How to Add Hyperlinks in Microsoft Word

Adding hyperlinks to your Microsoft Word documents can help improve the user experience by allowing readers to easily navigate to other webpages or files. Hyperlinks make documents more interactive and useful.

When to Use Hyperlinks

There are several cases where you may want to add a hyperlink in Word:

• Linking to other webpages – you can link words or images to external sites. When clicked, the hyperlink will open the target webpage.
• Linking to other documents or files – you can link to other Word docs, PDFs, images etc stored locally or online.
• Creating an email link – hyperlink text to create a new email message to a specified recipient.
• Linking within the same document – you can link to other headings, pages or bookmarks within the same Word doc.

How to Insert a Hyperlink

Adding a hyperlink in Word is easy and only takes a few clicks. Here are the steps:

1. Select the text or image you want to make into a hyperlink. Highlight the text or image.
2. Click the Insert tab in the Word ribbon.
3. In the Links section, click the Hyperlink tool. Alternatively, use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + K.
4. In the Insert Hyperlink dialog box, specify the target destination. Options include:
   • Existing File or Web Page – Browse for a file or webpage URL
   • Place in This Document – Link to a heading, bookmark etc within the document
   • E-mail Address – Creates a mailto link
5. Click OK to insert the link.

The selected text or image now becomes clickable.

Tips for Good Hyperlinks

Follow these tips when adding hyperlinks:

• Use descriptive, user-friendly link text – Avoid generic text like “Click here”. Make it clear to the user where the link goes.
• Test all links after inserting to make sure they work properly.
• Set link colors to make them stand out. Blue underlined text is the default.
• For accessibility, add ScreenTips that appear when hovering over a link.
• Use absolute URL paths for external links to prevent broken links.

Linking to Other Documents and Files

You can link to other Word documents, PDFs, images, and any other files from your Word doc.

To link to a file:

1. Select the text you want to be the hyperlink.
2. Go to Insert > Hyperlink.
3. In the box, choose Existing File or Web Page.
4. Locate and select the target file.
5. Click OK.

Now when users click your linked text, it will open the file in the appropriate program.

Linking to Webpages

The process for linking to external webpages is the same:

1. Select the text for the link.
2. Go to Insert > Hyperlink.
3. Paste the target webpage URL into the Address box.
4. Click OK.

Creating Links Within The Same Document

You can also link between headings, pages, and bookmarks within the same Word document:

1. Select the text for the link.
2. Go to Insert > Hyperlink
3. Choose Place in This Document.
4. Select the heading or bookmark to link to.
5. Click OK.

Now your readers can seamlessly navigate long Word docs.

Making Links More Accessible

Here are some tips to make your Word document hyperlinks more accessible:

• Add ScreenTips – ScreenTips appear when users hover over a link, showing where it goes.
• Style links properly – Make sure links stand out through color and underline formatting.
• Use descriptive link text – Link text should clearly describe the destination.
• Check color contrast – Ensure link colors have enough contrast to be readable.

Removing Hyperlinks

To remove a hyperlink:

1. Right-click on the existing hyperlink.
2. Select Remove Hyperlink.

This will revert the text to normal non-linked text.

You can also just delete the hyperlink text if you want. The hyperlink will be removed.

Conclusion

Adding hyperlinks makes your Word documents more functional, usable, and professional. Use them to connect your content to other helpful resources.

Just remember to use descriptive link text, test links properly, style them for accessibility, and point to reliable long-lasting resources.

Following Word hyperlink best practices will take your documents to the next level.