This article explains how to insert a hyperlink inside a Microsoft Word document. It is possible to insert a clickable link using a piece of text or an image which, when clicked, will redirect the user to another point in the document, to an external web page, to a file or to write an e-mail message. to be sent to a predetermined e-mail address. The links you create in the Word document will remain active even if you convert it to PDF format.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Link to a Document or Website
Step 1. Select the text or image in which to insert the hyperlink
You can do this using any part of the text or image in the document. Select the text of your interest or click on the image you have chosen to transform into a link.
If you want to insert an image in the document, click on the tab insert and choose the "Image" option. You will be able to select a file stored on your computer or you can use one of the Word clip art.
Step 2. Press the key combination ⌘ Command + K (on Mac) or Ctrl + K (on PC).
The "Insert Hyperlink" dialog box will appear. Alternatively, click on the tab insert, then click the icon Hyperlink of the toolbar.
Step 3. Select the Existing File or Web Page option from the left pane of the window
More options will be displayed in the main pane on the right.
Step 4. Select a file or enter a web address
- To link to a website or file accessible from the internet, type or paste the corresponding URL (including the prefix "https:") into the "Address" text field displayed at the bottom of the window.
- To link to a file stored on your computer or local LAN, select the file icon displayed in the main pane of the dialog box. If the file in question is stored in the current workbook, click on the item Current folder to be able to examine the contents. If you have recently opened the file, you can click on the option Recent files to have access to the files you have recently viewed. Alternatively, you can use the menu located at the top of the window to access the folder containing the file to be selected.
- If by clicking on the link you need to create a new document, instead of opening an existing file, click on the icon Create new document visible in the menu located on the left side of the window, then choose where to store it.
Step 5. Set a description (optional)
You can change the text that will be displayed when users place the mouse cursor on the link without moving it for a few seconds by clicking on the button Description located in the upper right corner of the window. If you do not need to perform this step, the URL of the page or the path to the file referenced by the link will be displayed as a description.
Step 6. Click the OK button to create the link
You can test the functionality of the new hyperlink by clicking on it while holding the key Command (on Mac) or Ctrl (on PC).
Method 2 of 3: Create the Link to Send an Email
Step 1. Select the text or image in which to insert the hyperlink
You can do this using any part of the text or image in the document. At the end of this method, by clicking on the link (characterized by a portion of the text or an image) that you have created, a pop-up window will appear in which you can enter a message that will be sent via e-mail to the address you indicated.
Step 2. Press the key combination ⌘ Command + K (on Mac) or Ctrl + K (on PC).
The "Insert Hyperlink" dialog box will appear. Alternatively, click on the tab insert, then click the icon Hyperlink of the toolbar.
Step 3. Click on the E-mail address option listed in the left panel of the window that appeared
In this way you will have the possibility to create a new form for sending an e-mail.
Step 4. Enter the email address of the message recipient and the subject
This is the address to which the e-mail will be sent. The text you enter in the "Subject" field will be automatically copied into the e-mail field of the same name when the user clicks on the link, however it can still be modified before sending the message.
- If you use Outlook as your e-mail client, the e-mail addresses you have used recently will be listed in the field displayed at the bottom of the window. If necessary, you can directly select one of the addresses in the list.
- Some e-mail clients, especially those based on web services, may not be able to recognize the line of text relating to the subject of the message.
Step 5. Set a description (optional)
You can change the text that will be displayed when users place the mouse cursor on the link without moving it for a few seconds by clicking on the button Description located in the upper right corner of the window. If you do not need to perform this step, the email address to which the message will be sent will be displayed as a description.
Step 6. Click the OK button to create the link
You can test the functionality of the new hyperlink by clicking on it while holding the key Command (on Mac) or Ctrl (on PC). The computer's default e-mail client window appears for composing a new e-mail message. The "To" and "Subject" fields will already contain the information you indicated above: the email recipient's address and the subject of the message.
Method 3 of 3: Create the Link to a Specific Document Location
Step 1. Place the mouse cursor where you want to create the link
To create the link to a specific point in the document you can use the Word "Bookmark" tool. It is a perfect tool for managing tables of contents, glossaries and citations. Select the portion of text or image in which to insert the link or simply click on the desired point in the document.
Step 2. Click on the Insert tab
It is located in the Word ribbon visible at the top of the window.
Step 3. Click the Bookmark icon
It is visible in the "Links" group of the "Insert" tab of the Word ribbon.
Step 4. Name the new bookmark
Make sure it's descriptive so you can immediately guess its function. This is a very important step, especially if you have to use a large amount of bookmarks or if more than one person will have to work on the document.
Bookmark names must start with a letter and can also contain numbers. It is not possible to use blanks, but you can replace them with an underscore (for example "Chapter_1")
Step 5. Click the Add button to insert the bookmark
The bookmark will appear on the page in square brackets. In modern versions of Word, bookmarks are no longer visible within the document, but if you are using an older version they may appear in the text enclosed in square brackets.
If you need the bookmarks to always be visible, so as not to forget their position in the document, click on the menu File, select the item Options and click on the tab Advanced settings listed in the left panel of the window that appeared. At this point, scroll through the list in the right pane and select the "Show bookmarks" check button located in the "Viewing document content" section.
Step 6. Select the text or image in which to insert the link to the bookmark you just created
You can do this using any part of the text or image in the document.
Step 7. Press the key combination ⌘ Command + K (on Mac) or Ctrl + K (on PC).
The "Insert Hyperlink" dialog box will appear. Alternatively, click on the tab insert, then click the icon Hyperlink of the toolbar.
Step 8. Click on the Insert into document option from the left pane of the window
A tree menu will appear listing all sections of the document, including bookmarks.
Step 9. Select the bookmark you want to use to create the link
Expand the "Bookmarks" section and select the bookmark you just created. Alternatively, you can create a link to one of the headings you've inserted in the document (for example, the beginning of a chapter, the title of the document, and so on).
Step 10. Set a description (optional)
You can change the text that will be displayed when users place the mouse cursor on the link without moving it for a few seconds by clicking on the button Description located in the upper right corner of the window. If you don't need to perform this step, the bookmark name will be displayed as a description.
Step 11. Click the OK button to create the link
You can test the functionality of the new hyperlink by clicking on it while holding the key Command (on Mac) or Ctrl (on PC). The page view will automatically be centered on the line of text containing the bookmark you indicated.
Advice
- If you insert a URL directly into a Word document (for example "https://www.wikihow.com"), the program will automatically detect it and transform the text into a working link.
- You can delete a hyperlink by clicking on the link with the right mouse button and choosing the option Remove hyperlink.