The fastest way to add a link in Word

To insert a link in Word, select the text you want to turn into a link, then press Ctrl+K (Windows) or Cmd+K (Mac). A dialog box opens. Paste or type the web address into the "Address" field, then click OK. The text now appears underlined and in blue — that's your link.

If you want to link to something other than a web page — like a file on your computer, another part of the same document, or an email address — the same keyboard shortcut works. The dialog box gives you options for each type of link on the left side.

You can also right-click on selected text and choose Link from the menu, though the keyboard shortcut is faster once you remember it.

Key Takeaways

  • Select text, press Ctrl+K (or Cmd+K on Mac), paste the web address, and click OK to create a link.
  • The same dialog works for linking to files, email addresses, or other parts of your document — just choose the type on the left side of the box.
  • You can remove a link by right-clicking it and choosing Remove Link, which keeps the text but deletes the clickable destination.
  • Linked text appears blue and underlined by default, but you can change how it looks by modifying the Hyperlink style in Word's formatting options.

Linking to a web page or external file

When you press Ctrl+K, the "Insert Hyperlink" dialog opens. At the top, make sure Existing File or Web Page is selected on the left. This is the default and handles most links.

In the "Address" field, paste the full web address — for example, https://www.example.com. Word usually adds http:// automatically if you forget it, but including it yourself prevents confusion. If you're linking to a file on your computer or a network drive, click Browse next to the Address field and navigate to the file instead of typing an address.

The "Text to display" field shows what readers see. By default, it's whatever text you selected before opening the dialog. You can change this to something shorter or more descriptive — for instance, if your selected text was "click here for the full report," you might change the display text to just "full report" to make it clearer.

Linking to an email address

To create a link that opens someone's email program when clicked, select your text and press Ctrl+K. On the left side of the dialog, click E-mail Address.

Type the email address in the "E-mail address" field. Word automatically adds mailto: before it — you don't need to type that part. If you want the email to have a subject line already filled in, click Subject at the bottom of the dialog and type what you want the subject to say.

When someone clicks this link, their default email program opens with a new message addressed to that person. This is useful in documents you plan to share digitally, though it doesn't work for readers who don't have an email program set up on their device.

Linking to another part of the same document

If your document is long and you want readers to jump from one section to another, select your text and press Ctrl+K. On the left, click Place in This Document.

Word shows a list of headings and bookmarks in your document. Click the heading or section you want to link to. If the part you want to link to isn't a heading, you can create a bookmark first: go to that location, select a word or phrase, press Ctrl+K, click Place in This Document, then click Create New Bookmark at the bottom and give it a name. Then return to your link and select that bookmark from the list.

This type of link is especially helpful in documents with tables of contents or when you want readers to jump to a footnote or definition without scrolling through pages.

Editing and removing links

To change where a link points, right-click the linked text and choose Edit Link. The Insert Hyperlink dialog opens again, and you can change the address or display text. Click OK when you're done.

If you want to remove the link but keep the text, right-click and choose Remove Link. The text stays in your document, but it's no longer clickable and the blue underline disappears. If you want to delete both the link and the text, just select it and press Delete.

To change how linked text looks — for instance, to make it a different color or remove the underline — go to the Home tab, click the small arrow next to Styles, right-click Hyperlink, and choose Modify. You can then change the font color, size, or formatting. This change affects all links in the document.

Links in different Word formats

Links work the same way in .docx files (the standard Word format) and .doc files (older Word versions). However, if you save your document as a PDF, links remain clickable. If you save as plain text (.txt), links are removed entirely.

When you share a Word document with others, links stay intact as long as the file remains in a Word format. If someone opens your document and clicks a link to a web page, their browser opens — they don't need to have the website downloaded or installed.

If you're creating a document that will be printed, remember that links won't be clickable on paper. Some people add the web address in parentheses after the linked text so readers can type it in manually if needed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my link show the web address instead of the text I selected?

This usually means the "Text to display" field in the Insert Hyperlink dialog was empty when you clicked OK. Open the link again by right-clicking and choosing Edit Link, then type what you want readers to see in the "Text to display" field.

Can I make a link that opens a file on my computer?

Yes. Select your text, press Ctrl+K, make sure Existing File or Web Page is selected, then click Browse and navigate to the file. When someone clicks the link, the file opens on their computer — but only if they have that file or a program that can read it.

How do I know if a link is working before I share the document?

Hold Ctrl and click the link. Your browser or email program opens to show where the link points. If nothing happens, the address may be wrong or the website may be down. Right-click the link and choose Edit Link to check the address.

Can I add a link to text that's already formatted in bold or italics?

Yes. The formatting stays. Select the bold or italic text, press Ctrl+K, add the address, and click OK. The text remains bold or italic and becomes a link at the same time.

What happens to links if I convert my Word document to Google Docs?

Links transfer over and remain clickable in Google Docs. However, some formatting details may change slightly. If you need to edit the links after converting, the process is similar — select the text and use the link tool in Google Docs.