How to Insert a Hyperlink Using Rich Text or HTML: 3 Methods

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Learn to embed hyperlinks in emails, blog posts, or documents

Written by Megaera Lorenz, PhD

Last Updated: August 7, 2024 Fact Checked

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• Adding Links to Emails and Blog Posts
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• Adding Links to Documents
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• Adding Links to HTML Code
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• Video
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• Q&A
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• Tips

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A hyperlink is a type of code that allows you to access a web address, file, or location within a document just by clicking on the linked text or image. It’s easy to embed hyperlinks in all kinds of documents, including Word docs, web pages, blog posts, and emails. While most apps and blogging platforms make it easy to add a hyperlink with a few mouse clicks, we’ll also teach you how to code a hyperlink in HTML.

How to Add Embedded Links

• To quickly insert a hyperlink into a document, use the shortcut Ctrl + K (PC) or Cmd + K (Mac).
• Add HTML links using this format: <a href="https://www.wikihow.com">Click Here</a>
• Most email clients and blogging platforms let you insert a hyperlink by selecting text and then clicking a Link button or icon.

Steps

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Adding Links to Emails and Blog Posts

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1. 1
   Copy the address you want to link to. Go to the website you want to create a hyperlink to, then copy the URL from the address bar.

   • Click or tap the address in the address bar to highlight it, right-click or long-tap the selection, and then select Copy.
2. 2
   Start your email or blog post. If you want to add a link to your blog post, create a new blog post in your preferred editor. Otherwise, open your email app, then compose or reply to a new message.
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3. 3
   Click where you want the link to appear. You can insert a hyperlink anywhere in your email message or blog post.

   • You can also select a word, phrase, or sentence you want to convert into a link.
   • Many blogging platforms and email clients will also let you select an image and add a link to it.
     • The way to do this may vary from one app to another, but usually, you can tap or click the image to select it and then click the link button to add a link.
     • Some apps may also give you the option to add a link when you first insert an image or if you open the image formatting or editing menu.
4. 4
   Click or tap the Link icon. The location varies by app or website, but you'll usually see a chain link icon or the word "Link" somewhere in the toolbar. This will open a window that contains options for your hyperlink.
5. 5
   Paste the link in the "URL" field. Look for the field that says "URL" or "Website." Then, right-click or long-tap the field and select Paste.

   • Depending on what kind of link you’re inserting, click or tap the web address or email option (if available).
6. 6
   Enter the display text. If you selected text in your email or blog post before clicking the Link button, you can skip this step. If not, type the words you want the reader to click to be taken to the link.

   • This can be a description, the title of the page you are linking to, or part of a sentence. It can also be a simple instruction like "Click here."
7. 7
   Apply the link. To save the link, click the button that says Save, Ok, Apply, or something similar. This adds the link to your email or blog text.

   • You can now publish your blog post or send your email message.
   • To remove the link, right-click (Windows), Ctrl-click (Mac), or tap and hold it (mobile apps). Then, tap Edit, Change, or the pencil icon.
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Adding Links to Documents

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1. 1
   Copy the address you want to link to. Go to the website you want to create a hyperlink to, then copy the URL from the address bar.

   • Click or tap the address in the address bar to highlight it, right-click or long-tap the selection, and then select Copy.
2. 2
   Open your word processing program. You can insert hyperlinks in a variety of word processing programs, including Microsoft Word, Google Docs, and LibreOffice, as well as other Office apps like Excel and PowerPoint.

   • You can even add hyperlinks to graphics in Illustrator!
3. 3
   Place your cursor where you want to insert a hyperlink. Hyperlinks can be placed anywhere in a document, including in the middle of a sentence.

   • Alternatively, you can highlight the text you want to turn into a hyperlink.
   • You can also add links to images. Just click or tap an image to select it.
   • Most word processing apps will automatically add a live link to a web address or email address if you paste it directly into the document.
4. 4
   Click the Insert menu. If you're using Microsoft Word or any Office product, click the Insert tab on the toolbar. Otherwise, click the Insert menu at the top of your preferred app.
5. 5
   Click Link or Hyperlink. In Microsoft Word, you'll see this option on the ribbon at the top of the window. In other apps, you'll typically see this on a menu. This opens a window you can use to create a hyperlink.

