Quick Links

Adding hyperlinks to your Word document is an easy way to give your readers quick access to information on the web or in another part of a document without having to include that content right on the page. Let's look at how to insert, manage, and delete different kinds of hyperlinks in your Word documents.

You can link a word or phrase in your Word document to an external web page, and they work much like links you'd find on the web. First, load up the web page to which you want to link in your web browser. You'll want to copy the URL in just a bit.

In your Word document, highlight the text you would like to link. You can also use this same technique to add a link to an image.

Text selected in Word

Right-click the selected text, point to the "Link" option, and then click the "Insert Link" command.

Insert Link in the shortcut menu

In the Insert Hyperlink window, select "Existing File or Web Page" on the left.

Existing File or Web Page in the Insert Link box

Type (or copy and paste) the URL of the web page into the "Address" field.

URL in the Address field

And then click "OK" to save your hyperlink.

OK button

And just like that, you've turned that text into a link.

Linked text in Word

If you're working with a long Word document, you can make things easier on readers by linking to other parts of the document when you mention them. For example, you might tell a reader that they'll "find more information on the subject in Part 2." Instead of leaving them to find Part 2 on their own, why not turn it into a hyperlink. It's the same kind of thing Word does when you automatically generate a table of contents.

Related: How to Create and Update a Table of Contents in Microsoft Word

In order to hyperlink to a different location within the same document, you must first set up a bookmark to which you'll link.

Place your cursor where you want to insert the bookmark.

Cursor placed to add the bookmark

Switch to the "Insert" tab on Word's Ribbon.

Insert tab

On the Insert tab, click the "Bookmark" button.

Bookmark on the Insert tab

In the Bookmark window, type the name you want for your bookmark. The name must begin with a letter, but can include letters and numbers (just no spaces).

Name for a bookmark

Click "Add" to insert your bookmark.

Add button

Now that you've got a bookmark set up, you can add a link to it. Select the text you want to turn into a link.

Text selected in Word

Right-click on the selected text, point to the "Link" option, and then click the "Insert Link" command.

Insert Link in the shortcut menu

In the Insert Hyperlink window, click the "Place In This Document" option on the left.

Place in This Document in the Insert Link box

On the right, you'll see a list of bookmarks in the document. Select the one you want.

Bookmark selected

And then click the "OK" button.

OK button

Now whenever you click that link, Word will jump to the bookmark.

If you're including contact information in your document, you can also link to an email address.

Related: How to Send a Word Document as the Body of an Email Message

Select, and then right-click the text you want to turn into a link.

Text selected in Word

Point to the "Link" option, and then click the "Insert Link" button.

Insert Link in the shortcut menu

Select the "E-mail Address" option on the left of the Insert Hyperlink window.

Email Address in the Insert Link box

Type the email address you want to link to. Word automatically adds the "mailto:" text at the beginning of the address. This helps the link open in the reader's default mail client.

Email Address in the Insert Link box

Click "OK" to insert your link.

OK button

And now, whenever you click the link, a blank message should open in the default email client, already addressed to the linked recipient.

You can also insert a link that creates a new, blank Word document when you click it. This can be useful when you're building a set of documents.

Related: How to Use Microsoft Word's Compare Feature

Select the text you'd like to turn into a link, and then right-click it.

Text selected in Word

Point to the "Link" option, and then select the "Insert Link" command.

Insert Link in the shortcut menu

Select "Create New Document" on the left.

Create New Document in the Insert Link box

Type the name that you want used for the new document.

Name for the new document

Select whether you want to edit the new document later or right away. If you select the option to edit the new document now, Word creates and opens the new document will open immediately.

When To Edit options

Click "OK" when you're done.

OK button

Occasionally, you made need to change an existing hyperlink in your document. To do so, right-click the hyperlink, and then choose "Edit Hyperlink" from the context menu.

Edit Hyperlink in the menu

Change or type a new hyperlink into the "Address" box.

URL in the Address box

And then click the "OK" button.

OK button

Removing a hyperlink from your document is also easy. Just right-click the linked text, and choose "Remove Hyperlink" from the context menu.

Remove Hyperlink in the menu

And, voila! The hyperlink is gone.