The fastest way to add a link in PowerPoint

To add a clickable link to text or an image in PowerPoint, select what you want to link, right-click it, and choose "Link" from the menu. A dialog box opens where you paste the web address or choose a file on your computer. Click OK, and the link is live — your audience can click it during the presentation.

The link appears underlined and in blue by default, so viewers know it is clickable. If you want to link to a different slide within the same presentation instead of a website, you can do that too — just choose "Place in This Document" instead of pasting a web address.

You can also use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+K (Windows) or Cmd+K (Mac) after selecting your text or image. This opens the link dialog directly without the right-click menu.

Key Takeaways

  • Select the text or image you want to link, then press Ctrl+K (Windows) or Cmd+K (Mac) to open the link dialog.
  • Paste the full web address (starting with http:// or https://) into the address field, or choose a file from your computer.
  • Links to other slides in your presentation use "Place in This Document" instead of a web address.
  • Test every link before you present by holding Ctrl and clicking it in edit mode, or by running the slideshow.
  • Remove a link by right-clicking it and choosing "Remove Link" — this keeps the text but makes it unclickable.

Linking to websites during your presentation

When you want your audience to visit a website while you are presenting, embed the link into a word or phrase rather than displaying the full URL on the slide. Select the text (for example, "our pricing page"), press Ctrl+K or Cmd+K, paste the web address into the dialog, and click OK.

During the presentation, hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Cmd (Mac) and click the link to open it in your default browser. The link opens in a new window or tab, so your presentation stays visible behind it. This works whether you are presenting from your own computer or a projector connected to it.

If you are presenting on a computer without internet access, the link will not work — test your connection before you start. For presentations where internet might fail, consider taking screenshots of the pages you want to show and embedding them as images instead.

Linking to files and other slides

You can link to a PDF, Word document, Excel spreadsheet, or any other file on your computer. Select your text or image, press Ctrl+K or Cmd+K, then click "Browse" or the folder icon to find the file. PowerPoint inserts a link that opens the file when clicked during the presentation.

To link to a different slide in the same presentation, select your text, press Ctrl+K or Cmd+K, then choose "Place in This Document" instead of entering a web address. A list of all your slides appears — click the slide you want to jump to. This is useful for presentations with a table of contents or when you want to skip ahead based on audience questions.

When you link to a file on your computer, PowerPoint stores the file path, not a copy of the file itself. If you move or rename the file later, the link breaks. Before you present, move all linked files into the same folder as your presentation, or keep them in a consistent location you will not change.

Changing how links look on your slides

By default, linked text appears blue and underlined. If this does not match your slide design, you can change the color and formatting. Select the linked text, then use the font color button in the toolbar to pick a new color. You can also remove the underline by selecting the text and clicking the underline button to toggle it off.

If you want to change the link color for your entire presentation at once, go to the Design tab, click "Variants," and look for color scheme options. This changes the accent color used for all links across all slides. You can also right-click the linked text, choose "Format Text," and adjust the color there.

Keep in mind that removing the underline or changing the color to match your regular text makes it harder for viewers to spot the link. If you remove the visual cue, consider adding a note on the slide like "Click here to see our video" so the audience knows the text is interactive.

Testing and fixing broken links

Before you present, test every link to make sure it works. In edit mode, hold Ctrl (Windows) or Cmd (Mac) and click the link. If it is a web link, your browser opens. If it is a file link, the file opens. If nothing happens, the link is broken — either the web address is wrong or the file has been moved.

To fix a broken link, right-click it and choose "Edit Link." The dialog opens with the current address. Correct the web address, or click "Browse" to find the file again. Click OK to save the change.

If you are presenting and a link fails, do not click it again — move on and come back to it later if time allows. Your audience will not know the link was supposed to work unless you mention it. After the presentation, fix the link and test it again before you use the presentation next time.

Removing links you no longer need

If you decide a link is no longer necessary, right-click it and choose "Remove Link." This deletes the link but keeps the text or image on the slide, so your slide layout stays the same. The text will no longer be underlined or colored, and clicking it during the presentation will do nothing.

You can also select the linked text and press Ctrl+Shift+F9 (Windows) to remove all links at once, though this is less common. On Mac, there is no single keyboard shortcut for this — you have to remove links one at a time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I link to a specific page in a PDF instead of just opening the whole file?

PowerPoint does not have a built-in way to link to a specific page in a PDF. When you click the link, the entire PDF opens. If you need to jump to a specific page, open the PDF yourself during the presentation and navigate to it manually, or convert the PDF to images and embed them as slides instead.

What happens to my links if I email the presentation to someone else?

Web links stay intact when you email the file. File links break unless you also send the linked files and the recipient keeps them in the same folder structure. Before sharing, convert file links to web links if possible, or let the recipient know which files they need and where to put them.

Can I make an image clickable without showing it is a link?

Yes. Select the image, press Ctrl+K or Cmd+K, and paste the web address or file path. The image will not show the typical blue underline, but it will be clickable during the presentation. Your audience may not realize it is interactive unless you tell them, so consider adding a note like "Click the image to see the video."

Do links work if I present in slideshow mode?

Yes. In slideshow mode, hold Ctrl (Windows) or Cmd (Mac) and click the link to open it. Without holding Ctrl or Cmd, clicking just advances to the next slide. This prevents accidental clicks from opening links when you are trying to move forward.

Can I link to a YouTube video or other embedded media?

You can link to the YouTube page, but PowerPoint does not embed the video player itself through a link. Instead, insert the video directly into your slide using Insert > Video, or link to the YouTube URL and let it open in the browser during your presentation.