Stop word from updating references when you save as pdf or print

I really mainly have problems when my inserted references look like this: [4]-[6] and I want them to look like this [4-6]. If you edit them, normally in word when you click save as PDF it changes everything back to the first format. To avoid this you can "lock the fields" and just press ctrl+f11 to lock it, and ctrl+shift+f11 to unlock it. I haven't found a way to determine in properties if something is locked or not, but if after you finish your dock, you click ctrl+a then ctrl+f11, you lock everything nicely.

"File>Options>Display and uncheck the "Update fields before printing" may do it.  Or, it may be necessary to use Ctrl+A (to select everything) and then Ctrl+F11  to Lock the fields, or Ctrl+Shift+F9 to Unlink them."

source: here