   • If you don't see the Link or Hyperlink option, look around your app for a chain link icon.
   • In most word-processing apps, you can also add a link using a keyboard shortcut. In Windows, the shortcut is Ctrl + K. On a Mac, use Command + K.
6. 6
   Paste or type your copied URL in the Address or URL field. Right-click or long-tap the URL or Address field, then select Paste.

   • Some word-processing apps will let you link to other files or a section of the document you’re working on. For example, in Word, you can select one of these other types of locations in the Link to: menu bar on the left side of the Insert Hyperlink popup window.
     • If you choose to link to a file on your computer, you’ll see a window where you can browse the folders on your computer and select the file you want.
     • If you select Place in This Document, you can choose from a list of headers or bookmarks in the current document to link to.
7. 7
   Enter the display text for the hyperlink. If you selected text or an image to link to, you can skip this step. If not, you should see a field that says something like "Text" or "Text to display." Enter the text you want the reader to click to be taken to the hyperlink's destination.

   • The text can be part of a sentence, the title of the page, a description of the page you are linking to, or a simple instruction like "Click here."
8. 8
   Apply the link. To apply the link, click the button that says Ok, Save, Apply, or something similar.

   • In most apps, you can make edits to the link by right-clicking (Windows) or Ctrl-clicking (Mac) the link and selecting an option from the context menu.
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Adding Links to HTML Code

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1. 1
   Open your HTML code in your preferred editor. This could be an HTML document on your web server or local hard drive. It could also be a forum, blog post, or email client that allows you to compose in HTML.

   • On forums and blogs, you may need to click the "HTML" button above the field where you enter your text to switch to HTML mode.
   • If you use a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) HTML editor, you'll usually need to select the HTML option to pull up the raw code.
2. 2
   Click or tap where you want your hyperlink to go. A hyperlink can go at the end of the text or it can be inserted in the middle of a sentence as a reference.
3. 3
   Type <a href=. This is the first part of your opening tag for hyperlinks in HTML.
4. 4
   Paste the URL address in quotations (" "). Type a quotation mark and then right-click (Windows) or Ctrl-click (Mac), then click Paste to paste the web address you copied. Then, add another quotation mark at the end of the URL.

   • You can also paste with the keyboard shortcut Ctrl-C (Windows) or Command-C (Mac).
   • If you’re on a mobile device, tap and hold the screen right after the quote mark, then select Paste from the pop-up menu.
   • You can also type your URL between the quote marks if you don’t have it saved to your clipboard.
5. 5
   Type > after the last quotation mark. This closes the opening tag of the HTML code. So far, your HTML tag should look something like this: <a href="https://www.example1.net">.
6. 6
   Type the display text for the hyperlink. This is the text that displays in place of the web address. This goes immediately after the closing bracket (>).

   • For example, <a href="https://www.example1.net">Click Here.
   • If you want to add a hyperlink to an image instead of text, enter the code <img src="[image name].jpg"> where the display text would go.
7. 7
   Type </a> after the display text. This closes the hyperlink HTML tag. The entire hyperlink tag should look something like this: <a href="https://www.example1.net">Click Here</a>

   • You can now preview your code to see your hyperlink in action.
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Community Q&A

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• Question

  Can I use the HTML format for a wikiHow article?

  

  Stephen

  Top Answerer

  In most cases HTML will not work for wikiHow. WH uses a different language for coding.

  Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
  Thank you for your feedback.
  If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow

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  Not Helpful 1 Helpful 3
• Question

  How do you copy links?

  

  Free Eagle

  Community Answer

  There are different codes, depending on where the link is going. This is to link to another web page. 1.) Type the text you want readers to select to display another page. 2.) Type <A Href="?"> in front of the text, replacing the ? with the address of the web page you want to display. 3.) Type </a> after the text.

  Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
  Thank you for your feedback.
  If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow

  Yes No

  Not Helpful 3 Helpful 1
• Question

  How do I add a hyperlink of a YouTube video to my Zillow account under the description section?

  

  CageyCat

  Top Answerer

  A link needs the simple tags of a and /a that start and end it, with brackets before and after. If you ignore the leading dot inserted in this answer, it would look like and tags. (Remove the leading dots.)

  Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
  Thank you for your feedback.
  If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow

  Yes No

  Not Helpful 1 Helpful 0

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Tips

• You can use a photo as your display text using HTML. To do so, insert the HTML tag to add a photo in place of your display text.
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