Where are linkIDs stored by the Inoculate process?

Where are linkIDs stored by the Inoculate process?

Where are linkIDs stored by the Inoculate process?

Modified on: Fri, 6 Mar, 2026 at 11:44 AM

Overview

When you run the Inoculate process, LinkFixer Advanced adds unique linkIDs into the metadata of your files.
  1. These linkIDs are invisible to users.
  2. They do not affect how the file functions.
  3. In most cases, you will never need to view or examine them directly.

Viewing LinkIDs in Office (XML) Files

If you want to see the linkIDs inside an inoculated office file (such as a DOCX):

Inside this file, you will find the linkIDs for all links contained in the parent file. These IDs allow LinkFixer Advanced to repair broken links when files are renamed, moved, or migrated.

  1. Select a file that has been inoculate by LinkFixer Advanced.

  1. Change the file extension to .ZIP (for example, rename LFA_Intro.Docx to LFA_Intro.zip).


  2. Right click the LFA_Intro.zip file and Extract/un-zip the contents of the ZIP file.

  1. Open the extracted folder.


  2. Open the docProps folder and open the custom.xml using a text editor.
    1. To open the custom.xml file using a text editor, right click on the file and select the “Edit in notepad”.

  3. The custom.xml looks like the below image and you will be able to check the linkID.

Important Notes

  1. The custom.xml file is created by LinkFixer Advanced and is not used by any other program.
  2. LinkIDs remain invisible to end users and transparent to Office applications.
  3. They persist evein if the file is moved, or if LinkFixer Advanced is closed or uninstalled.
  4. Other file types store linkIDs in similar hidden metadata locations, always invisible to normal users.