How to Fix Bookmark Not Defined Error in Word

Here are a few possible solutions

Bookmarks are used to hyperlink or reference specific locations or sections that you want to use later.

While they’re useful, bookmarks can often cause issues such as the “Error! bookmark not defined” issue, which many Microsoft Office users have encountered.

The error means that the bookmark referenced is no longer valid, and is usually triggered when:

Fortunately, you can get around the error by ensuring that the bookmark exists or deleting the cross-reference field altogether.

This guide lists some possible solutions to help you resolve the bookmark not defined error in Word.

What to Do When You Get “Error! Bookmark Not Defined” in Word

Before you can fix the bookmark not defined error, check whether you can view the bookmarks because the default Word settings don’t display bookmarks.

With that out of the way, try the solutions below to fix the error in Word.

If you still see “Error! bookmark not defined” on your Word document, you can unlink the fields in thetable of contentsand see whether the error disappears.

The Undo command in Windows helps youreverse an earlier actionyou may have performed on your Word document.

If the error bookmark not defined appears while you’re using an automated table of contents, one or more of the fields in the table may contain abroken linkthat leads to a bookmark.

You may also see the error immediately after generating the table before you can save your document. In this case, you can use the Undo command to restore the original text immediately.

If you’ve made some new changes on your document or it doesn’t use the built-in heading styles in Word, you may end up with the Error! bookmark not defined problem.

You can transform the table of contents into a semi-manual listing and replace missing bookmarks.

Note: If you see aPAGEREF/HYPERLINK “Bookmark Name”entry, it means the bookmark was inserted manually. If you get an error, for examplePAGEREF/HYPERLINK Ref364868613,it points to a hidden bookmark created by a cross-reference dialog.

If you’re still seeing Error! bookmark not defined on your Word document even after identifying and repairing broken entries, you can pressF9to force update the table of contents.

TheF9 keyis used to update a field in Word. It works the same way as right-clicking a field and selecting theUpdate Fieldoption.

Using F9 should get the table of contents to update normally after you’ve removed any broken bookmark links.

If you don’t want to fix every broken link entry in your table of contents, you can convert the table of contents to regular text. Doing this eliminates the error and allows you to override those entries with your own text.

Get Rid of the Error! Bookmark Not Defined in Word

We hope the solutions in this guide helped you resolve the “Error! bookmark not defined” issue in Word.

For more helpfulMicrosoft Word tips and tricks, turn to our troubleshooting guides onhow to fix Word not responding,recover a Word document, or how toadd/remove comments in Word.

Elsie is a technology writer and editor with a special focus on Windows, Android and iOS. She writes about software, electronics and other tech subjects, her ultimate goal being to help people out with useful solutions to their daily tech issues in a simple, straightforward and unbiased style. She has a BCom degree in Marketing and currently pursuing her Masters in Communications and New Media.Read Elsie’s Full Bio

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How to Fix Bookmark Not Defined Error in Word#

What to Do When You Get “Error! Bookmark Not Defined” in Word#

Get Rid of the Error! Bookmark Not Defined in Word#