Erin Wright Writing

Writing-Related Software Tutorials

How to Duplicate Links in Microsoft Word

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This tutorial shows how to duplicate links, also called hyperlinks, in Microsoft Word. Specifically, we will copy a link attached to one word and paste that link to the same word throughout the entire document.

This process can be used to duplicate external links (e.g., websites, social media) or internal links within the document. In addition, it can be used to duplicate links attached to multiple words or even blocks of text.

First, we will create the link. Then, we will duplicate the link throughout the document.

Watch all the steps shown here in real time!

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Table of Contents:

The images below are from Word for Microsoft 365. These steps also apply to Word 2021, Word 2019, and Word 2016. These steps don’t apply to Word for the web.

We will cover this topic in Word for Mac in a separate tutorial.

  1. Select the text to which you want to attach the link.
  2. Right-click the selected text and then select Link from the shortcut menu.
Pro Tip: The Link option is also available in the Insert tab in the ribbon.
Link option in the text shortcut menu in Word 365
Figure 1. Link option
  1. Select the destination from the Insert Hyperlink dialog box:
    • Existing File or Web Page
    • Place in This Document
    • Create New Document
    • E-mail Address
  1. Select or enter the additional information as necessary and then select the OK button.

For this example, I will be linking to my website, so I have added my URL into the Address text box.

Insert Hyperlink dialog box in Word 365
Figure 2. Link to menu, Address text box, OK button
  1. (Optional) Press and hold Ctrl on your keyboard while clicking the link to test it.
  1. Select the linked text. (Be careful not to select any extra spaces before or after the text.)
  2. Press Ctrl + C on your keyboard to save a copy to the clipboard.
  3. Select the Home tab.
  4. Select Replace in the Editing group.
Replace button in the Home tab in Word 365
Figure 3. Replace button
  1. Press Ctrl + V to paste the copied text into the Find what text box if it doesn’t appear automatically in the Find and Replace dialog box.
  1. Type ^c into the Replace with text box. (The code ^c copies the clipboard contents.)
  2. Select the Replace All button.
Replace tab in the Find and Replace dialog box in Word 365
Figure 4. Find what text box, Replace with text box, and Replace All button
  1. Select Yes in the dialog box asking if you want to search from the beginning of the document.
Continue Searching for Replacements dialog box in Word 365
Figure 5. Yes button
  1. Select the OK button in the dialog box reporting the number of replacements.
OK button in the Number of Replacements dialog box in Word 365
Figure 6. OK button
  1. Select the Close button.
Close button in the Find and Replace dialog box in Word 365
Figure 7. Close button

All occurrences of the text selected in step 1 should now be linked to the destination selected in the previous section.

Related Resources

How to Change the Style of Hyperlinks in Microsoft Word

How to Link to Part of Another Microsoft Word Document

How to Use Bookmarks in Microsoft Word