How to modify, cancel, copy and retain Word cross-references

Key points of this article

After changing the cited title or caption, select all documents and press F9 to update the fields. The text citations will change accordingly, so there is no need to manually change them one by one.
When canceling the cross-reference, select only the place you want to process, press Ctrl+Shift+F9, and the reference will become the currently displayed ordinary text.
When copying referenced content, you should copy it together with the referenced target. After pasting, select all update fields, and then check whether there are any error messages.
When "Error! Reference source not found" appears, it usually means that the target has been deleted or the bookmark is lost. Just restore the target or re-insert the cross-reference.

When writing long documents, we often write "As shown in Figure 3-2" and "See Chapter 4 for details" in the text. If the text is generated using cross-references, the references can be updated if the figure number or chapter changes. But when actually editing, many people will encounter quotations showing old numbers, a sudden "Error! Quotation source not found", or they want to turn quotations into ordinary text but don't know how to do it. This article focuses on three types of issues: modifying existing cross-references, how to cancel word cross-references, and how to prevent references from becoming invalid when copying.

After reading, you can determine whether a reference should be modified, canceled, or copied together with the target; you can also follow the steps and check each item after completion. The operations in this article are based on the common functions and shortcut keys of Word. The menu positions of different versions may be slightly different, but the principles of shortcut keys and fields are basically the same.

How to modify, cancel and copy cross-references? One sentence conclusion

Let me give the conclusion first: If you want the reference to change with the target, modify the target, select all documents and press F9 to update; if you want it to be fixed as ordinary text, cancel the domain link; if you want to copy the content with the reference, copy it together with the target, update the domain after pasting, and check again.

your situation	Recommended practices	reason
I only want to change the quoted title or caption text	Change the target text directly, then select all and press F9	The reference reads the bookmark content at the target and automatically follows it after updating.
After adding or deleting charts, the numbers changed, but the numbers in the text did not change.	Select all documents and press F9 to update all fields	Numbering is generated by automatic numbering and the reference needs to be recalculated before the new value will be displayed.
No need to jump anymore, just want to keep the currently displayed text	Select a single quote and press Ctrl+Shift+F9	The domain result becomes static text and will no longer change with the target.
To copy a quoted content elsewhere	Copy along with the referenced target and update the domain after pasting	When the target is missing, the reference will display an error message
Copy to other files, just text	First cancel the domain link, then copy and paste	What is pasted is pure text and will not be invalidated because the target does not exist.

Before you start: Confirm these points first

First, confirm that this content is indeed a cross-reference. Click on the quoted text. If the field shading display is turned on, you will see gray shading; press Alt+F9 to switch the display of field codes. If you can see codes such as REF or PAGEREF, it means it is a domain. The manually entered "as shown in Figure 3-2" will not change with the number and must be modified manually.

Second, confirm that the referenced target is still there. If a title or caption is deleted, or the target is not included when copying and pasting, the citation will display "Error! Citation source not found". Updating the domain is useless at this time and the target needs to be restored first.

Third, distinguish which part you want to change. Changing the text of the target will affect the content of the quoted quote; correcting the position or format of the quote itself in the text is just a normal edit. The processing methods of the two are different, and it is easy to mishandle them when mixed together.

Fourth, back up your files before taking action. The operation of canceling the domain link can usually only be restored by undoing or backing up the file after closing and saving the file. It is recommended to save a copy of the original document first.

Fifth, consider who else to give the document to. The results of the field are saved in a file, and if the other party has not updated it when it is opened, you may see old numbers. Before sending it out, try to select everything and press F9 to save it again.

Steps to modify cross-references in Word

The following steps are suitable for updating the text citation after modifying the referenced content.

Find the referenced target, such as a title, the caption "Figure 3-2", or a numbered paragraph.
Directly modify the text of the target. When modifying the caption description, be careful not to delete the number part in the caption, otherwise the number will be lost.
If you add, delete, or adjust the order of charts, the numbers will be automatically rearranged, and there is no need to manually change the numbers.
Press Ctrl+A to select all documents, and then press F9. If you are prompted whether to update the entire document, select Update.
If you only want to update a part of it, select a reference and press F9 to update only the selected part of the field.
Check with the text to see if the new number or name appears in the reference.
If the old content is still displayed, check whether the target has been deleted and then re-entered, resulting in the loss of the original bookmark; if necessary, re-insert the cross-reference at the reference point.

