What linking to a specific part of a page means
When you link to a specific part of a page, you're sending someone to a particular section rather than the top of the page. Instead of a link that goes to example.com/housing-guide, you create one that goes to example.com/housing-guide#financial-help. The part after the # symbol (called an anchor or fragment) tells the browser to jump directly to that section.
This is useful when a page is long and you want to send someone straight to the information they need. Without it, they land at the top and have to scroll to find what you meant. With it, they arrive exactly where you intended.
Key Takeaways
- A link to a specific part of a page includes a # symbol followed by an anchor name, like #financial-help or #faq.
- The page creator must first add an anchor to that section using either an id attribute or a name attribute in the HTML code.
- You can create these links in an email, a document, or another webpage by copying the full URL with the anchor attached.
- Most browsers automatically scroll to the anchored section when the page loads, so the reader sees it when ready without clicking anything else.
How anchors work on a webpage
Before you can link to a specific part of a page, that part needs an anchor — a marker in the page's code that identifies it. The page creator adds this marker using HTML. The most common way is to add an id attribute to a heading or section.
For example, if a page has a heading that says "Frequently Asked Questions", the code behind it might look like this: <h2 id="faq">Frequently Asked Questions</h2>. The id="faq" part is the anchor. Once that anchor exists, anyone can link directly to it by adding #faq to the end of the page's URL.
Not every page has anchors. If a page doesn't have them, you can't link to a specific part — you can only link to the top. Some websites add anchors to help people navigate long pages; others don't bother.
How to create a link to a specific part of a page
If you're writing in a document or email and want to link to a specific section, you need the full URL plus the anchor name. Start by finding the page URL in your browser's address bar. Then add # and the anchor name at the end.
If the page is example.com/housing-guide and the anchor is financial-help, your full link becomes example.com/housing-guide#financial-help. You can paste this into an email, a document, or another webpage. When someone clicks it, their browser will load the page and automatically scroll to that section.
In most word processors and email programs, you can highlight text, click the link button, and paste the full URL with the anchor into the link field. The process is the same as creating any other link — the anchor just goes at the end.
Finding the anchor name for a section
If you're looking at a page and want to link to a specific section, you need to find out what anchor name it has. The easiest way is to right-click on the heading of that section and select "Inspect" or "Inspect Element" (the exact wording depends on your browser). This opens the browser's developer tools and shows you the HTML code behind that heading.
Look for an id= attribute in the code. If you see <h2 id="financial-help">, then financial-help is the anchor name. Copy that name and add it to the end of the page URL with a # in front.
If you right-click on a heading and don't see an id attribute, that section doesn't have an anchor and you can't link directly to it. You can still link to the top of the page, but the browser won't scroll to that specific section.
Why some pages don't have anchors
Creating anchors takes extra work during page design. A page creator has to decide which sections are important enough to anchor, then add the code. Many websites skip this step, especially if the page is short or if they assume people will use the search function instead.
Government websites and large organizations are more likely to have anchors because they deal with long pages and want to make navigation easier. Smaller websites or blogs might not have them. If a page doesn't have anchors, there's no way to add them yourself — only the person who controls the page can do that.
Using anchors in a table of contents
Long pages sometimes include a table of contents at the top with links to each section. These links use anchors to jump down the page. When you click "Jump to Financial Help" in the table of contents, you're clicking a link that includes the anchor #financial-help.
If a page has a table of contents, you can copy any of those links and share them with someone else. Right-click on the link, select "Copy Link Address" or "Copy Link", and paste it into an email or document. The full URL with the anchor will be copied, and anyone who clicks it will land on that section.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I link to a specific part of a page on my phone?
Yes. In most phone browsers, you can long-press a link and select "Copy Link" to get the full URL with the anchor. You can then paste it into an email or message. When someone clicks it, they'll be taken to that section just as they would on a computer.
What if I share a link with an anchor and the page changes?
If the page creator removes or renames the anchor, the link will still work but won't jump to that section anymore — it will just load the top of the page. This is rare, but it can happen if a website redesigns or reorganizes its content.
Do I need to know how to code to create these links?
No. You only need to copy the page URL, find the anchor name (by inspecting the page or looking at the table of contents), and paste them together with a # in between. The page creator does the coding; you just use what they've already built.
Can I create an anchor on a page I don't own?
No. Only the person who controls the page can add anchors to it. If a page doesn't have anchors, you can't add them yourself. You can only link to the top of the page or suggest to the page owner that they add anchors to make navigation easier.