What Type of Links Will Be Processed?

Last updated: 2026-10-13

Comprehensive list of link types processed by the Broken Link Manager including hyperlinks, images, CSS references, and embedded content.

Introduction

Understanding the types of links processed by the SharePoint Broken Link Manager helps you set accurate expectations. This article covers every type of content the tool can scan for links.

Summary

The SharePoint Essentials Toolkit processes links found in:

  • SharePoint Modern and Classic web pages.

  • Web parts, including web part properties.

  • Web page content — JavaScript links, CSS references, image paths, and internal/external links.

  • Web page metadata — Page Layout, Note fields, Body fields, Summary Links, etc.

  • List Item metadata — Title, Description, Note fields, Hyperlink fields, custom fields, etc.

  • List Item attachments — links inside PDFs, Word docs, Excel (cells & formulas), HTML, XML, XSLT, and more.

  • Document Library metadata — Title, Description, Note fields, Hyperlink fields, custom fields, etc.

  • Document Library file contents — links inside PDFs, Word, Excel, Text, XML, HTML, OneNote, and more.

Outbound Links

Outbound links direct users outside of SharePoint. The tool supports reporting on and fixing:

  • Links to external websites outside your SharePoint environment.

  • Links to non-SharePoint content such as file shares (mapped drives or UNC paths) and web applications.

Supported Link Types

  • HTTP and HTTPS

  • FTP and SFTP

  • MAILTO — Email addresses are always shown as valid (200 OK). The tool does not verify the email address or domain.

  • Any other URI scheme (e.g., myphotoapp:Vacation?index=1)

  • File Shares and UNC paths (e.g., M:\path or \\servername\)

  • SharePoint Sharing links

  • SharePoint Document ID service links

  • SharePoint Durable links (right-click → Copy Link)

Supported SharePoint Content

  • SharePoint Sites and Site Collections

  • SharePoint subsites

  • OneDrive sites

  • SharePoint Navigation — Top Navigation, Quick Launch, cascading and mega menu styles

  • SharePoint Modern Pages

  • SharePoint Classic Pages (fully supported; see Unsupported Content below)

  • SharePoint Lists and Libraries, including custom lists

  • Items, Files, and Folder metadata — all built-in and custom fields that may contain links

  • File content (see Supported File Types below)

Supported File Types

Links inside the following file types are supported when stored in Document Libraries, Page Libraries, or as List Item Attachments:

  • Microsoft Word (Office 95+) — .doc, .docx, .docm, .dotx. Includes links in macros, images with hyperlinks, and links in tables.

  • Microsoft Excel (Office 95+) — .xls, .xlsx, .xlsm, .xlsb. Includes Data Connections, Power Queries, macros, cell links, formula links, and images with hyperlinks.

  • Microsoft PowerPoint (Office 95+)

  • Microsoft Visio (Office 95+)

  • Microsoft OneNote

  • Adobe PDF

  • Text (.txt, .rtf), JavaScript (.js), JSON

  • HTML, HTM (including inline JavaScript and styles)

  • ASPX, XML, XSLT

  • CSS, SCSS, LESS

  • MHT

Unsupported Content

Unsupported Link Types

  • Links starting or ending with # are skipped.

  • SharePoint OOTB links such as appredirect.aspx, _layouts/userdisp.aspx, and _vti_bin/spsdisco.aspx are excluded by default. Remove them from the Default Exclusion Rules in Links → Manage → Options to include them.

  • Microsoft Word bookmarks are not treated as URL links and are skipped.

  • Classic Page limitations: Script Editor web parts and Summary Links web parts are NOT supported.

Unsupported Lists & Libraries

  • Invalid list types are excluded.

  • External Lists are not supported.

  • Calendar Overlay links are not supported.

Unsupported Metadata

  • Fields that cannot contain links (e.g., Number fields) are not scanned.

  • 'Copy Source' fields are read-only and will appear in reports but cannot be replaced by the tool.

Unsupported File Types

Metadata for these files is still parsed, but links within the file content are not detected:

  • Compressed files (.zip, .rar, etc.)

  • Adobe Illustrator (.ai)

  • Adobe Photoshop (.psd)

  • AutoCAD (.dwg, .dxf)

  • AutoDesk (.3ds, .prj)

  • MS Outlook (.msg, .eml)

Non-Clickable Text-Based Links

Links that are plain text (not clickable hyperlinks) are supported in: Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint, PDF, and HTML.

Note: Text-based links with spaces may appear truncated because the tool cannot determine where the link ends.

SharePoint Custom Web Parts

Modern SPFx web parts are supported for detecting links and fixing links. For classic web part support - use the SharePoint Essentials Toolkit 2019 release.