This article is for people with visual or cognitive impairments who use a screen reader program such as Microsoft’s Narrator, JAWS, or NVDA with Microsoft 365 products. This article is part of the Microsoft 365 screen reader support content set where you can find more accessibility information on our apps. For general help, visit Microsoft Support home.
Use Word with your keyboard and a screen reader to create hyperlinks in your document. We’ve tested it with Narrator, JAWS, and NVDA, but it might work with other screen readers as long as they follow common accessibility standards and techniques. You’ll learn how to link to a file, web page, or blank email message, or you can link from one location to another in the current document. You’ll also learn how to create bookmarks, insert screen tips, and change the link text color.
Notes:
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New Microsoft 365 features are released gradually to Microsoft 365 subscribers, so your app might not have these features yet. To learn how you can get new features faster, join the Office Insider program.
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To learn more about screen readers, go to How screen readers work with Microsoft 365.
In this topic
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Create an automatic hyperlink
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Link to a web page, file, or blank email
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Link to a web page
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Link to a file
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Link to a new email message
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Link to a location within a document
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Add a bookmark
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Insert a screen tip
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Change the link text color
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Customize the link text color
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Remove a hyperlink
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Turn off automatic formatting for links
Create an automatic hyperlink
Word can create a hyperlink automatically as you type. In your document, type a web address (URL) like www.contoso.com or an email address like someone@example.com, and then press Spacebar or Enter. Word changes the text to a hyperlink.
Tip: If you don’t want the web or email address you typed to be a hyperlink, immediately after pressing Spacebar or Enter, undo the last action by pressing Ctrl+Z. You hear: “Undo.”
Link to a web page, file, or blank email
In Word, you can create links that point to a web page, file, or a new email. Almost every element in Word can be turned into a link: a piece of text, picture, shape, screenshot, SmartArt, or an icon.
Link to a web page
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Place the cursor where you want the link in your document.
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Press Ctrl+K to open the Insert Hyperlink dialog box. The focus is on the Address field.
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Type the web address of the destination site, and then press Alt+T to move to the Text to display field.
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Type the link text you want to display in your document.
Tip: Link text should describe the link destination. For example, the title of a destination web page makes good link text. When people link to that page, screen readers read the title of the page first. This confirms the destination and makes the link a more accessible experience.
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Press Enter. The Insert Hyperlink dialog box closes and the cursor is placed after the inserted link.
Link to a file
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Place the cursor where you want the link in your document.
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To insert a link, press Alt+N, I. You hear «Recent items,» followed by the name of the most recently opened document.
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Do one of the following:
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If you have recently opened the file you want to link to, use the Down and Up arrow keys to find the file in the Recent items list, and then press Enter.
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To browse for the file on your computer, press I to open the Insert Hyperlink dialog box. Press the Tab key until you hear «Current folder, tree,» press the Down arrow key until you find the file you want, and then press Enter.
Tip: If the file is not in the default folder that is displayed, press Alt+L to open the Look in drop-down menu, use the Down and Up arrow keys to find the right folder, press Enter, and then browse for the file in the same way.
The Insert Hyperlink dialog box closes and the cursor is placed after the inserted link.
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Link to a new email message
Sometimes you want to make it possible for people to send email while they read your document. For example, you might want people to contact your office for more information, or you might be collecting feedback about a new idea you proposed. Word lets you add a link that opens a new email message with the address and subject already filled in.
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Place the cursor where you want the link in your document.
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Press Ctrl+K to open the Insert Hyperlink dialog box.
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Press Alt+M to open the email message dialog box. You hear: «Email address.»
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Type the email address, and then press the Tab key to move to the Subject field.
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Type the subject of the email, and then press Alt+T to move to the Text to display field.
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Type the link text you want to display in your document.
Tip: If you don’t write the link text, it is displayed as a long mailto: link that includes the address and subject information. Your own link text can be short and informative.
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Press Enter. The Insert Hyperlink dialog box closes and the cursor is placed after the inserted link.
Link to a location within a document
You can link to the predefined headings or bookmarks within your document.
For instructions on how to apply the built-in heading styles to your document, refer to the section «Use headings» in Use a screen reader to insert and change text in Word.
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Place the cursor where you want the link in your document.
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Press Ctrl+K to open the Insert Hyperlink dialog box.
