How to Create External Hyperlinks in Microsoft Word

This tutorial shows how to create external hyperlinks in Microsoft Word. Specifically, we will create links to separate files, websites, and email addresses. We will also look at how to edit or remove hyperlinks. Lastly, we will go through the steps to turn off automatic hyperlinking in Word.

Quick Links:

How to Create Hyperlinks to Separate Files, Websites, and Emails
How to Edit or Remove Hyperlinks
How to Turn Off Automatic Hyperlinking

Do you want to add some pizzazz to your hyperlinks? Please visit “How to Change the Style of Hyperlinks in Microsoft Word.”

This tutorial is also available as a YouTube video showing all the steps in real time.

Watch more than fifty other videos about Microsoft Word and Adobe Acrobat on my YouTube channel.

The images below are from Word for Microsoft 365. The steps are the same for Word 2019, Word 2016, Word 2013, and Word 2010. However, your interface may look slightly different in those older versions of the software.

How to Create Hyperlinks to Separate Files, Websites, and Emails in Microsoft Word

The steps below show how to create hyperlinks to separate files, websites, and email addresses. These steps can be applied to text or to an image.

Important Note: There are several ways to create hyperlinks in Word. These steps represent the method I believe is the most user-friendly.

Select the text or image you want to turn into a hyperlink.

Text "erinwrightwriting.com" selected for hyperlinking — Figure 1. Text selected for hyperlinking

Right-click the selected text or image, and then select Link from the shortcut menu.

Word 365 Shortcut Link Option — Figure 2. Shortcut link option

Pro Tip: You can also select Link from the Insert tab in the ribbon. In addition, PC users can use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + K.

How to Link to a Separate File or Website

Select the Existing File or Web Page option in the Insert Hyperlink dialog box.

Existing File or Web Page option in the Insert Hyperlink dialog box in Word 365 — Figure 3. Existing File or Web Page option

If you want to link to a separate file, locate and select the file in the Look in section. The file name will appear in the Address text box after you make your selection.

Friendly Reminder: Your readers will only be able to open the file you are linking to if it is stored in a location they can access, such as a shared server or cloud storage.

"Look in" section in the Insert Hyperlink dialog box in Word 365 — Figure 6. “Look in” section

If you want to link to a website, enter the URL (including the https:// or http://) in the Address text box.

Address text box in the Insert Hyperlink dialog box in Word 365 — Figure 5. Address text box

How to Link to an Email Address

Select the E-mail Address option.

E-mail Address option in the Insert Hyperlink dialog box in Word 365 — Figure 6. E-mail Address option

Enter the address in the E-mail Address text box.

Important Note: When you start typing, Word will automatically insert mailto: before the address. This term is required to open the email link.

E-mail address text box in the Insert Hyperlink dialog box in Word 365 — Figure 7. E-mail address text box

(Optional Step) Enter a subject into the Subject text box.

Subject text box in the Insert Hyperlink dialog box in Word 365 — Figure 8. Subject text box

Optional Steps: How to Add ScreenTips to Hyperlinks

A ScreenTip is a short piece of text that appears when your readers hover their cursor over the link. ScreenTips should be used to tell your readers the link destination so they aren’t surprised when they click the link. By default, Word will add the file name, web address (URL), or email address as the ScreenTip. However, you can customize the ScreenTip to say something more specific.