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A user-friendly guide to creating interactive links in Microsoft Word
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- Linking to Another Document or Website
- Linking to a Blank Email Message
- Linking to a Place in the Same Document
- Video
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- Tips
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Do you want to add a clickable link in your Microsoft Word document? You can easily turn any text or image in your document into a hyperlink. When clicked, a hyperlink can bring readers to another place in the document, an external website, a different file, and even a pre-addressed email message. This wikiHow article will walk you through creating different types of hyperlinks in your Word document.
Things You Should Know
- To link to a website or document, highlight the text. Click the «Insert» tab, then «Link». Find your file or paste your website link. Click «OK».
- Click «E-mail Address» in the Hyperlink menu. Enter an email address and subject, then click «OK».
- Click «Insert», then «Bookmark» to save a position in the document. Click «Place in This Document» in the Hyperlink menu, then click the bookmark.
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Select the text or image that you want to turn into a link. You can turn any text or image in your document into a link. Highlight the text or click the image that you want to convert into a hyperlink.
- To insert an image into your document, click the Insert tab and select «Pictures.» You’ll be able to browse your computer for an image file to add. You can also insert clip art to use as a link.
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Press ⌘ Command+K (Mac) or Ctrl+K (Windows). This opens the Insert Hyperlink window. You can also get to this menu by clicking the Insert tab and then clicking the Link button in the toolbar.
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Select Existing File or Web Page from the left panel. More options will appear in the right panel.
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Select a file or enter a web address. You can choose to link to an existing document, a new document, or a website.
- To link to a website or a file that’s accessible on the web, type or paste the full address (including the «https://» at the beginning) into the «Address» field near the bottom of the window.
- To link to a file on your computer or local network, select that file in the center panel. If it’s in the current folder, click Current folder to open its contents. If you opened it recently, click Recent Files to browse those. You can also use the menus at the top to navigate to the correct folder and select the file.
- To create a new blank document instead of opening a certain file, click Create a new document in the left menu, then choose a location for the document.
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Set a ScreenTip (optional). You can change the text that appears when the user hovers the cursor over the link by clicking the ScreenTip button at the top-right corner and specifying your text.
- If you don’t change it, the screen tip will display the website address or file path.
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Click OK to save your link. To open the link within the Word document, hold Command (Mac) or CTRL (Windows) and click the link.
- If you want to remove the hyperlink, right-click the hyperlink and select Remove Hyperlink.[2]
- If you want to remove the hyperlink, right-click the hyperlink and select Remove Hyperlink.[2]
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Open a project in Microsoft Word. This looks like a W on top of a blue square.
- You must have a subscription to use Office 365.
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Select the text or click the image you want to turn into an email link. You can use any text or image in your document. When you’re finished with this method, clicking the selected text or image will bring up a new email message to the address of your choice.
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Press ⌘ Command+K (Mac) or Ctrl+K (Windows). This opens the Insert Hyperlink window. You can also get to this menu by clicking the Insert tab and then clicking the Link button in the toolbar.
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Click E-Mail Address in the left panel. This allows you to set up the blank message.
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Enter the e-mail address and subject. This will be the address that the reader will be sending the email to. What you enter into the «Subject» field will be automatically filled in for the reader, but they will be able to change it if they want.
- If you use Outlook, you’ll see recently used email addresses in the field at the bottom of the window. Feel free to select one of those.
- Some mail apps, especially web-based email apps, may not recognize the subject line.
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Set a ScreenTip (optional). You can change the text that appears when the user hovers the cursor over the link by clicking the ScreenTip button at the top-right corner and specifying your text. If you don’t change it, the screen tip will show the email address.
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Click OK to save your link. To open the link within the Word document, hold Command (Mac) or CTRL (Windows) and click the link.
- If you want to remove the hyperlink, right-click the hyperlink and select Remove Hyperlink.
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Open a project in Microsoft Word. This looks like a W on top of a blue square.
- You must have a subscription to use Office 365.
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Place your cursor at the location you want to link to. You can use the Bookmark tool to create links to specific spots in your document. This is great for tables of contents, glossaries, and citations. You can highlight a portion of text, select an image, or just place your cursor in the spot you want.
