What a link in a document actually does

A link in a document is text or an image that, when clicked, takes you somewhere else — usually a website, another document, or a specific spot within the same document. The link itself is just a pointer; it doesn't read anything or run code. When you click it, your browser opens the destination. That's the whole mechanism.

The reason this matters for privacy is that some document editors track which links you click, when you click them, and sometimes who clicked them. Others don't. If you're using a document editor that syncs to the cloud — Google Docs, Microsoft 365, Apple Pages with iCloud — the editor's company can see your link activity. If you're using a local-only editor like LibreOffice, they cannot.

Key Takeaways

  • Most document editors let you create links by selecting text, right-clicking, and choosing "Link" or "Insert Link" from the menu.
  • Cloud-based editors like Google Docs and Microsoft Word Online log which links you click and when, while offline editors like LibreOffice do not.
  • You can link to websites, email addresses, other documents on your device, or specific headings within the same document.
  • The person reading your document will see the link, but they won't see where it points until they hover over it or click it.

Creating a link in Google Docs

Open your document and select the text you want to turn into a link. You can select a single word or a whole phrase. Then press Ctrl+K on Windows or Cmd+K on Mac. A small box will appear asking where the link should point.

Type or paste the full web address — for example, https://www.example.com — and press Enter. The text will turn blue and underlined. When someone clicks it, they'll go to that website. If you want to link to an email address instead, type mailto:name@example.com in the link box. You can also link to other Google Docs you own by typing the document name; Google will search your Drive and show you matching files.

Google Docs stores a record of every link you create and every link anyone with access to the document clicks. This data stays in Google's servers. If you want to remove a link later, select the linked text and press Ctrl+K (or Cmd+K) again, then click the trash icon in the link box.

Creating a link in Microsoft Word Online and Word Desktop

Select the text you want to link. On the Home tab, click Insert and then Link, or press Ctrl+K. A dialog box opens. Type the web address in the "Address" field and click OK. The text becomes a link.

If you're using Word Desktop (the version you install on your computer), the process is the same, but the link data stays on your device unless you save the document to OneDrive or SharePoint. If you save to OneDrive, Microsoft can see the links you've created and clicked. If you save the document only locally, on your computer's hard drive, Microsoft cannot see your link activity.

To remove a link in Word, right-click the linked text and select Remove Link.

Creating a link in LibreOffice Writer

Select the text you want to turn into a link. Press Ctrl+K on Windows or Cmd+K on Mac. The "Hyperlink" dialog opens. In the "URL" field, type the web address and click OK. The text becomes a link.

LibreOffice is a free, open-source editor that runs on your computer. It doesn't sync to the cloud by default, so no company sees your links unless you manually upload the document somewhere. If you want to link to another document on your computer, click the folder icon in the Hyperlink dialog and browse to the file. You can also link to a specific heading within the same document by clicking the target icon and selecting the heading you want.

To edit or remove a link in LibreOffice, right-click the linked text and choose Edit Hyperlink or Remove Hyperlink.

Creating a link in Apple Pages

Select the text you want to link. Click Insert in the toolbar, then Link. A small box appears. Type the web address and press Enter. The text becomes a link.

If you're using Pages on your Mac and saving to iCloud, Apple can see the links you create. If you save the document only to your Mac's local storage, Apple cannot. On iPad or iPhone, Pages saves to iCloud by default, so Apple sees your link activity unless you explicitly turn off iCloud sync for that document in Settings.

Linking to specific sections within the same document

Most editors let you link to a heading or section inside the same document, so readers can jump to that spot without scrolling. First, make sure the section you want to link to has a heading — use the Heading 1, Heading 2, or similar style, not just bold text.

Then select the text you want to turn into a link and open the link dialog. In Google Docs, click Headings and choose the section. In Word, click Place in This Document and select the heading. In LibreOffice, click the target icon and select the heading. In Pages, you cannot link to sections within the same document — you can only link to external websites or email addresses.

What happens when someone else reads your document

When you share a document with a link in it, the reader sees the link as blue underlined text (or however your editor styles links). They don't see the destination address unless they hover over the link or right-click it. When they click the link, their browser opens the destination.

If the document is shared through a cloud editor, the editor's company may log that the reader clicked the link, when they clicked it, and sometimes which reader clicked it. This depends on the editor's privacy policy and settings. If you share a document that's stored only on your computer — by emailing it or uploading it to a file-sharing service — the editor itself doesn't log the clicks, but the website the link points to will log the visit in its own server records.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make a link point to a file on my computer?

Yes, but only if the person reading the document has access to that file. In Google Docs and Word Online, you can link to other documents you own in your cloud storage. In Word Desktop and LibreOffice, you can link to files on your computer, but the reader will need the same file in the same location for the link to work. Email or file-sharing is more reliable.

What if I want to hide the web address so readers can't see where the link goes?

The link address is always hidden from the reader until they hover over it or click it. If you want to make the destination completely invisible, you can use a link shortener like bit.ly or tinyurl.com, paste the shortened address into your link, and the reader will only see the short code. Be aware that shorteners add an extra step and log the clicks themselves.

Does creating a link use up my document storage?

No. A link is just text and a web address. It takes almost no storage space. Even a document with hundreds of links will be the same size as one without.

Can I change the color of linked text?

Yes. In Google Docs, select the linked text and use the text color tool in the toolbar. In Word, right-click the link and choose Edit Link, then change the formatting. In LibreOffice, right-click and choose Edit Hyperlink, then click Character to change the color. In Pages, select the link and use the text formatting options. The link will still work; only the appearance changes.

What if a link I created is broken or points to the wrong place?

Open the document, right-click the link, and choose Edit Link or Edit Hyperlink. Change the address to the correct one and save. If the website the link points to has been deleted or moved, the link will be broken — there's no way to fix it except by finding the new address and updating the link yourself.