Office Settings & Configuration

How to Stop Word from Showing Hyperlinks as HYPERLINK Field Codes

John Wilson Oct 10, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user needs to restore normal, clickable hyperlink text when Microsoft Word unexpectedly displays raw field codes instead of the display text.

How to Stop Word from Showing Hyperlinks as HYPERLINK Field Codes

Product: Microsoft Word
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Reading or editing a Word document that contains web links or internal hyperlinks.
Observed behavior: Word replaces visible hyperlink text with a bracketed field code, such as {HYPERLINK "URL"}, making the document difficult to read.

Before you start

Before modifying your settings, click anywhere inside the affected hyperlink text to ensure your cursor is actively selecting the field.

Solution 1Recommended

Use Keyboard Shortcuts to Toggle Field Codes

The fastest way to hide field codes and restore normal text is by using Word's built-in toggle shortcuts.

Microsoft Word uses keyboard shortcuts to quickly switch between displaying the underlying field codes and their corresponding results. This is often triggered accidentally.

Toggle the entire document

Press the Alt + F9 keys on your keyboard simultaneously. This will toggle the field-code display off for all hyperlinks in the current document.

Toggle a single hyperlink

If you only want to fix a specific link, highlight or click inside the hyperlink field and press Shift + F9.

Use Keyboard Shortcuts to Toggle Field Codes

Persistent Settings: Using these shortcuts will typically save your preference, ensuring that new documents open with regular hyperlink text instead of field codes.

Solution 2

Disable Field Codes in Word Advanced Options

If the keyboard shortcuts do not work, you can manually disable the field code display feature through Word's advanced settings menu.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why did my hyperlinks suddenly change to {HYPERLINK}?

This usually happens if you accidentally pressed the Alt + F9 keyboard shortcut while typing, which commands Word to reveal the underlying field codes instead of the formatted text results.

Will fixing this issue affect other fields like page numbers or tables of contents?

Yes. Pressing Alt + F9 toggles the display for all field codes in the document. If you have page numbers, dynamic dates, or a table of contents, they will also switch between their field codes and normal values. If you only want to change a specific hyperlink, use Shift + F9 instead.

How do I remove a hyperlink entirely but keep the text?

To remove the link functionality while keeping the display text, right-click on the hyperlink (whether it is showing as a field code or normal text) and select 'Remove Hyperlink' from the context menu.

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