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Click the Insert tab. It’s in the menu bar at the top of Word, between Home and Draw.
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Click the Bookmark icon. It’s in the toolbar at the top of Word in the «Links» section.
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Enter a name for the bookmark. Make sure the name is descriptive enough that you’ll be able to recognize it. This is especially important if you are using a lot of bookmarks or more than one person is editing the document.
- Bookmark names have to start with letters but can also contain numbers. You can’t use spaces, but you can use underscores instead (e.g. «Chapter_1»).
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Click Add to insert the bookmark. Bookmarks will appear on the page surrounded by brackets. You won’t see the bookmark on the page if you’re using the current version of Word, but in earlier versions, it may be surrounded by brackets.
- If you want to see brackets around the bookmark so you don’t forget where you placed it, click the File menu, select Options, and click Advanced in the left panel. Then, scroll down the right panel and check the box next to «Show bookmarks» under the «Show document content» header.
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Select the text or image you want to create the link from. Highlight the text or click the image that you want to turn into a link to your bookmark.
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Press ⌘ Command+K (Mac) or Ctrl+K (Windows). This opens the Insert Hyperlink window. You can also get to this menu by clicking the Insert tab and then clicking the Link button in the toolbar.
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Click Place in This Document in the left panel. This displays a navigation tree with your heading styles and bookmarks.
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Select the bookmark you want to link to. Expand the «Bookmarks» tree if it isn’t already and select the bookmark you created. You can also select from heading styles you’ve applied throughout the document.
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Set a ScreenTip (optional). To change the text that appears when the user rests the cursor over the link, click the Screen Tip button at the top-right corner. If you don’t change the text, the screen tip will display the website address or file path.
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Click OK to save your link. To test the hyperlink, hold Command (Mac) or CTRL (Windows) and click the link.
- This will recenter the view to the line on which you placed the bookmark.
- If you want to remove the hyperlink, right-click the hyperlink and select Remove Hyperlink.
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Add New Question
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Question
What hyperlinks are inserted into a document by default?
A link to any website or a file with a url will become a hyperlink automatically after you press the space bar, tab key, or return/enter key.
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Question
How can I add hyperlinks to Microsoft Word?
Edit>Add Hyperlink>add the link. To test the link, Ctrl+Click and it should get you there.
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Question
How can I embed a hyperlink into a word or phrase in a Word document?
Highlight the word/phrase you want to embed a link into, got into the insert tab, press link. A box that says «insert hyperlink» on the top should pop up, copy/type the link you want into the box at the bottom that says «address» and then press «ok» and you are done!
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If you type a URL into a document (e.g., https://www.wikihow.com), Word will automatically make that text a clickable link.
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You can remove a hyperlink by right-clicking it and selecting Remove Hyperlink.
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About This Article
Article SummaryX
1. Select the text or object you want to turn into a hyperlink.
2. Click the Insert tab.
3. Click the Link button in the toolbar.
4. Click Existing File or Web Page in the left and enter the URL.
5. To link to another file instead of a website, leave the «»Address»» bar blank and select the file instead.
6. Click OK.
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The fastest way to create a basic hyperlink in a Microsoft 365 document is to press ENTER or the SPACEBAR after you type the address of an existing webpage, such as http://www.contoso.com. Microsoft 365 automatically converts the address into a link.
In addition to webpages, you can create links to existing or new files on your computer, to email addresses, and to specific locations in a document. You can also edit the address, display text, and font style or color of a hyperlink.
Notes:
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If you want to remove links or stop Microsoft 365 from automatically adding hyperlinks, see Remove or turn off hyperlinks.
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This article applies to desktop versions of Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint. A simplified set of hyperlink features is offered on Microsoft 365 Online. If you have a desktop version of Microsoft 365, you can edit your document there for more advanced hyperlink features, or you can try or buy the latest version of Microsoft 365.
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Select the text or picture that you want to display as a hyperlink.
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On ribbon, on the Insert tab, select Link.
You can also right-click the text or picture and click Link on the shortcut menu.
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In the Insert Hyperlink box, type or paste your link in the Address box.
Note: If you don’t see the Address box, make sure Existing File or Web Page is selected under Link to.
