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How to Fix Microsoft Forms Changing Hyperlinks to Home Page

Kushani Nimanthika Sep 25, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user needs specific internal page URLs to remain intact when inserted into Microsoft Forms, rather than defaulting to the main website landing page.

Fix Microsoft Forms Changing Specific Hyperlinks to a Home Page

Product: Microsoft Forms
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Pasting a specific website hyperlink into the description or subtitle fields of Microsoft Forms.
Observed behavior: Microsoft Forms alters the pasted hyperlink, stripping the specific path and keeping only the main domain or landing page link, often due to formatting carried over from Microsoft Edge.

Before you start

Before proceeding, ensure you have the exact, full URL of the specific page you want to link to, and verify that the destination page is publicly accessible to your form respondents.

Solution 1Recommended

Remove Hidden Link Formatting Using Notepad

Use Notepad as an intermediary step to strip out rich-text formatting added by browsers, ensuring Microsoft Forms reads the exact plain-text URL.

Browsers like Microsoft Edge often copy URLs as formatted text (hyperlinked titles). When this rich text is pasted into plain-text fields in Microsoft Forms, the application may fail to parse the specific page path and revert the URL to the root domain.

Copy the original link

Navigate to your target specific web page in Microsoft Edge and copy the URL from the address bar.

Paste into Notepad

Open the Notepad application on your computer and paste the copied URL into a blank document. This automatically strips away any hidden rich-text formatting.

Copy the plain-text link

Select the entire plain-text URL in Notepad (Ctrl + A) and copy it (Ctrl + C).

Paste into Microsoft Forms

Return to your Microsoft Forms tab and paste the link (Ctrl + V) into the desired description or subtitle field. The specific URL path will now be retained.

Remove Hidden Link Formatting Using Notepad

Formatting Cleared: Pasting through Notepad is a universally effective trick for clearing unwanted clipboard formatting across any application.

Solution 2

Use an Alternative Browser to Copy the Link

Bypass Microsoft Edge's default link formatting behavior by using Google Chrome to copy the raw URL.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why does Microsoft Edge change the way my links are pasted?

By default, Microsoft Edge uses a 'Share, copy and paste' feature that copies URLs as hyperlinked page titles rather than plain web addresses. When pasted into restrictive fields like Microsoft Forms subtitles, the application may fail to process the rich text correctly, stripping the specific path and keeping only the main domain.

Can I disable the link formatting feature in Microsoft Edge?

Yes. Open Microsoft Edge, navigate to Settings, and select 'Share, copy and paste' from the left sidebar menu. Under the 'Default format' section, change your selection from 'Link' to 'Plain text'.

Does my account type affect how hyperlinks are handled in Forms?

Generally, no. Whether you are using a personal Outlook account or a work/school account with a custom domain, hyperlink truncation in form descriptions is usually caused by clipboard formatting conflicts rather than account-level permission restrictions.

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