In Microsoft 365, when you update a field that has a broken link to a bookmark, you may notice that Word displays Error! Bookmark Not Defined or Error! Reference source not found – in this post, we will offer the most suitable solution to the Microsoft Office issue in view.
Some Windows 10/11 PC users reported that they also encounter this error when they try to print documents with their home or work printers.
The most likely culprits to this error includes;
- Cross-referenced bookmark has been deleted.
- Corrupted Office installation.
Error! Reference source not found – Microsoft Office issue
If you’re faced with this Error! Reference source not found issue, you can try our recommended solutions below in no particular order and see if that helps to resolve the issue.
- Lock the fields before printing
- Manually remove all broken references
- Delete corrupted Cross-References fields using Kutools
- Repair Office installation
Let’s take a look at the description of the process involved concerning each of the listed solutions.
1] Lock the fields before printing
This is more of a workaround than a solution.
To lock the fields prior to printing the documents on your Windows PC, do the following:
- Open the document in Word application.
- Press Ctrl + A keyboard shortcut to select the whole document content.
- Next, press Ctrl + F11 to lock the cross-reference (REF) fields.
- Now, go to File menu on the ribbon-bar at the top.
- Click Print or press Ctrl + P.
Once you have the document physically printed, see if the Error! Reference Source Not Found error message has been resolved. If not, try the next solution.
2] Manually remove all broken references
If the bookmarks have been deleted from the Word document, you’ll encounter this issue. In this case, you can manually remove all broken references.
- Open the document in Word application.
- Press Ctrl + A keyboard shortcut to select the whole document content.
- Next, press F9 to unlock the fields.
- Now revise all text that is referenced to the broken content.
- Once done, save the changes and go to File > Print and print out the document.
Now see if the issue is resolved. Otherwise, try the next solution.
3] Delete corrupted Cross-References fields using Kutools
This solution requires you to install a Word add-in, and then delete your corrupted Cross-References fields. Using the Kutools add-on is a much more easy and convenient way If you have a whole lot of broken fields.
To delete corrupted Cross-References fields using Kutools, do the following:
- Download the Kutools for Word installer.
- Install the add-on for Word application.
- Restart your computer when installation is complete.
- On boot, open Word.
- On the Menu bar, click the newly appeared menu Enterprise > More.
- Click on Error Cross-References.
- On the dialog box that appears, click OK.
It will now take a couple of seconds for all your broken references to be resolved.
4] Repair Office installation
If nothing has worked so far for you, you can repair the Word application or repair the entire Office installation. If repairing didn’t help, you can uninstall Office and then reinstall Microsoft 365.
That’s it!
How do I fix error source not found in a PDF?
When you try to print or save as PDF, the referenced fields are updated. So, to fix the issue, navigate to File > Options > Display and uncheck the option Update fields before printing and see if that works. If it does not work, you may need to manually find out where the error messages occur and re-create the cross-references.
How do you fix not a valid bookmark self reference?
Not a valid bookmark self-reference error message suggests that you are inserting a cross-reference to the paragraph where the cross-reference resides.
Hope you find this our guide helpful!