Optionally, type different display text for your link in the Text to display box.
Note: If you don’t know the address for your hyperlink, click Browse the Web to locate the URL on the Internet and copy it.
Optional: To customize the ScreenTip that appears when you rest the pointer over the hyperlink, click ScreenTip in the top-right corner of the Insert Hyperlink dialog box and enter the text you want.
You can add a hyperlink to a file on your computer, or to a new file that you want to create on your computer.
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Select the text or picture that you want to display as a hyperlink.
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Press Ctrl+K.
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Under Link to, do one of the following:
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To link to an existing file, click Existing File or Web Page under Link to, and then find the file in the Look in list or the Current Folder list.
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To create a new, blank file and link to it, click Create New Document under Link to, type a name for the new file, and either use the location shown under Full path or browse to a different save location by clicking Change. You can also choose whether to Edit the new document later or open and Edit the new document now.
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Optional: To customize the ScreenTip that appears when you rest the pointer over the hyperlink, click ScreenTip in the top-right corner of the Insert Hyperlink dialog box and enter the text you want.
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Select the text or picture that you want to display as a hyperlink.
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Press Ctrl+K.
You can also right-click the text or picture and click Link on the shortcut menu.
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Under Link to, click E-mail Address.
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Either type the email address that you want in the E-mail address box, or select an address in the Recently used e-mail addresses list.
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In the Subject box, type the subject of the message.
Note: Some web browsers and email programs might not recognize the subject line.
Optional: To customize the ScreenTip that appears when you rest the pointer over the hyperlink, click ScreenTip in the top-right corner of the Insert Hyperlink dialog box and enter the text you want.
You can also create a hyperlink to a blank email message by simply typing the address in the document. For example, type someone@example.com, and Microsoft 365 creates the hyperlink for you (unless you turned off automatic formatting of hyperlinks).
You can create hyperlinks that link to a Word document or Outlook email message that includes heading styles or bookmarks. You can also link to slides or custom shows in PowerPoint presentations and specific cells and sheets in Excel spreadsheets.
Tips:
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Learn about adding bookmarks.
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To add a heading style, select your heading text, click the Home tab in Word or the Format Text tab in Outlook, and select a style in the Styles group.
Create a hyperlink to a location in the current document
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Select the text or picture that you want to display as a hyperlink.
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Press Ctrl+K.
You can also right-click the text or picture and click Link on the shortcut menu.
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Under Link to, click Place in This Document.
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In the list, select the heading (current document only), bookmark, slide, custom show, or cell reference that you want to link to.
Optional: To customize the ScreenTip that appears when you rest the pointer over the hyperlink, click ScreenTip in the top-right corner of the Insert Hyperlink dialog box and enter the text you want.
Create a hyperlink to a location in another document
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Select the text or picture that you want to display as a hyperlink.
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Press Ctrl+K.
You can also right-click the text or picture and click Link on the shortcut menu.
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Under Link to, click Existing File or Web Page.
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In the Look in box, click the down arrow, and find and select the file that you want to link to.
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Click Bookmark, select the heading, bookmark, slide, custom show, or cell reference that you want, and then click OK.
Optional: To customize the ScreenTip that appears when you rest the pointer over the hyperlink, click ScreenTip in the top-right corner of the Insert Hyperlink dialog box and enter the text you want.
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To change the address or display text of a hyperlink you added, right-click the link and click Edit Hyperlink.
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To change the appearance of a hyperlink, such as font style, size, or color, right-click the link and click Font on the shortcut menu, or click a style option on the mini toolbar that appears.
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To customize the ScreenTip that appears when you rest the pointer over the hyperlink, right-click the link, click Edit Hyperlink, click ScreenTip in the top-right corner of the dialog box, and enter the text you want.
See also
Remove or turn off hyperlinks
Create a hyperlink in Publisher
Create a hyperlink in OneNote
Hyperlinks in Word for the web
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How to Add and Edit Links in Word Documents
Insert hyperlinks quickly
Updated on February 11, 2021
What to Know
- Highlight text you want to hyperlink. Right-click it and choose Link. Alternatively, select Insert > Links > Link.
- Then, enter the URL in the Address field.
