Changing Hyperlink Display Text

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated February 22, 2025)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, and Word in Microsoft 365

When Heather selects a hyperlink and displays the Edit Hyperlink dialog box, she can change the Display Text field to change what shows for the hyperlink in the document. She wonders if she can simply move the insertion point within the hyperlink, not display the Edit Hyperlink dialog box, and still make changes directly to what is shown in the document. Or, is one method "proper" and the other "improper?"

It doesn't appear that there is a "right" or "wrong" way to edit the display text. You can do it within the dialog box or in the document itself. In fact, changing one way will change it both ways. For instance, if you change it in the document and then display the Edit Hyperlink dialog box, the Display Text field will reflect the edit you made to the text in the document.

Oddly enough, there is one place you cannot change the display text—in the field code. If you place the insertion point within the display text of the hyperlink and press Shift+F9, you'll see the HYPERLINK field code. But the only thing in that code is the target address for the hyperlink, not the display text.

So, you can change the display text directly in the document, the target address in the field code, and both of them in the Edit Hyperlink dialog box.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (8555) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, and Word in Microsoft 365.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. Learn more about Allen...

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