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Press Alt+A to open the Select a place in this document tab. The focus is on the list which contains the headings and bookmarks that you can link to in your current document.
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Press the Down arrow key to move down in the list. When you reach the link target you want, press Enter to select it and insert the link.
The Insert Hyperlink dialog box closes and the cursor is placed after the inserted link.
Add a bookmark
Create bookmarks to items within your document, so you can link to them. You can add a bookmark, for example, to the beginning of a paragraph, a table, or an image.
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In your document, move the cursor where you want to add a bookmark.
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Press Alt+N, K to open the Bookmark dialog box. The focus is on the Bookmark name text field.
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Type a name for the bookmark.
Note: Bookmark names need to begin with a letter. They can include both numbers and letters, but not spaces. If you need to separate words, you can use an underscore (_) between the words.
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Press Enter to add the bookmark. The dialog box closes and the focus returns to the body text.
Insert a screen tip
With screen tips you can provide more information on the hyperlinks in your document. For example, if you’ve added a link to a picture, you can type the hyperlink text to a screen tip and tell your reader where the link will take them.
You can add a screen tip when you’re creating a new link or to an existing hyperlink.
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Do one of the following:
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If you’re creating a new link, place the cursor where you want the link and screen tip in your document.
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If you want to add a screen tip to an existing link, select the link or place the cursor within the link text.
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Press Ctrl+K to open the Insert Hyperlink dialog box.
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Press Alt+P to open the Set Hyperlink ScreenTip dialog box. The focus is on the ScreenTip text text field.
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Type the text that you want to appear as the screen tip.
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To add the screen tip to the hyperlink, press Enter. The focus returns to the Insert Hyperlink dialog box.
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If this is a new link that you’re creating, create the rest of the link as instructed in Link to a web page, file, or blank email. Otherwise, move to the next step.
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To apply the changes you made, press the Tab key until you hear «OK button,» and then press Enter.
Change the link text color
To change the link text color throughout your document, you can use the Word themes. You can also customize the link theme color to make it more accessible, for example.
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To open the Themes menu, press Alt+G, T, H.
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Use the arrow keys to browse the available themes. Press Enter to select and apply a theme to your document. A unified color and font is applied to the hyperlink texts.
Customize the link text color
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To open the Create New Theme Colors dialog box, press Alt+G, T, C, C.
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Press the Tab key until you hear «Hyperlink,» and press Spacebar.
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Use the arrow keys to locate the color you want, and then press Enter to select it.
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To create a name for the new theme colors, press Alt+N, and type the name.
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To apply the new color, press the Tab key until you hear «Save,» and then press Enter.
Remove a hyperlink
Sometimes you change your mind. Here’s how to remove a hyperlink from a document without removing the text itself:
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Open the document, and then select the hyperlinked text.
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To open the Insert Hyperlink dialog box, press Ctrl+K.
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To remove the selected hyperlink, press Alt+R. The Insert Hyperlink dialog box closes, and the hyperlink is removed from the selected text.
Turn off automatic formatting for links
You can prevent Word from automatically creating a link when you type a web address.
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Press Alt+F, T to open the Word Options window, press the Down arrow key until you hear «Proofing,» and then press Alt+A to open the AutoCorrect options window.
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Press the Tab key until you hear the currently selected tab, and then use the arrow keys to navigate to the AutoFormat As You Type tab.
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Press the Tab key until you hear «Internet and network paths with hyperlinks, checkbox checked,» press Spacebar to clear the checkbox, and then press Enter.
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To exit the Word Options window, press Esc.
See also
Use a screen reader to insert and change text in Word
Use a screen reader to share a document in Word
Keyboard shortcuts in Word
Basic tasks using a screen reader with Word
Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365
Use a screen reader to explore and navigate Word
Use Word for Mac with your keyboard and VoiceOver, the built-in MacOS screen reader, to create hyperlinks in your document. You can add a link to a file, web page, or blank email message. You can also link from one location to another in the current document using headings or bookmarks, insert screen tips, and change the color of the link texts.
Notes:
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New Microsoft 365 features are released gradually to Microsoft 365 subscribers, so your app might not have these features yet. To learn how you can get new features faster, join the Office Insider program.
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This topic assumes that you are using the built-in macOS screen reader, VoiceOver. To learn more about using VoiceOver, go to VoiceOver Getting Started Guide.
