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    When i send my document to the printer all references disappear and the text reads "Error Reference Source Not Found". The problem is neither related to my computer nor to the printer as it keeps appearing in various computers and printers. Also it is happening only to the specific word document.

    What can i do to print the document properly?

    Thursday, May 10, 2012 1:30 PM

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    The message typically occurs because a cross-referenced bookmark or heading has been deleted. You should now unlock the fields, update them via Ctrl-A, F9, then review the document wherever those messages occur and either:
    • revise the text so that it longer refers to the deleted content;
    • delete the errant cross-references and create new ones pointing to the correct headings; or
    • recreate the bookmarks at the locations the cross-references should be referring to.

    Cheers
    Paul Edstein
    [MS MVP - Word]

    Friday, May 11, 2012 9:41 PM

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    Are these cross-references? In that case, you are dealing with cross-reference (REF) fields pointing to bookmarks that have been deleted from the document. As a temporary fix, you can lock the fields before printing: Press Ctrl+A to select the whole document and then Ctrl+F11 to lock them. (Ctrl+Shift+F11 unlocks the fields in the selection.)
    Stefan Blom, Microsoft Word MVP
    Thursday, May 10, 2012 6:41 PM
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    Stefan thanks a lot!!! That was really helpful!!!

    Yes they are cross-refs. However, what about a permanent fix of the problem? What do you think?

    Regards,

    Dimitris

    Friday, May 11, 2012 2:56 PM
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    Are the cross-references pointing to text? To page the page number? Or to a paragraph number?

    Stefan Blom, Microsoft Word MVP
    Friday, May 11, 2012 9:26 PM
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    The message typically occurs because a cross-referenced bookmark or heading has been deleted. You should now unlock the fields, update them via Ctrl-A, F9, then review the document wherever those messages occur and either:
    • revise the text so that it longer refers to the deleted content;
    • delete the errant cross-references and create new ones pointing to the correct headings; or
    • recreate the bookmarks at the locations the cross-references should be referring to.

    Cheers
    Paul Edstein
    [MS MVP - Word]

    Friday, May 11, 2012 9:41 PM
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    All of my references are to numbered items. My fields are up to date and remain so when I select all and update (CTRL-A, F9 as suggested).  Still, when printing, all the references show up as the Error message instead of their target reference. This seems like a bug in MS Word. Can you please give a workaround/fix other than locking the document? This will be an issue for my use case. Thank you.
    • Edited by jagullic Thursday, June 7, 2018 10:48 PM
    Thursday, June 7, 2018 10:46 PM
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    That suggests a faulty Office installation. Try repairing it (via Windows Control Panel > Programs > Programs & Features > Microsoft Office (version) > Change > Repair).

    Cheers
    Paul Edstein
    [MS MVP - Word]

    Friday, June 8, 2018 12:20 AM
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    Is there still no solution to this problem? I've tried everything and nothing works.
    Wednesday, December 12, 2018 11:13 PM
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    Select the field that displays the error message and press Shift-F9 to display the field code, which will look something like {REF SomeBookmark}. Copy the bookmark name, then press F5, choose 'Bookmark' and paste the bookmark name into the dialogue the click 'GoTo'. Does Word find the bookmark? If not, the problem is as previously described in the thread and the solution is the same.

    Cheers
    Paul Edstein
    [MS MVP - Word]

    Thursday, December 13, 2018 4:35 AM
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    Select the field that displays the error message and press Shift-F9 to display the field code, which will look something like {REF SomeBookmark}. Copy the bookmark name, then press F5, choose 'Bookmark' and paste the bookmark name into the dialogue the click 'GoTo'. Does Word find the bookmark? If not, the problem is as previously described in the thread and the solution is the same.

    Cheers
    Paul Edstein
    [MS MVP - Word]


    I've got a 225 page document with documents I've referenced [1], [2], etc... in the bibliography. I did not change anything in the bibliography, I only moved some textes between chapters. Now every thing indicates that error, when Alt F9, I can see that the REF for document [1] is not the same anymore !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How can I retrieve the situation and/or how do I avoid a similar issu in the future ?
    Tuesday, May 28, 2019 2:45 PM
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    The way you moved the text (most likely via copy/paste then deleting the original) is at the heart of the problem. You will need to recreate the references...

    Cheers
    Paul Edstein
    [MS MVP - Word]

    Wednesday, May 29, 2019 5:03 AM
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    So how are you supposed move text around so this Error! Reference source not found. 

    does not keep happening?? It is driving me crazy. When I try to update the TOC, this keeps happening.

    Friday, August 7, 2020 1:07 AM
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    Note that this forum is closing very soon. Please post any follow-ups or new questions in the Word IT Pro section in the Q & A forum at https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/topics/office-word-itpro.html.

    Stefan Blom, Microsoft Word MVP

    Friday, August 7, 2020 8:55 AM