Formatting of Removed Hyperlinks

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated October 26, 2024)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Word in Microsoft 365, and 2021

Robert is manually removing hyperlinks from a document, which he finds not too tedious for his needs. Sometimes, however, even after the hyperlink is removed, Robert notes that the previously linked text remains in blue and underlined. He wonders why this occurs.

When Word converts a URL or e-mail address to an active hyperlink, it automatically applies the Hyperlink style to the text. This is a built-in character style that defines how the hyperlink looks in the document—by default, blue and underlined. When you remove the hyperlink, Word may at times not also remove the Hyperlink style from the text, which is what Robert is experiencing.

Why this occurs is unclear, as it is not behavior that can be reproduced with regularity—it just happens sporadically. When it does happen, you can select the text and press Ctrl+Spacebar to set the text back to its default.

Truth be told, you could select the hyperlink and press Ctrl+Spacebar to remove the Hyperlink style. That won't get rid of the actual hyperlink however—the hyperlink and the formatting of the hyperlink (using the Hyperlink style) are two separate things. If you want to get rid of both, it is best to remove the hyperlink (right-click on it and choose Hyperlink | Remove Hyperlink from the Context menu) and then, if necessary, remove the formatting as already described.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (10140) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Word in Microsoft 365, 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. Learn more about Allen...

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