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We recommend that you read and edit documents in the Print Layout view. VoiceOver might not work reliably in other view modes.
In this topic
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Create an automatic hyperlink
-
Link to a web page, file, or blank email message
-
Link to a web page
-
Link to a file
-
Link to a new email message
-
-
Link to another location in the current document
-
Create a bookmark
-
-
Insert a screen tip
-
Change the link text color
-
Remove a hyperlink
-
Turn off automatic formatting for links
Create an automatic hyperlink
Word can create a hyperlink automatically as you type. Type a web address (URL) like www.contoso.com or an email address like someone@example.com, and then press Spacebar or Return. Word changes the text to a hyperlink.
Tip: If you don’t want the web or email address you typed to be a hyperlink, immediately after pressing Spacebar or Return, undo the last action by pressing Command+Z. You hear: «Undo autoformat.»
Link to a web page, file, or blank email message
In Word, you can create links that point to a web page, file, or a new email. Almost every element in Word can be turned into a link: a piece of text, picture, shape, screenshot, SmartArt, or an icon.
Link to a web page
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Place the cursor where you want the link in your document.
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To insert a link, press Command+K. The Insert Hyperlink dialog box opens.
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In the dialog box, press Control+Option+Left or Right arrow key until you hear «Web page or file, tab,» and then press Control+Option+Spacebar to select the tab. The focus is on the Address field.
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Type the web address of the destination site.
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To change the link text, press Control+Option+Left arrow key until you hear the current link text, followed by “Text to display, edit text.” Type the link text you want to display in your document.
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To insert the link, press Return. The dialog box is closed and the hyperlink is inserted.
Link to a file
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Place the cursor where you want the link in your document.
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To insert a link, press Command+K. The Insert Hyperlink dialog box opens.
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In the dialog box, press Control+Option+Left or Right arrow key until you hear «Web page or file, tab,» and then press Control+Option+Spacebar to select the tab.
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To select the file to link, press Control+Option+Right arrow key until you hear «Select, button,» and then press Control+Option+Spacebar to select.
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The Choose a file to link to dialog box opens. Use the Tab key or Control+Option+arrow keys to browse the sections in the dialog box. To browse the items, use the arrow keys. To navigate between folders and subfolders, use the Right or Left arrow key. When you are on the file you want to link to, press Return. The file is selected and the dialog box closes.
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To change the link text, in the Insert Hyperlink dialog box, press Control+Option+Left arrow key until you hear the menu path for the document you selected, followed by “Text to display, edit text.” Type the link text you want to display in your document.
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To insert the link, press Return. The dialog box is closed and the hyperlink is inserted.
Link to a new email message
In Word, you can also create links to email addresses. Use the link to quickly open your Mail app and send an email to a specific address.
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Place the cursor where you want the link in your document.
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To insert a link, press Command+K. The Insert Hyperlink dialog box opens.
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In the dialog box, press Control+Option+Left or Right arrow key until you hear «Email address tab,» and then press Control+Option+Spacebar to select.
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The focus moves to the Email address: text field. Type the email address.
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To add a subject to the email, press Control+Option+Right arrow key until you hear «Subject, edit text,» and then type the email subject.
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To change the link text, press Control+Option+Left arrow key until you hear the current link text, followed by “Text to display, edit text.” Type the link text you want to display in your document.
Tip: If you don’t change the link text, it is displayed as a long mailto: link that includes the address and subject information. Your own link text can be short and informative.
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To insert the link, press Return. The dialog box is closed and the hyperlink is inserted.
Link to another location in the current document
You can link to the predefined headings or bookmarks within your document.
For instructions on how to apply the built-in heading styles to your document, refer to Use a screen reader to insert and change text in Word.
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Place the cursor where you want the link to the bookmark in your document.
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Press Command+K. The Insert Hyperlink dialog box opens.
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Press Control+Option+Left arrow key until you hear «This document, tab,» and then press Control+Option+Spacebar to select.
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Press Control+Option+Right arrow key until you hear «Select a place in this document, table,» and then press Control+Option+Shift+Down arrow key.
To browse the list of the available link targets, such as Headings and Bookmarks, use the Control+Option+Up or Down arrow key. To expand an item, press the Right arrow key. The names are announced as you move.
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After you have navigated to the bookmark or heading you want to select, press Control+Option+Shift+Up arrow key to close the table.
