there is no way that we've been able to find to clear these lists. The longer answer is worth considering, however.

When you display the Insert Hyperlink dialog box (just press Ctrl+K), you see a series of controls that display recent information. For instance, if you click on Browsed Pages, you'll see a list of recent pages you've visited. (See Figure 1.)

Figure 1. The Insert Hyperlink dialog box.

Note that if you click the down-arrow next to the Address field (bottom of the dialog box) you'll see an additional list of possible choices for recent links. The interesting glimmer of hope is that you can clear this list that is displayed in the Address field drop-down. All you need to do is to edit the Registry and delete this entry:

HKEY_Current_User/Software/Microsoft/Internet Explorer/TypedURLs

Note that this is for Explorer, but the list is maintained even if you are using the Edge browser. Delete the Registry entry, and nothing will appear when you use the Address drop-down.

The major lists, though—the ones shown in the upper part of the Insert Hyperlink dialog box—are of unknown origin. There is nothing from Microsoft sources that points to where these lists originate. The information in these lists does not appear in any browser history, nor does it appear in any Registry entry. (I will admit, though, that it is possible that the information is encrypted somehow in one of these locations.) If it cannot be located, it cannot be deleted.

It should be noted that clearing this information cannot be done in VBA, either. There is nothing that allows you to access these lists as a collection or as individual items.

Until Microsoft is willing to pull back the curtain just a bit further, how to clear these lists remains a mystery.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (5205) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021.

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

Automatic AutoCorrect Exceptions for Beginning Sentences

When automatically capitalizing the beginning of sentences, Word relies on how you historically have done your typing. ...

Discover More

Default Envelope Margins

When you create envelopes in Word, you may want to adjust where the return address and main address are printed. Doing so ...

Discover More

Searching for Special Characters

When using the Find and Replace feature of Word, you can search for more than plain text. You can also search for ...

Discover More

Learning Made Easy! Quickly teach yourself how to format, publish, and share your content using Word 2013. With Step by Step, you set the pace, building and practicing the skills you need, just when you need them! Check out Microsoft Word 2013 Step by Step today!

More WordTips (ribbon)

Editing a Hyperlink

Word allows you to embed active hyperlinks in your documents. If you later want to change or edit that hyperlink, you can ...

Discover More

Pop-up Windows in Word

Want to add a small pop-up window over a word in your document? There is no way to do this directly in Word, but you can ...

Discover More

Checking for Valid Hyperlinks

If you have a document containing a lot of hyperlinks, it would be cool if there was a way to check all those hyperlinks ...

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 six minus 5?

2022-11-09 04:17:25

Caroline

Thanks for this tip! I would like to add this:
In Microsoft Edge, clearing the history under "Clear browsing data" didn't work, but I found that clearing the history under “Clear browsing data for Internet Explorer” did the trick.


This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the ribbon interface (Word 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the menu 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.