Creating a link in Word takes three steps: select the text, open the link dialog, and paste or type the web address
A hyperlink in Word turns text or an image into something a reader can click to jump to a website, email address, or another part of the document. The process is the same whether you use Microsoft Word on Windows, Mac, or Word Online — select what you want to link, tell Word where it should go, and save.
The fastest way is to select your text, press Ctrl+K (Windows) or Cmd+K (Mac), paste the web address into the box that appears, and press Enter. If you prefer the menu, select the text, go to the Insert tab, click Link, and type or paste the address there instead.
Key Takeaways
- Select the text or image you want to turn into a link before opening the link dialog.
- Use Ctrl+K or Cmd+K as the fastest way to open the link dialog without touching the menu.
- You can link to websites, email addresses, or other pages within the same document.
- Right-click a link and choose Remove Link if you need to delete it without deleting the text.
Linking to a website
Select the word or phrase you want readers to click. It can be one word ("here") or a full sentence — whatever makes sense in your document. Then press Ctrl+K on Windows or Cmd+K on Mac.
A dialog box opens with a field labeled "Address". Paste the full web address there — it must start with http:// or https://. If you copy a link from your browser's address bar, it already has this. If you type it by hand, add the https:// at the start. Press Enter or click OK, and the text turns blue and underlined.
When someone opens your document and hovers over the link, Word shows a preview of where it goes. They can click it to open the website in their browser.
Creating an email link
Select the text you want to link (usually an email address or "Contact us"). Press Ctrl+K or Cmd+K to open the link dialog.
In the Address field, type mailto: followed when ready by the email address with no space — for example, mailto:contact@example.com. Press Enter. When someone clicks this link, their default email program opens with a new message addressed to that email.
Linking to another page in the same document
This is useful in long documents where you want a table of contents to jump to each section. First, you need to mark the destination — the place you want the link to go. Click at the start of the section heading you want to link to, then press Ctrl+K or Cmd+K.
In the link dialog, look for a button or option that says "Place in This Document" or "Bookmark". Click it. Word shows you all the headings in your document. Select the heading you want to link to and press OK. Now create your link from the table of contents the same way: select the text, press Ctrl+K, choose "Place in This Document" again, and pick the same heading.
Changing or removing a link
Right-click any blue underlined link in your document. A menu appears with options including "Edit Link" and "Remove Link". Click "Edit Link" to change the address, or "Remove Link" to delete the link while keeping the text.
If you want to change the text that appears but keep the link pointing to the same place, right-click the link and choose "Edit Link". In the dialog that opens, look for a field labeled "Display Text" or "Text to Display" and change it there. This is different from changing the address itself.
Making links visible in printed documents
By default, links in Word appear blue and underlined on screen, but when you print the document, they print as regular text with no color or underline. Readers cannot click a printed link.
If you want the web address to show in print so readers can type it by hand, you have two options. You can right-click the link and choose "Remove Link" to turn it back into plain text, then type the address in parentheses after it. Or you can select all links in the document (Ctrl+A to select all, then Ctrl+Shift+F9 to convert links to plain text), though this removes all links at once.
Troubleshooting links that do not work
If a link does not open when you click it, the address may be wrong or the website may be down. Right-click the link, choose "Edit Link", and check that the address in the Address field is complete and spelled correctly. Make sure it starts with http:// or https://.
If you copied the link from somewhere else and it still does not work, try deleting it and typing the address by hand. Some copied links include extra characters that break them. For email links, make sure you typed mailto: at the start with no space before the email address.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I link to a file on my computer instead of a website?
Yes. Press Ctrl+K or Cmd+K, then look for a button that says "Current Folder" or "Browse". Navigate to the file you want to link to and select it. When someone opens your document and clicks the link, that file opens on their computer — but only if they have the file in the same location you do.
How do I make a link open in a new window instead of the current one?
Right-click the link and choose "Edit Link". Look for an option that says "Open Link in New Window" or a checkbox for "Target Frame". Check that box and press OK. Now when someone clicks the link, it opens in a separate window instead of replacing the document.
What if the link text is too long and looks messy?
Right-click the link, choose "Edit Link", and find the "Display Text" field. You can change what appears on screen to something shorter — like "click here" — while the link still points to the full web address. This keeps your document clean without breaking the link.
Can I link to a specific part of a website, not just the homepage?
Yes. Copy the full address from your browser's address bar — it includes everything after the domain name. Paste that into the Address field in the link dialog. The link will go to that exact page or section, not the homepage.