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To change the link text, press the Tab key until you hear the current heading or bookmark text, followed by “Text to display, edit text.” Type the link text you want to display in your document.
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To insert the link, press Return. The dialog box is closed and the hyperlink is inserted.
Create a bookmark
Create bookmarks to items within your document, so you can link to them. You can add a bookmark, for example, to a piece of text, the beginning of a paragraph, a table, or an image.
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To bookmark a destination, select that location.
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To go to the Insert tab, press F6 until you hear the name of the currently selected tab. Then press Control+Option+Right or Left arrow key until you hear: «Insert tab.» Press Control+Option+Spacebar to select.
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Press the Tab key until you hear «Bookmark, button,» and then press Control+Option+Spacebar to select. The Bookmark dialog box opens with the focus on the Bookmark name text field. Type a bookmark name.
Note: Bookmark names need to begin with a letter. They can include both numbers and letters, but not spaces. If you need to separate words, you can use an underscore (_) between the words.
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To create the bookmark, press Return. The dialog box is closed and the bookmark created.
Insert a screen tip
With screen tips you can provide more information on the hyperlinks in your document. For example, if you’ve added a link to a picture, you can type the hyperlink text to a screen tip and tell your reader where the link will take them.
You can add a screen tip when you’re creating a new link or to an existing hyperlink.
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Do one of the following:
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If you’re creating a new link, place the cursor where you want the link and screen tip in your document.
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If you want to add a screen tip to an existing link, select the link or place the cursor within the link text.
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Press Command+K to open the Insert Hyperlink dialog box.
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Press Control+Option+Right or Left arrow key until you hear «Screen tip button,» and press Control+Option+Spacebar. The Set Hyperlink ScreenTip dialog box opens. The focus is on the ScreenTip text field.
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Type the text that you want to appear as the screen tip.
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To add the screen tip to the hyperlink, press Return. The focus returns to the Insert Hyperlink dialog box.
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If this is a new link that you’re creating, create the rest of the link as instructed in Link to a web page, file, or blank email message. Otherwise, move to the next step.
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To apply the changes you made, press Return. The dialog box closes and the focus returns to the document body.
Change the link text color
To change the link text color throughout your document, you can use the Word themes.
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Press F6 until you hear the currently selected tab.
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Press Control+Option+Right or Left arrow key until you hear: «Design tab.» Press Control+Option+Spacebar to select it.
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Press the Tab key until you hear «Themes, menu button,» and press Control+Option+Spacebar to expand the Themes menu item.
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Use the arrow keys to browse the available themes. Press Return to select and apply a theme to your document. A unified color and font is applied to the hyperlink texts.
Remove a hyperlink
Sometimes you change your mind. Here’s how to remove a hyperlink from a document without removing the text itself:
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In the document, select the hyperlink you want to remove.
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To open the Insert Hyperlink dialog box, press Command+K.
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Press Control+Option+Right or Left arrow key until you hear «Remove link button,» and then press Control+Option+Spacebar.
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The Insert Hyperlink dialog box closes, and the hyperlink is removed from the text. The text itself remains intact and its style is changed to Normal.
Turn off automatic formatting for links
You can prevent Word from automatically creating a link when you type a web address.
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Press Command+Comma (,) to open the Word Preferences window, press the Tab key until you hear «Autocorrect button,» and then press Control+Option+Spacebar to select.
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Press the Tab key until you hear the currently selected tab, use the Right or Left arrow key to go to the AutoFormat As you Type tab, and then press Control+Option+Spacebar to select.
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Press the Tab key until you hear «Internet and network paths with hyperlinks,» and press Control+Option+Spacebar to clear the checkbox.
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To go back to your document, press the Tab key until you hear «Back button,» press Control+Option+Spacebar, and then press Esc.
See also
Use a screen reader to insert and change text in Word
Use a screen reader to check spelling and grammar in Word
Keyboard shortcuts in Word
Basic tasks using a screen reader with Word
Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365
Use a screen reader to explore and navigate Word
Use Word for iOS with VoiceOver, the built-in iOS screen reader, to create hyperlinks to web or email addresses in your document.
Notes:
-
New Microsoft 365 features are released gradually to Microsoft 365 subscribers, so your app might not have these features yet. To learn how you can get new features faster, join the Office Insider program.
-
This topic assumes that you are using the built-in iOS screen reader, VoiceOver. To learn more about using VoiceOver, visit Apple accessibility.