Change name: Modify labels such as "Figure" and "Table" in the title

If you want to change the caption label from "Figure" to "Schematic", please note: the label text in the existing caption is usually ordinary text, and the number itself is an automatic field. After using Find and Replace to uniformly modify the label text, then select all and press F9, the reference will display the new name. It should be noted that only changing the label in the caption settings will usually only take effect on newly created captions. Existing captions will still have the old text, so it is recommended to use replacement to process them uniformly.

Cancel the cross-reference and turn it into ordinary text

Select only the reference you want to cancel, do not select the entire paragraph, to avoid accidentally damaging other fields.
Press Ctrl+Shift+F9 and the quote will change to the currently displayed normal text.
Confirm that the displayed content is correct, for example, "Figure 3-2" is still retained.
If you need to cancel in batches, you can first select a range and then press the same shortcut key. Note that other fields such as page numbers and directories within the range will also be canceled.
After cancellation, if the original target changes again, the text here will not be automatically updated and needs to be synchronized manually.

Copy the referenced content and keep the reference without invalidation

There are three commonly used methods when copying. You can choose according to the situation.

Method 1: Copy within the same document. Copy the quoted paragraph to another location in the document, and the referenced target will not move. After pasting, select all and press F9, and the reference will still point to the original target.
Method 2: Copy together with the target. Select the cited title or caption and the quoted paragraph together, copy them to a new location or file, then select them all and press F9 after pasting. This method is suitable for migrating entire chapters or sections. If only the reference is copied and no target is copied, an error message will appear.
Method 3: Cancel first and then copy. If the target does not need to be followed and only needs text, you can cancel the domain link referenced here and then copy and paste. What you get after pasting is plain text, which will not be invalidated, but will no longer be updated with the target later.

No matter which method is used, the display effect after pasting may be affected by the Word version and paste options. It is recommended to check it immediately after pasting.

Check each item after completion

Check items	How to see	What to do if there is a problem
Are there any error messages?	Use the Find function to search for "Error!"	The target is deleted or the bookmark is lost. Restore the target or reinsert the cross-reference.
Is the number consistent with the text?	Compare figure numbers with reference numbers in the text	Select all documents and press F9 to update. If the document is still inconsistent, check whether the title number is damaged.
Are there any domains that have been canceled by mistake?	Press Alt+F9 to switch the field code to see if the page number or table of contents is still a field	The operation you just performed can be undone by pressing Ctrl+Z; if it has been saved, use backup to restore it.
The copied reference points to	Click on a reference to see if it points to a target in this file	Copy again with the target, or reinsert the reference in this document
Display before sending	Read through key passages with field shading turned off	Select all and press F9 to save again.

📊 Core comparison

The difference between the three processing methods is whether the target will change after the reference, and where the main risks are.

Processing method	Whether to follow the target changes later	Main risks
Update after modifying the target	yes	An error message will appear when the target is deleted or the bookmark is lost.
Cancel cross reference	no	When the target changes again, manual synchronization is required and is not easy to detect.
Copy together with the target	yes	It will be invalid if only the reference is copied but not the target.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. After pressing F9, why is the quote still the old content?

First confirm whether all documents are selected and then press F9. If only one part is updated, other references will not be refreshed. If the content is still old, check whether the target has been deleted and then re-entered, resulting in the loss of the bookmark. At this time, the cross-reference needs to be reinserted.

2. The numbering changes from 3-2 to 4-2. Do I need to manually change the text citation?

If the text reference is a cross-reference, there is no need to change it manually. Just select them all and press F9. If "Figure 3-2" is typed by hand, it will not change automatically and needs to be modified one by one. This is why it is recommended to use cross-references.

3. Can the cross-reference be restored after canceling it?

When you have just finished an operation, you can press Ctrl+Z to undo it. If you have saved and closed the file, you usually have to rely on restoring it from a backup, or reinserting the cross-reference at the destination. So try to save another copy before canceling.

4. What should I do if the number displayed in the quotation of a file sent to others is wrong?

The results of the field are saved in the file. If the other party does not refresh it when opening it, the old value may be seen. Before sending, select all by yourself and press F9 and save; if the other party needs to continue editing, you can also remind the other party to open and update the field once.

📝 Summary

When modifying a Word cross-reference, change the target first and then select all and press F9; when it needs to be fixed to text, select a single location and press Ctrl+Shift+F9; when copying, take it with the target, and update and check after pasting. By remembering the order of these three steps, most cross-reference failures can be resolved in a matter of minutes.

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