diff --git a/R/add-appendix-subsection-refs.R b/R/add-appendix-subsection-refs.R
index 1bf5489..be94aa1 100644
--- a/R/add-appendix-subsection-refs.R
+++ b/R/add-appendix-subsection-refs.R
@@ -179,13 +179,12 @@ add_appendix_subsection_refs <- function(x){
 
     # Add referencing so the appendix can be referenced in the document
     # with a link
-
-    counter_lines <- "\refstepcounter{chapter}"
-    if(app_ind == 1){
-      counter_lines <- c("\renewcommand{\thechapter}{A}",
-                         counter_lines)
-    }
+    counter_lines <- c(paste0("\\renewcommand{\\thechapter}{",
+                              toupper(LETTERS[app_ind]),
+                              "}"),
+                       "\\refstepcounter{chapter}")
     app <- c(counter_lines, app)
+
     app
   })
 
diff --git a/R/fix-envs.R b/R/fix-envs.R
index ee53c38..fc75e5f 100644
--- a/R/fix-envs.R
+++ b/R/fix-envs.R
@@ -136,7 +136,6 @@ fix_envs <- function(x,
       )
     }
   }
-  x <- inject_refstepcounters(x)
 
   if (pandoc_curr_ver_is_before()) {
     # Need to remove hypertarget for references to appendices to work:
diff --git a/R/utils.R b/R/utils.R
index 6ff9b2b..b4d6c09 100644
--- a/R/utils.R
+++ b/R/utils.R
@@ -296,20 +296,6 @@ fr <- function(){
   getOption("french", default = FALSE)
 }
 
-inject_refstepcounters <- function(x) {
-  chpts <- grep("^\\\\starredchapter\\{", x)
-  for (i in chpts) {
-    # in very rare setups hypertarget doesn't appear(?):
-    .i <- if (grepl("hypertarget", x[i - 1])) i else i + 1
-    x <- c(
-      x[seq(1, .i - 3)],
-      paste0(x[.i - 2], "\n\n\\clearpage\n\n\\refstepcounter{chapter}"),
-      x[seq(.i - 1, length(x))]
-    )
-  }
-  x
-}
-
 # nocov start
 #' Add a Res Doc titlepage to a docx file
 #'