In this section
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Create a quick hyperlink
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Link to a web page
Create a quick hyperlink
Word for iOS creates hyperlinks automatically as you type.
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In your document, navigate to the place where you want to insert the hyperlink.
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Use the on-screen keyboard to type a web address (URL) like www.contoso.com or an email address like someone@example.com, and then type a space or create a new line. Word for iOS changes the text to a hyperlink, and VoiceOver announces the URL or email address.
Tip: If you select the Delete button on the on-screen keyboard twice after the hyperlink was created, the whole hyperlink is removed.
Note: If you want to create a link to a file, you have to use the desktop version of Word.
Link to a web page
You can write the link text yourself instead of using the web address (URL) as link text.
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In the Editing view, navigate to the place where you want to insert the hyperlink.
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To go to the ribbon, swipe left until you hear «Show ribbon, button,» and double-tap the screen. The Home tab opens, and you hear: «Home tab.»
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Double-tap the screen. The tab menu opens. Swipe right until you hear «Insert tab,» and then double-tap the screen. You hear: «Insert tab.»
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Swipe right until you hear “Insert hyperlink button,” and then double-tap the screen. The Insert Link dialog box opens, the focus is on the Address field, and the on-screen keyboard is displayed.
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Type the web address of the destination site, and then slide one finger near the lower-right corner of the on-screen keyboard until you hear “Done,” and double-tap the screen.
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Swipe right until you hear «Display,» followed by the web address you typed, and then double-tap the screen. You hear: «Display, text field.»
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Delete the web address from the Display text field, and enter the link text that you want to display in your document. Slide one finger near the lower-right corner of the on-screen keyboard until you hear “Done,” and then double-tap the screen.
Tip: The link text should describe the link destination. For example, the title of a destination web page makes good link text. When people link to that page, screen readers read the title of the page first. This confirms the destination and makes the link a more accessible experience.
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Swipe left until you hear “Done button,” and then double-tap the screen.
The hyperlink is added, and the focus returns to the document body.
See also
Use a screen reader to insert and change text in Word
Use a screen reader to share a document in Word
Basic tasks using a screen reader with Word
Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365
Use a screen reader to explore and navigate Word
Use Word for Android with TalkBack, the built-in Android screen reader, to create hyperlinks to web or email addresses in your document.
Notes:
-
New Microsoft 365 features are released gradually to Microsoft 365 subscribers, so your app might not have these features yet. To learn how you can get new features faster, join the Office Insider program.
-
This topic assumes that you are using the built-in Android screen reader, TalkBack. To learn more about using TalkBack, go to Android accessibility.
In this topic
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Create a quick hyperlink
-
Link to a web page
-
Remove a hyperlink
Create a quick hyperlink
Word for Android creates hyperlinks automatically as you type.
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In your document, navigate to the place where you want to insert the hyperlink.
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Use the on-screen keyboard to type a web address (URL) like www.contoso.com or an email address like someone@example.com, and then type a space or create a new line. Word changes the text to a hyperlink.
Tip: If you don’t want the web or email address you typed to be a hyperlink, select the Delete button on the on-screen keyboard immediately after the automatic link was created.
Note: If you want to create a link to a file, you have to use the desktop version of Word.
Link to a web page
You can write the link text yourself instead of using the web address (URL) as link text.
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In your document, navigate to the place where you want to insert the hyperlink.
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To go to the ribbon, swipe left until you hear «More options, button,» and then double-tap the screen. The Home tab opens, and you hear: «Tab menu, home selected.»
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Double-tap the screen. The tab menu opens. Swipe right until you hear «Insert tab,» and then double-tap the screen. The Insert tab opens.
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Swipe right until you hear “Link menu,” and then double-tap the screen. You hear: «Link.»
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Swipe right until you hear «Insert link button,» and then double-tap the screen. The Link dialog box opens, the focus is on the Text to display field, and the on-screen keyboard is displayed.
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Type the link text you want to display in your document.
Tip: The link text should describe the link destination. For example, the title of a destination web page makes good link text. When people link to that page, screen readers read the title of the page first. This confirms the destination and makes the link a more accessible experience.
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Swipe right until you hear: “Edit box for address.” Double-tap the screen and then type the web address of the destination site.
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Swipe left until you hear «Insert button,» and then double-tap the screen.
