Hyperlinks to word documents

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:

1. Highlight the text or image that you want to link.

2. Right-click the text and choose Link or Hyperlink (depending on the version of Microsoft Word).

3. 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.

4. Select OK.

5. The text now shows up as a hyperlink in the document.

6. 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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Add, Edit or Remove Links or Hyperlinks in Word Documents

by Avantix Learning Team | Updated October 14, 2022

Applies to: Microsoft^® Word^® 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021 and 365 (Windows)

You can easily add links or hyperlinks in Microsoft Word documents to add interactivity and make it easy for users to click a link to jump to another location in your document, to another file or web page or even to an email. You can also edit hyperlinks and remove individual hyperlinks or all hyperlinks.

Hyperlinks are often used to:

• Take the user to an external website.
• Take the user to another document or file on the same network or another place in the same document.
• Add a layer of text information over a word or phrase.

Hyperlinks can be displayed as full source URLs or internet addresses such as http://abccompany.ca, as descriptive text, as an image or as a drawing object.

Text as a hyperlink appears underlined and in a color (normally blue) and coordinates with the color theme in your document. In Word, the text color changes automatically after you Ctrl – click hyperlink text. Hyperlink objects do not change color.

Recommended article: 3 Microsoft Word Tricks to Keep Text Together

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Insert a hyperlink automatically

You can insert hyperlinks to web sites by typing the address of an existing web page (such as https://abccompany.com)  and then pressing Enter or Spacebar. Word will automatically convert the text to a hyperlink using AutoCorrect.

Insert a hyperlink to an existing web page

To insert a hyperlink to an existing file or web page:

1. Click where you want to insert a hyperlink or select the text, shape or image you want to use as a hyperlink.
2. Click the Insert tab in the Ribbon.
3. In the Links group, click Link or Hyperlink. The Insert Hyperlink dialog box appears.
4. Under Link to, select Existing File or Web Page.
5. If you are using a text hyperlink, enter the descriptive text that will become the link text in the Text to display field.
6. In the Address field, enter or choose the address or location where the link should lead. For external references, enter or copy the URL in the Address field.
7. Click OK.

You can also press Ctrl + K to insert or edit a hyperlink.

Below is the Hyperlink dialog box:

Insert a hyperlink to an existing file

To insert a hyperlink to an existing file:

1. Click where you want to insert a hyperlink or select the text, shape or image you want to use as a hyperlink.
2. Click the Insert tab in the Ribbon.
3. In the Links group, click Link or Hyperlink. The Insert Hyperlink dialog box appears.
4. Under Link to, select Existing File or Web Page.
5. If you are using a text hyperlink, enter the descriptive text that will become the link text in the Text to display field.
6. In the Look in field, click the down arrow and select the desired location. Navigate to the appropriate drive and folder and then double-click the file.
7. Click OK.

Use relative or absolute hyperlink addresses to external files

If you are creating hyperlinks to external files, it’s important to understand the difference between a relative and absolute address. A relative hyperlink uses the address relative to the address of the containing document whereas an absolute hyperlink uses the full address of the destination document including the drive location.

The following example uses an absolute hyperlink address (full path address):

C:DocumentsJanuaryBudget.docx

The following relative hyperlink contains only the relative address or path to a Budget document.

JanuaryBudget.docx

You may want to use a relative hyperlink address or path if you want to move or to copy your files to another location such as another server.

Create a hyperlink using the context menu

Another method of creating or editing hyperlinks is to right-click and use the context menu (you can also press Shift + F10 to display the context menu).

To insert a hyperlink using the context menu:

1. Click where you want to insert a hyperlink or select the text, shape or image you want to use as a hyperlink.
2. Right-click and choose Link or Hyperlink from the menu. The Insert Hyperlink dialog box appears.
3. Select the appropriate button under Link to. If you are creating an external link to a webpage or another document, select Existing File or Web Page. If you are creating an internal link within the document, select Place in This Document.
4. If you are using a text hyperlink, enter the descriptive text that will become the link text in the Text to display field.
5. In the address field, enter or choose the address or location where the link should lead. For external references, enter or copy the URL in the Address field. For place in the same document, select the appropriate item.
6. Click OK.

Insert a hyperlink to a location in the same document

To create a hyperlink to a bookmarked location in the same Word document:

1. Select the location, text, image or shape that you want to use as the destination for the hyperlink.
2. Click the Insert tab in the Ribbon and in the Links group, click Bookmark. A dialog box appears.
3. In the Bookmark name box, type a unique name for the bookmark and then click Add. You may not use spaces in the name of a bookmark.
4. Click where you wish to insert a hyperlink or select the text, shape or image you wish to use as a hyperlink.
5. Right-click and choose Link or Hyperlink from the menu. The Insert Hyperlink dialog box appears.
6. Under Link to, select Place in This Document.
7. Select the bookmark that you want to use as the destination hyperlink. Microsoft Word has a default bookmark to jump to the top of the document.
8. Click OK.