- Remove a link: Right-click the hyperlink text and choose Remove Hyperlink.
Microsoft Word is primarily used to create word processing documents, but you can also work with hyperlinks and HTML code used in websites. Learn how to insert, remove, or edit hyperlinks using Word for Microsoft 365, Word 2019, Word 2016, Word 2013, and Word 2010.
Insert Links
To link to other documents or web pages from a Word document, insert a hyperlink.
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Select the text that you want to apply the hyperlink to. This can be the text of a URL, a single word, a phrase, a sentence, or a paragraph.
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Right-click the text and select Link or Hyperlink to open the Insert Hyperlink dialog box. Or, go to the Insert tab and select Links > Link.
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In the Address field, enter the URL address of the document or website you want to link to. For online assets, the URL must include the protocol (for example, http, https, or ftp).
The Text to display text box defaults to the text you selected in step 1. You can change this text here if you like.
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Select OK.
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The selected text appears as a hyperlink that can be clicked to open the linked document or website.
To make changes to the link, right-click the hyperlink and select Edit Hyperlink.
Remove Hyperlinks
When you type a URL into Word, it automatically inserts a hyperlink that connects to the website. This feature is handy if you distribute documents electronically, but it can be a nuisance when printing documents.
To remove a hyperlink, right-click the link and select Remove Hyperlink.
In Word for Mac, right-click then select Hyperlink. In the slide-out menu, select Edit Hyperlink, then choose Remove Link.
More About Editing Hyperlinks
When you work in the Insert Hyperlink dialog box and the Edit Hyperlink dialog box, several other features are available on the left side of the dialog box.
Existing File or Web Page
This tab is selected by default in the Insert Hyperlink and the Edit Hyperlink dialog boxes. This tab displays the text for the hyperlink and the URL of that hyperlink
In the middle of the window, there are three tabs:
- Current Folder displays files that are located in the same folder location as the current document. If you want the selected link to link to a document located in this folder, locate the file and choose it. The Address field changes to reflect the document location on your computer. The Text to display field also changes to the file address, so you may want to edit this field to change the text that displays in the Word document.
- Browsed Pages shows a list of recent documents and web pages you have accessed. Select one of these as the new link destination.
- Recent Files displays a list of recent files you’ve worked on in Word. This is handy if you’re working on a series of separate documents and want to create links to these files quickly.
Place in This Document
This tab displays sections and bookmarks contained in the current document. Use it to link to specific locations within the current document.
Create New Document
Go to this tab to create a new document to which the link will connect. This feature is useful if you’re creating a series of documents but haven’t created the document you want to link to. Define the name of the new document in the labeled field.
If you don’t want to edit the new document you create from here, select Edit the new document later.
Email Address
This section creates a link that will generate a new email when someone clicks it and populates several of the new email fields with the defaults you define. Enter the email address where you want the new email to be sent, and add the subject that will appear in the new email by filling in the appropriate fields.
If you have used this feature recently for other links, any email addresses you used in those will appear in the Recently used e-mail addresses list.
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How to insert a web link into your MS Word document?
Follow these easy steps to insert a web link
2) Press CTRL and K keys to launch the Insert Hyperlink dialog box.
3) You can link the word selected to an existing file or web page, a bookmark within the same document, an e-mail address, or to a new document. Click the appropriate button in the LINK TO navigation bar.
To link the word selected to a web page or online document, click the Existing File or Web Page button in the navigation bar.
Then, enter the URL of the page (either somewhere on your server or out there on the Internet) in the ADDRESS field. For example, you can link any word you like to www.cnn.com so that when you click that word you’ll be able to read the latest news.
NOTE: To insert a web link for external websites do not forget to start the URL with “http://”
To link the word selected to a bookmark, click the Place in This Document button and then select a bookmark from the list of bookmarks displayed on the right.
To link the word selected to a new document, click the Create New Document button and follow the directions.
To link the word selected to an e-mail address, click the E-mail Address button and fill in the associated fields.
4) Click OK and you’re done. Now when you click on your word, things will happen, depending on the way you set up your link.
5) To remove the link, select the word and press CTRL and K keys to display the Insert Hyperlink dialog box. Click the Remove Link button and it’s gone.
Congrats!
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