The hyperlink is added, and the focus returns to the document body.
Remove a hyperlink
Sometimes you change your mind. Here’s how to remove a hyperlink from a document without removing the text itself:
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Select the hyperlink.
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Swipe up-then-right. You hear: «Local context menu, Actions.»
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Double-tap the screen. You hear: “Actions, Launch context menu.”
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Double-tap the screen. You hear: “Back button.”
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Swipe right until you hear “Remove link button,” and then double tap the screen.
The hyperlink is removed from the selected text.
See also
Use a screen reader to insert and change text in Word
Use a screen reader to share a document in Word
Basic tasks using a screen reader with Word
Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365
Use a screen reader to explore and navigate Word
Use Word for the web with your keyboard and a screen reader to create hyperlinks to web or email addresses in your document. We have tested it with Narrator in Microsoft Edge, JAWS in Chrome, and NVDA in Firefox, but it might work with other screen readers and web browsers as long as they follow common accessibility standards and techniques.
Notes:
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If you use Narrator with the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, you have to turn off scan mode in order to edit documents, spreadsheets, or presentations with Microsoft 365 for the web. For more information, refer to Turn off virtual or browse mode in screen readers in Windows 10 Fall Creators Update.
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New Microsoft 365 features are released gradually to Microsoft 365 subscribers, so your app might not have these features yet. To learn how you can get new features faster, join the Office Insider program.
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To learn more about screen readers, go to How screen readers work with Microsoft 365.
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When you use Word for the web, we recommend that you use Microsoft Edge as your web browser. Because Word for the web runs in your web browser, the keyboard shortcuts are different from those in the desktop program. For example, you’ll use Ctrl+F6 instead of F6 for jumping in and out of the commands. Also, common shortcuts like F1 (Help) and Ctrl+O (Open) apply to the web browser – not Word for the web.
In this topic
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Create a quick hyperlink
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Link to a web page
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Remove a hyperlink
Create a quick hyperlink
Word for the web can create a hyperlink automatically as you type. In your document, type a web address (URL) like www.contoso.com or an email address like someone@example.com, and then press Spacebar or Enter. Word changes the text to a hyperlink.
Tip: If you don’t want the web or email address you typed to be a hyperlink, immediately after pressing Spacebar or Enter, undo the last action by pressing Ctrl+Z.
Link to a web page
You can write the link text yourself instead of using the web address (URL) as link text.
Tip: Link text should describe the link destination. For example, the title of a destination web page makes good link text. When people link to that page, screen readers read the title of the page first. This confirms the destination and makes the link a more accessible experience. For more information about writing accessible documents, refer to Make your Word documents accessible to people with disabilities.
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Place the cursor where you want the link in your document.
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Press Ctrl+K to open the Link dialog box. The focus is on the Address field.
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Type the web address of the destination site.
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Press the Tab key until you hear «Display text,» and type the link text you want to use.
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Press the Tab key until you hear «Insert button,» and then press Enter.
The Link dialog box closes, and Word inserts the hyperlink in your document.
Note: If you want to create a link to a file or to a location within the current document, you have to use the desktop version of Word.
Remove a hyperlink
Sometimes you change your mind. Here’s how to remove a hyperlink without removing the text itself:
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In your document, navigate to the hyperlinked text.
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Press Ctrl+K to open the Link dialog box. The focus is on the Address field, and the address is selected.
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Press Backspace to remove the hyperlink. With NVDA, you hear: «Unselected.» With Narrator and JAWS, there’s no audio feedback at this point.
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Press the Tab key until you hear «OK button,» and then press Enter.
The Link dialog box closes, and the hyperlink is removed from the selected text.
See also
Use a screen reader to insert and change text in Word
Use a screen reader to share a document in Word
Keyboard shortcuts in Word
Basic tasks using a screen reader with Word
Use a screen reader to explore and navigate Word
Technical support for customers with disabilities
Microsoft wants to provide the best possible experience for all our customers. If you have a disability or questions related to accessibility, please contact the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk for technical assistance. The Disability Answer Desk support team is trained in using many popular assistive technologies and can offer assistance in English, Spanish, French, and American Sign Language. Please go to the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk site to find out the contact details for your region.
If you are a government, commercial, or enterprise user, please contact the enterprise Disability Answer Desk.
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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When you create a document, you may need to paste links to other documents, Excel spreadsheets, or even some websites with source information. Also, you can add hyperlinks to your profile or even e-mail address.
