The basic way to add a link in Word

To add a hyperlink in Microsoft Word, select the text you want to turn into a link, then press Ctrl+K (Windows) or Cmd+K (Mac). A dialog box will open. Paste or type the web address into the "Address" field, then click OK. The text will turn blue and underlined, and clicking it will open that link.

You can also right-click the selected text, choose "Link" from the menu, and fill in the address the same way. Both methods do the same thing — the keyboard shortcut is just faster once you remember it.

If you want to link to a file on your computer instead of a website, click "Browse" in the dialog box and navigate to the file. Word will create a link that opens that file when clicked.

Key Takeaways

  • Select text, press Ctrl+K (or Cmd+K on Mac), paste the web address, and click OK to create a hyperlink.
  • The link text and the actual address can be different — you can make the words "click here" link to a long URL.
  • You can link to files on your computer, not just websites, by using the Browse button in the link dialog.
  • Removing a link is faster than creating one: right-click it and choose "Remove Link" to keep the text but delete the clickable part.

Making the link text different from the address

The text you select is what readers see and click on. The address you paste is where it actually goes. These do not have to match. For example, you could select the words "housing resources" and link them to a long URL like www.example.com/housing/resources/section-8.

This matters because long URLs are ugly and hard to read in a document. Readers do not need to see the full address — they just need to know what the link is about. Use clear, short link text like "HUD's rental information page" or "local housing authority" instead of pasting the entire URL into your document.

Editing or removing a link you already created

To change where a link points, right-click it and choose "Edit Link." The dialog box will open again, and you can change the address. To change the text readers see, just select the text and retype it — the link will stay attached to the new words.

To remove the link but keep the text, right-click the link and choose "Remove Link." The text will stay in your document but will no longer be blue or clickable. If you want to delete both the link and the text, just select and delete it normally.

Links to other parts of the same document

You can link to a heading or bookmark elsewhere in the same Word file. This is useful in longer documents where you want readers to jump from a table of contents to a section, or from one chapter to a reference in another.

To create this kind of link, select your text and press Ctrl+K. In the dialog box, click "Place in This Document" (Windows) or look for a bookmark/heading option (Mac). Choose the heading or bookmark you want to link to. Word will create a link that jumps to that spot when clicked.

What happens when you share a document with links

If you email a Word document to someone else, the links stay in the document and work the same way. The other person can click them to open websites or files, as long as those files are still in the same location on their computer or the websites still exist.

If you move a file that a link points to, the link will break. Word will tell you the link is broken, but it will not automatically find the file in its new location. You will need to edit the link and point it to the new location manually.

If you convert the document to PDF, links usually stay clickable. If you print the document, links do not print as clickable — they just appear as blue text, and readers would have to type the address manually.

Why links sometimes do not work the way you expect

If you paste a link and it does not turn blue or become clickable, Word may not have recognized it as a web address. Make sure you included the full address, starting with http:// or https://. If you just typed "google.com" without the "https://", Word might not treat it as a link.

If a link works for you but not for someone you sent the document to, the website may be blocked on their network, or the page may have moved or been deleted. You can check if a link still works by holding Ctrl and clicking it (Windows) or Cmd and clicking it (Mac) — if nothing happens, the link is broken.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make a link open in a new window instead of replacing the current one?

Word does not have a built-in option for this. When someone clicks a link in a Word document, it opens in their default browser and replaces whatever was on screen. If you need links to open in new tabs, convert the document to a web page or PDF instead.

What if I want to link to an email address?

Select your text, press Ctrl+K, and in the dialog box type mailto:name@example.com (replace with the actual email). When someone clicks it, their default email program will open with that address filled in. This works in Word documents, though the recipient's email settings control whether it actually launches.

Can I see all the links in my document at once?

Word does not have a built-in link list view. You can search for links by pressing Ctrl+H to open Find and Replace, then searching for special characters or formatting, but this is clunky. If you need to manage many links, a web page or Google Doc might be easier.

Do links in Word documents work on phones and tablets?

Yes, if you open the document in Word on a phone or tablet, links work the same way — tap them to open the website or file. If you email the document and someone opens it in a different app, links may or may not work depending on that app's features.