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2.12: Inserting and Modifying Hyperlinks

  • Page ID
    14294
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    A hyperlink, often referred to simply as a link, is text or a graphic that, once clicked, “jumps” to a different location in the file or to a different software program. Software programs include e-mail applications, web pages or an external file, often created in Microsoft Office programs like Excel or PowerPoint. There are a few ways to insert a link into your document. Depending on how you want the link to appear, you can use Word’s automatic link formatting or convert the text or graphic into a link. The fastest way to create a link in a document is to press ENTER or the SPACEBAR after you type the address of an existing webpage, such as www.minnesota.edu. Word automatically converts the address into a link. The same result occurs if the user were to enter an e-mail address, such as marcus.lacher@minnesota.edu. Hyperlinks have two parts: the address (URL) of the web page and the display text. In the two previous examples, the URL matches the display text, however it is possible to create a link to any word, combination of words, or an object, such as a picture or shape.

    Insert Hyperlink
    Insert Hyperlink

    To create a link on a specific word or object to a web page, start by selecting the word(s) or object, and then click the Link button in the Links group of the Insert tab to open the Insert Hyperlink window. In the illustration below, a link is being defined to go to Microsoft’s website for the Word program. The text “Word” appears as the Text to display so that once the link is created, this text will appear with the hyperlink attributes, which are typically blue and underlined. The Address field contains the URL to the specific web page destination that will open in the current device’s default browser application. The Insert Hyperlink window fields will change significantly if the Link to: open on the left side is changed from Existing File or Web Page to another option. To follow a hyperlink in Word, hold the Ctrl key and click the linked text or object.


    This page titled 2.12: Inserting and Modifying Hyperlinks is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Marcus Lacher (Minnesota Libraries Publishing Project) via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform; a detailed edit history is available upon request.