Word proposes several different ways to insert hyperlinks to the document:
The simplest way to insert a hyperlink in Word
Type the address starting from http:// or https://, www.; and Word automatically turns a web address into a link when you press Spacebar, Enter, or any punctuation sign.
Notes: If you don’t see the hyperlink after inserting the address, check it. If the address is correct, you probably have a problem with AutoCorrect options. See the note of the tip Insert an email hyperlink in a document.
Paste the link using the Clipboard
1. Copy the link to the Clipboard:
- Open the link that you would like to insert in the document the browser, select the link, and copy it to the Clipboard (for example, by clicking Ctrl+C),
- Type the URL in the document (or any other application such as Notepad), select the link, and copy or cut it to the Clipboard (for example, by clicking Ctrl+X).
2. Type the text for the link in your document and select it. For example, select the name of the company:
3. Right-click on the selected text, and select the copied link from the Link list in the popup menu:
Note: If you paste link copied from the Microsoft Edge, you can see the page title instead of the URL:
Instead of 
.
Pasting formatted links instead of URLs is a new feature of Microsoft Edge that is improved the copy and paste of web URLs. This feature copies and pastes a URL as a hyperlinked title instead of as a web address. Please don’t confuse the article title on the webpage and the web page title — they can be different!
To paste the URL copied from Microsoft Edge, do one of the following:
- On the Home tab, in the Clipboard group, click the Paste drop-down list and then select Keep Text Only:
- Right-click where you want to paste the link and choose the Link option in the popup menu:
- Turn this feature off in Microsoft Edge:
- In Microsoft Edge, click the Settings and More (Alt+F) button, then select Settings:
- Under Settings, select Share, Copy & Paste:
- Under Share, Copy & Paste, select the default option you want:
- Link to paste the URL as a hyperlinked title,
- Plain text to paste the URL as a web address.
Insert the link using the Hyperlink dialog box
1. Type the text for the link in your document and select it. For example, select the name of the company.
2. On the Insert tab, in the Links group, click the Link button (or click Ctrl+K on the keyboard):
3. In the Insert Hyperlink dialog box:
3.1. Make sure that the Text to display text box contains the correct text for the link,
3.2. Type the hyperlink address in the Address field:
3.3. Click OK to insert the hyperlink in the document:
Notes:
- If you want to change the link, the text of the link, or the link’s screen tip, right-click it and choose Edit Hyperlink… in the popup menu:
- If you want to delete the link, you can delete all the text of the hyperlink or right-click it and choose Remove Hyperlink in the popup menu (it removes hyperlink and leave the text).
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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
- Q&A
- 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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1
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2
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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3
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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4
Select Existing File or Web Page from the left panel. More options will appear in the right panel.
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5
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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2
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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3
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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1
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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2
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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Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 675,210 times.
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This is a complete guide to hyperlinking in Word.
In today’s guide you’ll learn how to perform the following tasks in Microsoft Word:
- How to insert Hyperlinks in Word.
- How to edit/Remove hyperlinks
- How to create a hyperlink in Word in the same document
- How to create a hyperlink in Word to a different document
But first of all, let’s learn what a hyperlink really is.
What are Hyperlinks in Word?
Hyperlinks are links that, when you click on them, takes you to a piece of new information, in another document or location.
Most Microsoft Word users never consider adding links to their documents, because they consider them as printed documents. However, if some readers may read your work onscreen, you should consider adding links.
In this article, I’ll teach you how to insert links into your Word document plus some other tricks concerning hyperlinking in Word.
How to manually insert a hyperlink in Word
Some Microsoft Word features automatically insert links by default. One good example is the automatic table of content. Another one is the AutoCorrect which converts website addresses into links as explained in the next chapter.
In this section, I’ll show you how to insert your own
hyperlinks in Word. This way, you get more flexibility as it enables you to
control how the hyperlink looks and behaves.
Obey the steps below to manually insert a common link into your Word document:
- Place the insertion pointer at where you want to
insert the link.
NOTE: If you want to hide the link behind a text or image, select the text or image before performing the steps below. After inserting the link, the link text will be colored blue and underlined showing that it is a link.
- Press Ctrl+K Or Right-Click on the text
and select Hyperlink or Link.