Below is the Bookmark dialog box in Microsoft Word:

To create a hyperlink to a built-in heading style in the same document:

1. Click where you want to insert a hyperlink or select the text, shape or image you want to use as a hyperlink.
2. Right-click and choose Link or Hyperlink from the menu. The Insert Hyperlink dialog appears.
3. Under Link to, select Place in This Document.
4. Select the heading that you want to use as the destination hyperlink. You must have applied built-in heading styles such as Heading 1, Heading 2, etc. in your document (normally through the Styles gallery in the Home tab in the Ribbon).
5. If you are using a text hyperlink, enter the descriptive text that will become the link text in the Text to display field.
6. Click OK.

In the following example, note both the headings and bookmarks that appear in the Hyperlink dialog box in a Word file that uses the built-in heading styles:

If you create a table of contents in Word using built-in heading styles, it normally contains hyperlinks to headings in the document. For more information, check out this article on Creating a Table of Contents in Microsoft Word.

Edit a hyperlink

To edit a hyperlink:

1. Right-click the hyperlink.
2. In the context menu, select Edit Hyperlink or Edit Link. The Edit Hyperlink dialog box appears.
3. Select the desired options.
4. Click OK.

You can also select a hyperlink and press Ctrl + K to edit it.

Add screen tips

You can include screen tip text that appears when you hover your cursor over a hyperlink.

To add screen tip text:

1. Place your cursor over the hyperlink to which you want to add a screen tip.
2. Right-click and select Edit Hyperlink or Edit Link from the drop-down menu. The Edit Hyperlink dialog appears.
3. Click ScreenTip on the top right.
4. Type your text in the ScreenTip text box.
5. Click OK twice.

Below is the Hyperlink ScreenTip dialog box:

Jump to a hyperlink

Hyperlinks become active when you save your document as a PDF (portable document format) or web page (HTML) file and users will be able to simply click them. However, in Microsoft Word, to jump to a hyperlink, you will need to point to the hyperlink then Ctrl-click the link.

Remove a single hyperlink

To remove a hyperlink:

1. Right-click the hyperlink you want to remove.
2. In the context menu, select Remove Hyperlink or Remove Link.

Removing all hyperlinks

To remove all hyperlinks:

1. Press Ctrl + A to select all.
2. Press Ctrl + Shift + F9. All hyperlinks (and other fields) will be converted to text.

Hyperlinks can add a new dimension of interactivity to your Microsoft Word documents and when the files are saved in other formats such as PDF, they become active hyperlinks.

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We like books. But one thing that you can’t do on paper is link to another book. On that level at least, electronic media has a distinct advantage. And with Microsoft Word, it’s easy to add a hyperlink in a document.

How to Embed a Hyperlink in a Document

Whether you’re writing website copy, where hyperlinks enable navigation, or simply adding links to useful internet resources in a document, Microsoft Word makes it simple. For instance, if you type a web address and hit space or return, MS Word will automatically format it as a link.

However, most of the time, you’ll want to embed a link in the text. To do this:

• Highlight the text you want to use as a link
• Go to Insert > Links > Link (or right click the text and select Link)
• Type the URL for the link destination into the Address field
• Click OK to create your hyperlink

Link options in the contextual menu.

The highlighted text will then become a hyperlink.

To test the link, hold CTRL and left click (or right click and select Open Hyperlink). This will open the destination in your default web browser.

You can use this same process to link to another file on your computer.

To link to a file, simply select it via the Insert Hyperlink menu and click OK. Keep in mind, though, that this link will only work on your computer/network, since this is where the destination file is stored.

How to Edit Hyperlinks

You can edit a hyperlink in the same way as you would any text in a document: simply place the cursor in the hyperlinked text and type.

Alternatively, if you right click the link you can select Edit Hyperlink. In the window that opens, you can then change both:

• The text that will be used for the hyperlink
• The destination of the link (i.e., file path or URL)

If you then click OK when you’re done, the link will be updated automatically.

How to Format Hyperlinks

By default, Microsoft Word formats links with blue, underlined text. However, you can edit hyperlinks with the standard formatting options, so you can use these to change the appearance of any links in a document.

And if you want to change the default hyperlink style, simply:

• Open the Styles menu
• Find the style named “Hyperlink”
• Right click the style name and select Modify…
• Apply any formatting options as required and click OK

This will update the default hyperlink formatting, including any links you had added to the document previously. And if you then add more new links while editing, they will all use your updated hyperlink formatting.

How to Remove a Hyperlink in Microsoft Word

To remove a hyperlink from document, you can simply delete it. But this will also remove the text you’d formatted as a link.

To remove a link and keep the text, though, you have two options.

1. Go to Insert > Links > Link and select Remove Link in the menu
2. Right click the link and select Remove Hyperlink from the menu

MS Word will then remove the link and any formatting from the selected text.

Proofreading Hyperlinks

If you have a document containing hyperlinks, why not submit it for proofreading? As well as checking your spelling, grammar and punctuation, we can make sure your links work properly, saving you from encountering any unfortunate “404 Error – Page Not Found” messages when it counts.