Word for Microsoft 365 Word 2021 Word 2019 Word 2016 Accounting 2007 More…Less
If you have an object in one file that you’d like to put into another, such as a doc or a dynamic chart, embed or link to it.
Link or Embed a file
To insert a copy of your file into another, embed or link to it.
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Go to Insert > Object.
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Select Create from File.
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Select Browse and choose the file you want to use.
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Select Insert.
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Choose Display as icon to embed, or Link to file for a link.
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Select OK
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What to Know
- Highlight text or image > right-click text and select Link or Hyperlink > choose destination and enter info > OK.
- Next, select Existing File or Web Page and enter URL to link outside of document.
- Select Place in This Document > select location to link inside of document.
This article explains how to insert or remove a hyperlink in a Word document using Microsoft 365, Word 2019, Word 2016, Word 2013, Word 2010, and Word Starter 2010.
Insert and Remove a Hyperlink in Word
To add and delete hyperlinks in a Word document:
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Highlight the text or image that you want to link.
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Right-click the text and choose Link or Hyperlink (depending on the version of Microsoft Word).
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Select the type of destination you want to link to, then fill in the appropriate information.
- Choose Existing File or Web Page, go to the Address text box, then enter a URL.
- Choose Place in This Document, then select a location within the document.
- Choose Create New Document, go to the Name of new document text box, then enter the name of a new document. If needed, in the Full path section, select Change to change the document folder. In the When to edit section, choose whether you want to edit the document now or later.
- Choose E-mail Address, go to the E-mail Address text box, then enter the email address you want readers to send email to. In the Subject text box, type the subject.
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Select OK.
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The text now shows up as a hyperlink in the document.
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To remove a hyperlink, right-click the link text, then choose Remove Hyperlink.
Use the Right Kind of Hyperlink
There are different kinds of hyperlinks. Choose the one that points your readers to the most helpful information to supplement your document.
Existing File or Web Page Hyperlinks
When you choose this option, the hyperlink opens a website or file. For example, if you’re writing an article about your camping trip to Rocky Mountain National Park, provide a hyperlink to the appropriate section of the National Park Service so readers can quickly find the information they need to plan a similar trip.
Another use might be if you wrote an article about the National Park Service and the document is available to your readers, link to the Word file you created. When the reader selects the hyperlink, that file opens.
Place in This Document Hyperlinks
Another type of hyperlink jumps to a different place in the same document upon selection. Often called an anchor link, this type of link doesn’t take the reader away from the document.
When a document is long and includes sections or chapters that are formatted as headings, create a table of contents at the beginning of the document. Include hyperlinks in the table of contents so that readers can jump to a particular heading.
You could also use this type of hyperlink at the end of each section to return to the top of the document.
Create a New Document Hyperlink
A hyperlink can create a new document when selected. When adding this type of hyperlink, choose whether to make the document at the time you create the link or later. If you choose to make the new document when you create the hyperlink, a new document opens, which you can edit and save. After that, the hyperlink points to that document, exactly like the Existing File or Web Page option.
If you choose to make the document later, you’re prompted to create the new document when you select the hyperlink after the hyperlink has been created. This type of hyperlink is useful if you want to link new content to the current document but don’t want to create the new content yet. Instead, provide the hyperlink to it so you’ll remember to work on the document later. When you do create the document, it will be linked in the main document.
Email Address Hyperlinks
The last type of hyperlink you can make in Microsoft Word is one that points to an email address so that, when selected, the default email client opens and begins composing the message using the information from the hyperlink.
Choose a subject for the email and more than one email address that the message should be sent to. This information is pre-filled for readers when they select the hyperlink but they can change this information before they send the message.
This type of hyperlink is useful for situations when you want readers to contact you to set up a meeting or request additional information.
About Linking in a Word Document
A hyperlink in a Microsoft Word document enables readers to jump from the link to a different place in the document, to a different file or website, or to a new email message. In Word documents, hyperlink text is a different color than other text and is underlined. When you hover over a hyperlink, a preview shows where the link goes. When you select the link, you’re directed to the other content.
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For quick access to a file, to create an email, or to jump to a different spot, you can create a link in a Word document easily.
To make things easier for yourself or your reader, you can link text to items in your Word document. You may already know that you can create a hyperlink to a web page. But you can also link text to another file, an email address, or a different spot in your document.
This is handy for quickly accessing a file related to your current document, giving your reader a fast way to send your company an email, or jumping to a specific location in the document.
