Troubleshoot bookmarks

• Make sure bookmarks are visible before you make changes    When you add a bookmark to a block of text, Microsoft Word surrounds the text with square brackets. When you edit a bookmarked item, make sure you edit the text or graphics inside the brackets. To display bookmark brackets, click Options on the Tools menu, click the View tab, and then select the Bookmarks check box.

• Update the field    Word inserts cross-references as fields. If a cross-reference doesn't reflect changes you make in the bookmark it refers to, you need to update the fields. Select the cross-reference, right-click the field code, and then click Update Field on the shortcut menu.

• Make sure that the bookmark you referred to still exists    You may have accidentally deleted the bookmark itself or the text that contains the bookmark.

• Make sure that field names are spelled correctly    Many items that use bookmarks— for example, cross-references and indexes— are inserted as fields. If the field name isn't spelled correctly, you might receive an error message.

• Update the field    Select the document by pressing CTRL+A, right-click any field code, and then click Update Field on the shortcut menu.

This message appears when a bookmark is referenced by a page number, but the bookmark has been deleted.

• When you create an AutoText entry that contains a bookmark, make sure you select all of the text contained in the bookmark, including the opening and closing bookmark brackets.

• If you store text that contains a bookmark as an AutoText entry, Microsoft Word stores the bookmark with the entry. If you insert the AutoText entry more than once in a document, Word removes the bookmark from the previous entry and attaches it to the most recent entry.

You can cut, copy, and paste items that are marked with a bookmark. You can also add text to, and delete text from, marked items.