Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, and Word in Microsoft 365. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here: Accessing the Source of a Document Link.

Accessing the Source of a Document Link

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated June 6, 2026)

When you have information from other applications linked in your document, you may find it helpful to pull up the source of the link and review the material in that application. Word makes this easy through any of the following methods:

Double-click on the linked item.
Click the File tab of the ribbon and click Info. Click Edit Links to Files, and then select a link in the list of available links. Click on Open Source.
Right-click on the linked item, choose Linked Object from the resulting Context menu (the actual wording of the option may vary, depending on the nature of the link), and then choose Open Link from the resulting submenu.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (5933) applies to Microsoft Word 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, and Word in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Accessing the Source of a Document Link.

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. Learn more about Allen...

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