The insert link dialog will appear as seen in the screenshot
below:
- Click to select “Existing File or Web Page”
from the list of “Link To” buttons.
Bonus Step: Click Browsed Pages to see the list of pages you’ve recently visited. If the page you want to insert is found, then click to select it. Otherwise, you must type or copy and paste the address in the Address: text box.
- Type the website address in the Address:
text box.
- Click OK to insert the link into your
Word document.
As soon as you hit the OK button, the link will be inserted. The link is inserted if the link text changes to blue and underlined.
To make hyperlinks clickable in Word, or to be able to click hyperlinks in Word, press down the Ctrl key before you click on the link. If you don’t press Ctrl before clicking, Word will not follow the link
Word gives different formatting to hyperlinks to make it look different from the other text. For instance, most of the time, hyperlinks in Word are underlined and also has a blue color.
How to automatically insert a hyperlink in Word
If you are linking to somewhere on the web, using Microsoft’s
AutoCorrect feature, you can automatically insert hyperlinks into your Word
document.
To to do that, simply type a website address such as www.softwareaccountant.com, then press the spacebar key. Word will automatically convert the web address into a hyperlink. It also adds the HTTP:// protocol to the beginning of the URL, although that part is not visible.
Thus, when someone (Ctrl+clicks) the web address, Word will direct him or her to the website if there’s an internet connection.
This same trick works with email addresses too.
If you type an email address into your Word document, such as name@gmail.com, Word will automatically convert it into a hyperlink. And when you Ctrl+Click on this Email link, a default email program gets opened.
How to edit a hyperlink in word
You can also edit hyperlinks in word by obeying the instructions
below:
If you want to change the link text without really changing
the hyperlink itself, directly editing the text will do the job.
However, if you want to edit the hyperlink, follow the steps
below:
- Right-Click on the Link
- Select “Edit Hyperlink” from the shortcut
menu.
- In the “Edit Hyperlink” dialog, replace the old address in the “Address:” text box with the new address.
- Click OK to apply the changes.
As soon as you hit the OK button, the hyperlink will be updated. Confirm the change by placing your mouse pointer on the link to see the link that displays on the tooltip.
How to Remove a hyperlink in word
To remove hyperlinks in Word, obey the instructions below:
- Right-click on the link
- Click on “Remove Hyperlink” from the
shortcut menu
As soon as you hit the “Remove Hyperlink” button, the
link will be removed completely from the text.
The link is removed when the text changed to its normal formatting (with no more blue and underlined text).
How to create a hyperlink to another location in the same document
If your content refers to another section in the same document, you can add a link so that users can jump right to that particular location instead of scrolling all the way. This makes sense if you’re working with a long Word document.
To perform this task, obey the following steps:
- First, mark the spot you want the link to point to by bookmarking it.
To bookmark a spot in your document:
Place your cursor at where you want to insert the bookmark:
Go to the Insert tab, in the Links group,
click on Bookmark.
In the Bookmark window, type the name of your bookmark in the “Bookmark name:” text box, then click on the Add button.
NOTE: The bookmark name must begin with a letter, but can include numbers. It must not also include space.
After successfully adding a bookmark with the above instructions, the remaining steps below will teach you how to link to the bookmarked location.
- Highlight the text for the link. This should be the text that the user will click to jump to a different location (Bookmarked location). Use text that gives readers clear information about where the link points to.
- Press Ctrl+K to display the Insert Link dialog. Or right-click on the selected text and then click Link from the shortcut menu.
- Click to select “Place in This Document”
from the list of “Link To” buttons.
Word will display the list of all bookmarks and headings.
- Identify and select the Bookmark you want the
link to point to. - Click OK to apply the settings.
Word will now insert a link that points to a bookmarked
location within the same document.
How to create a hyperlink in Word to a different document
In MS Word, you can add a link to other documents on your computer or network. This way, when a user clicks on the link, another document will open.
Below will show you all the steps to create a hyperlink to a different document.
- Select the text that will contain the link.
- Press Ctrl+K to display the Insert Link dialog.
- Click to select “Existing File or Web Page” from the list of “Link To” buttons.
- Locate the document you want to link to, then Click OK.
Word will successfully insert a link in your document that points to another document on the computer or network.
This is one of the best guides on can get on hyperlinking in Word.
If you have any more questions regarding this topic or related topics, please let me know in the comments section.
Thanks very much for reading this blog.