# Document Links

Course: [Word](https://www.devtutorials.ai/learn/word) · Section: Document Design
Source: https://www.devtutorials.ai/learn/word/document-design/document-links

> Insert, edit, and remove hyperlinks, and use bookmarks to mark places in a document and link to them.

Documents are often read on a screen, not just on paper. **Links** let readers click to open a website, or jump straight to another part of a long document. In this lesson, you'll insert, edit, and remove hyperlinks, and use bookmarks to mark places in your document and link to them.

Open the **Word sandbox** and follow along.

## Insert hyperlink

Links come in two kinds: links to websites, and links to places inside your document. Let's start with websites. A **hyperlink** is clickable text that opens a web page, an email, or another place.

1. Type the text readers will click, such as `Kenya Wildlife Service`, and select it.
2. Go to **Insert** > **Link**, or press **Ctrl + K**.
3. In the **Address** box, type or paste the web address, such as `https://www.kws.go.ke`.
4. Click **OK** (or **Insert**).

The text turns blue and underlined. To follow the link, hold **Ctrl** and click it.

Link meaningful words, not "click here". `Read the Kenya Wildlife Service guide` tells readers where the link goes before they click, and it reads well on paper too.

## Edit hyperlink

Sooner or later you'll need to change a link: the address was wrong, or you want different words shown. To change where a link goes, or the words that are shown:

1. Right-click the link.
2. Choose **Edit Hyperlink**.
3. Change the **Text to display** or the **Address**, and click **OK**.

## Remove hyperlink

To turn a link back into normal text without deleting the words:

1. Right-click the link.
2. Choose **Remove Hyperlink**.

The words stay, but they're no longer blue, underlined, or clickable.

Word often turns web addresses into links automatically as you type, for example when you type `www.example.com` and press **Space**. If you don't want that link, press **Ctrl + Z** straight away, or use **Remove Hyperlink**.

## Create bookmark

Website links are only half the story. The other kind of link jumps to a place **inside** your document, and for that you first need a marker. A **bookmark** marks a place in your document with a name, like a sticky tab in a book. You can jump to it at any time, and link to it.

1. Select the text you want to mark, such as a section heading, or click where the bookmark should go.
2. Go to **Insert** > **Bookmark**.
3. Type a name, such as `Samburu`, and click **Add**.

**Bookmark names** must start with a letter and can't contain spaces. Use letters, numbers, and underscores, such as `Section_2` or `PriceList`.

## Edit bookmark

Word doesn't rename bookmarks. To change one, delete the old bookmark and add it again with the new name, or at the new place. To **move** a bookmark, select the new place, open **Insert** > **Bookmark**, pick the existing name, and click **Add**: the bookmark moves there.

## Delete bookmark

1. Go to **Insert** > **Bookmark**.
2. Pick the bookmark in the list.
3. Click **Delete**.

Deleting a bookmark never deletes text. It only removes the invisible marker.

## Navigate using bookmarks

Once you've created a bookmark, you can use it to jump straight to that place in the document.

1. Go to **Insert** > **Bookmark**.
2. Pick the bookmark in the list.
3. Click **Go To**.

Word jumps straight to the bookmarked place. In a long report, this is much faster than scrolling.

## Link to bookmarks

The real power of bookmarks: you can link to them, so readers click once and jump there.

1. Select the text readers will click, such as `Samburu` in a contents list.
2. Press **Ctrl + K** to open the link dialog.
3. Instead of a web address, choose the **Bookmark** option (in Microsoft Word: **Place in This Document**), and pick the bookmark.
4. Click **OK**.

Now **Ctrl + click** the link to jump to that place in the document.

**Hyperlinks** go somewhere else: a website or email. **Bookmark links** go somewhere in the same document. Both are made with **Ctrl + K**; only the target is different.

## Common mistakes

Here are the most common traps, and how to fix them:

| Mistake | What happens | How to fix it |
|---|---|---|
| Missing `https://` or a typo in the address | The link opens an error page | **Edit Hyperlink** and fix the address |
| Clicking a link without **Ctrl** | Nothing happens, or the cursor just moves | Hold **Ctrl** and click |
| Space in a bookmark name | Word won't add the bookmark | Use an underscore, like `Price_List` |
| Deleting the bookmarked text | The bookmark disappears and links to it break | Add the bookmark again, then check the links |
| Deleting link text to remove a link | The words are gone too | Use **Remove Hyperlink** to keep the words |

## Exercise

Now it's time to add links yourself.

Click **New** in the sandbox title bar, and type these paragraphs:

- `Contents: Samburu`
- `Visit Kenya Wildlife Service for park information.`
- `Samburu`
- `Samburu National Reserve is home to the Grevy's zebra and the reticulated giraffe.`

Now do each task and press **Check**.

## What to remember

- **Ctrl + K** inserts a link; **Ctrl + click** follows it.
- Right-click a link to **Edit Hyperlink** or **Remove Hyperlink**. Removing keeps the words.
- **Insert** > **Bookmark** adds, finds (**Go To**), and deletes bookmarks.
- Bookmark names start with a letter and have no spaces.
- Link to a bookmark with **Ctrl + K** and the **Bookmark** option, to jump inside the document.

In the next lesson, you'll use styles to format a whole document quickly and consistently.