The process for adding these links is similar, with only some small adjustments on Windows versus Mac. So if you’re ready to make your Microsoft Word document more functional and useful, let’s get to it!
Access the Link Tool
To link a file, email, or document location, you’ll follow the same initial process to open the Insert Hyperlink tool.
On Windows, select the text and then do one of the following:
- Right-click and pick Link.
- Go to the Insert tab, click Links, and choose Link.
On Mac, select the text and then do one of the following:
- Right-click and pick Hyperlink.
- Go to the Insert tab, click Links, and choose Link.
- Click Insert > Hyperlink from the menu bar.
Open a file related to your document without having to stop what you’re doing and navigate to it each time. You can link right to it!
With the Insert Hyperlink tool open, click Existing File or Web Page on the left.
Below Look In, you can select Current Folder or Recent Files. But you can also use the drop-down list, Up One Folder, or Browse for File buttons to the right.
After selecting the file from one of the above spots, you’ll see its exact location appear in the Address box. If this is the file you want, click OK.
You’ll see your text linked as indicated by the blue underlined font. To open the file, hold your Control key and click the link.
On Mac, pick Web Page or File, click Select to browse for and choose the file, and hit OK when you’re ready. You don’t have to hold the key to follow the link on Mac; just click it.
Link to an Email in a Word Document
If you link to an email address in the document, the user can then click the link, and a compose email window will open with their default email client or allow them to choose, depending on their platform.
In the Insert Hyperlink tool, click E-mail Address on the left. Complete the E-mail address field or choose a Recently used e-mail address.
Optionally, enter a Subject line which will prepopulate in the sender’s email. This can be helpful so that the recipient knows it’s related to this particular document or about a certain topic. Just note, the sender can change the subject line.
Click OK.
Like with the link to a file above, the user holds Control as they click the link to compose their email.
On Mac, the fields for linking to an email are the same, and you can click the link in the text to compose the email.
Link to a Location in a Word Document
Linking to a spot in your Word document is also convenient. The options for this type of link are a bit limited, however. You can choose the top of the document, a heading, or a bookmark.
In the Insert Hyperlink tool, click Place in This Document on the left. On the right, choose a document location. If you use headings, those will appear as selectable items. Click OK.
And as you’ve probably already guessed, hold Control and click to follow the link.
On Mac, select This Document, choose the location, and hit OK. Once more, you can click the link to follow it in Word on Mac.
More Resources With a Click in Word
Linking text in your Word document to files, emails, and locations can save you and your reader a lot of time.
For some helpful related tutorials, check out how you can follow these types of links in Word without using the Control key or how to stop Word from creating a link when you type a URL.
In the following article, we will focus on introducing you 5 smart ways of how to link one Word document to another.
There are many times when we need to link two or more related documents, so an update in source file can also refresh the text pasted on another one. Speaking of this, Word provides several distinct solutions. Let’s take a look to find out more details.
Method 1: Use “Paste Link” Option
- Firstly, copy a range of text or the entire source document.
- Then put insertion pointer properly and click “Paste” under “Home” tab.
- Next choose “Paste Special” to open the same name dialog box.
- In the “Paste Special” box, select “Paste link”.
- And click to select a link type, such as “Formatted Text” or “Unformatted Text”.
- Lastly, click “OK”.
Any change made in source text should reflect in the new document if you update the link by right click and choosing “Update Link”.
Method 2: Insert an Object
- To begin with, click “Insert” tab then click “Object” in “Text” group.
- Next in “Object” box open, click “Create from File” tab first.
- Then click “Browse” to select a file.
- And check “Link to file” box.
- Finally, click “OK”.
Notice that you will insert the whole document into the new location. You can use the same way in method 1 to update the link.
Method 3: Create a Master Document Linking to Its Subdocument
It’s also a good choice to create a master document that link to subdocument to connect the two files. We have a previous article that explains every detailed step. You can refer to this link: How to Create a Master Document that Links to Multiple Subdocuments in Your Word
Method 4: Hyperlink a Bookmark from Source Document
- First and foremost, create a bookmark for a block of texts in the source document.
- Then in a new document, put insertion pointer at a proper location. Click “Insert” tab and choose “Hyperlink”.
- Put cursor at the “Address” text box and click “Browse for File” tab to select the file which contains the texts you need.
- Next click “Bookmark” tab to open the “Select Place in Document” box.
- Select the bookmark just created and click “OK” in both 2 boxes open.
