Creating a link in Word takes three steps: select the text you want to turn into a link, open the link dialog, and paste or type the web address
The simplest way to add a link in Word is to highlight the words you want readers to click, then use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+K (on Windows) or Command+K (on Mac). A dialog box opens where you paste the web address. Word then underlines and colors those words so readers know they can click them. The link itself stays hidden until someone hovers over it or clicks it.
You can also insert a link without selecting text first — Word will create a link using the web address itself as the visible text, which looks less polished but works fine for quick documents. The process is the same either way: select or position your cursor, press the keyboard shortcut, and enter the address.
Key Takeaways
- Select the text you want to become a link, then press Ctrl+K (Windows) or Command+K (Mac) to open the link dialog.
- Paste the full web address into the "Address" field — Word automatically adds http:// if you forget it.
- You can link to web pages, email addresses, or other documents on your computer by changing the link type in the dialog.
- Right-click any link and select "Remove Link" to delete it without deleting the text itself.
- Links in Word documents work the same way in both the desktop version and Word Online, though the dialog looks slightly different.
Step-by-step: linking to a website
Open your Word document and find the text you want to turn into a link. Click at the start of that text and drag to select it — for example, if you want "click here" to be clickable, highlight those two words. The text will turn blue or gray depending on your Word theme.
With the text selected, press Ctrl+K on Windows or Command+K on Mac. The "Insert Hyperlink" dialog opens when ready. In the field labeled "Address," paste the web address you want to link to. If you're typing it rather than pasting, include the full address: https://www.example.com, not just example.com. Word usually adds the https:// part automatically, but including it prevents confusion.
Click the "OK" button or press Enter. The text you selected now appears underlined and in blue (or your document's link color), and the link is live. You can test it by holding Ctrl and clicking the link — it will open in your browser.
Linking to an email address
The same process works for email links, but you need to tell Word you're linking to an email rather than a website. Select your text and press Ctrl+K or Command+K. In the dialog that opens, look for a button or option labeled "E-mail Address" — on Windows it's usually on the left side of the dialog, and on Mac it's in a dropdown menu at the top.
Click that button to switch to email mode. In the "E-mail address" field, type the email address without any extra text: name@example.com. You can leave the "Subject" field blank or type a subject line that will appear in the reader's email when they click the link. Click OK when you're done.
When someone clicks an email link in your document, their default email program opens with a new message addressed to that person. This is useful for contact information or feedback requests, though it only works if the reader has an email program set up on their computer.
Linking to other files on your computer
You can link to another document, spreadsheet, or PDF on your computer instead of a website. Select your text and press Ctrl+K or Command+K. In the dialog, look for a button labeled "Browse" or a folder icon — this lets you navigate to the file you want to link to.
Click that button and a file browser opens. Navigate to the folder where your file is stored and select it. Word automatically fills in the address field with the path to that file. Click OK to create the link. When someone opens your document and clicks that link, the file opens on their computer — but only if they have that file in the same location. If you move the file or send the document to someone else, the link may break.
For documents you plan to share with others, linking to websites is more reliable than linking to local files, because web links work the same way for everyone.
Editing or removing a link
To change where a link points, right-click the linked text and select "Edit Link" from the menu that appears. The Insert Hyperlink dialog opens again, and you can change the address in the same way you entered it the first time. Click OK to save your changes.
To remove a link without deleting the text, right-click the linked text and select "Remove Link." The text stays in your document but is no longer clickable. This is useful if you decide a link is no longer needed but want to keep the words themselves.
If you want to delete both the link and the text, just select the text and press Delete as you normally would. The link disappears along with the words.
Why links sometimes don't work
A link in Word might not work if the web address is typed incorrectly or if the website has moved or shut down. Before sharing a document with links, test each one by holding Ctrl and clicking it. If a link doesn't open, right-click it, select "Edit Link," and check that the address is spelled correctly.
Links to files on your computer only work if the file is in the exact same location on the reader's computer. If you're sharing a document with others, use web links instead, or include the file as an attachment in the same email.
In Word Online (the browser version), links work the same way, but you access the link dialog through the "Insert" menu at the top instead of using the keyboard shortcut. The process is otherwise identical.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I change the color of a link?
Yes. Go to the "Design" tab (or "Layout" in older versions), click "Colors," and choose a color scheme. This changes all links in your document at once. You can also right-click a link, select "Styles," and modify the "Hyperlink" style to customize the appearance further, though this requires more steps.
What's the difference between Ctrl+K and using the Insert menu?
There is no difference — they open the same dialog. Ctrl+K is just faster. If you forget the shortcut, you can click the "Insert" tab at the top, then click "Link" in the ribbon, and it opens the same Insert Hyperlink dialog.
Do links work when I save a Word document as a PDF?
Yes, links stay active in PDFs created from Word. When you save as PDF, Word preserves the links so readers can click them in the PDF viewer. This is one reason links are useful — they work across different file formats.
Can I make a link open in a new window?
Word doesn't have a built-in option for this in the link dialog. If you need links to open in a new window, save your document as a web page (File > Save As > Web Page format) or convert it to HTML, where you can add that behavior. For regular Word documents, links open in the reader's default browser window.
What if I paste a web address into Word and it automatically becomes a link?
Word has an AutoCorrect feature that turns web addresses into links automatically. If you don't want this, you can undo it with Ctrl+Z right after it happens. To turn off this feature entirely, go to File > Options > Proofing > AutoCorrect Options, find the "Internet and network paths with hyperlinks" option, and uncheck it.