You will get a hyperlink as bellow:
You can visit the source document through “Ctrl+ Click”.
Method 5: Utilize the “IncludeText” Field
- Click “Insert” tab first and the “Quick Parts” next.
- Then choose “Field” on the drop-down menu.
- In “Field” dialog box, choose “Links and References” for the “Categories”.
- Next select “IncludeText” field.
- Enter the file name of the source document.
- Lastly, click “OK”.
All texts of the source file shall be visible by now in the new document. To update the field, you can click on it and press “F9”.
Deal with Corrupt Word Documents
Once we end up with a damaged document, we certainly won’t discard it immediately. Instead we should try all out to bring a dead file back to life. One of the most important means to address doc corruption is to acquire an advanced recovering tool as soon as possible.
Author Introduction:
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If you are referencing to another Word document from another one of your Word Documents, you will be required to link to this document.
Placing a link in your Word Documents makes it easy for the reader to acquire additional information on a certain point, that you have already written a piece on that topic. Or makes it easy for the reader to see the reference file you are speaking of or quoting from.
In this post, we will walk you through how to link a Microsoft Word Document to another Word Document as well as linking to another file or webpage.
Linking to another Word Document
- Open your Word Document
- Highlight and position the mouse pointer over the word or text you want to link
- Right click on the highlighted word
- Click Link
- Select Web Page or File tab
- Press Select
- Select the document you with to link
- Press Open
- When you press Open, the file source will automatically drop into the address window
- Press OK
You have now successfully linked your Microsoft Word Document.
On the hunt for an easier way to manage version control?
If you’re collaborating on Microsoft Word Documents and need to keep track of each new version along the way, it is likely that you (like so many of us) have a messy shared drive full of cluttered, badly named versions and no real way of knowing which one if the most recent and who made changes to what.
The endless scrolling through what feeling like 500 versions to figure out if Report_v9_edited_final_FINALFINAL_2 is actually the most recent version.
Is it the final one? Let’s say it is, now you have added your edits and are ready to save a new version, do you just add a _updated onto the end of the already long file name, or the current date – hoping no body else edits and saves on the same day?
Its a mind-field out there!
Then just to add another hidden bomb to the field, there is always one person in the team that saves a version in a different spot and it’s near impossible to figure out where it went.
Collaborating in Word can be challenging, with Version control the number one frustration for most small to large corporations who collaborate regularly and do not have an automatic version control tool on hand.
A tool that manages version control for you, such as Simul Docs will take all of the file naming and searching out of your job description leaving you to spend more time to edit.
Simul Docs manages version control for you. When you open a new file, Simul will save it as file 0.0.1, then John from Marketing opens your file, makes some changes and presses save – this becomes file 0.0.2 and so on.
It’s version control that makes sense.
Then you want to go back and see what changes John has made over the course of the documents life. Well that’s easy, because Simul not only tracks the versions for you with the edits saved in each it places the authors name next to the document so you know who owns which version at a glance.
So now it’s your turn to edit the Word Document, which one is the most recent one?
Simul lists all of the versions in an easy to view ‘versions list’ at the side of your dashboard. The most recent version will be listed at the top, with the highest version number, e.g 0.0.5.
You can open version 0.0.5 at the click of a button, edit it directly in Simul or open it in Microsoft Word, depending on which interface you personally prefer working within.
Now that you are editing away, Simul also knows that you are going to want your changes tracked, so tracked changes are automatic, every, single, time you open the document. Because collaborating can be stressful enough without having to remember to turn on tracked changes or save the document as a new version before you start editing to avoid saving over the last file.
So now you’ve made your edits, with all of your changes tracked (thanks Simul!) and are ready to press save and share your file and let your team know you have finished. Simul has you covered again – when you press save Simul automatically sends an email to the document owner letting them know a new version is available for their review.
If you did want to share your document directly, Simul allows you to share via a directly link, email or to any of the popular cloud storage systems such as Dropbox, GoogleDrive, OneDrive and more.
Save, export and download the document out of Simul docs at the click of a button. Simul gives you the option to do so in the original Word Document format or as a PDF.
With collaboration in mind, purpose built tools such as Simul Docs were built to make collaboration easy. From version control, to tracking changes, saving, editing, merging and more – Simul has you covered!
If you find yourself wasting time searching through a messy shared drive, we suggest you give Simul Docs a go.
With free trials available, you’ve got nothing to loose.