Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Microsoft 365. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here: Getting Rid of the Ctrl+Click Message.
Other issues of WordTips have explained how to use the ScreenTips feature in Word to create pop-up screen help in a document. In some of the later versions of Word, when you move the mouse pointer over a hyperlink, you end up with a message that says "Use Ctrl+Click to Follow Link," which can detract from the use to which you want to put your ScreenTips.
So how do you get rid of the message and the need to press Ctrl when you click the link? It's really quite easy:
Figure 1. The Advanced options of the Word Options dialog box.
There is a drawback to clearing this option in Word: Not only is the Ctrl+Click message removed, but so is the need to Ctrl+Click. All it takes is a single click on the hyperlink to do the jump. Note that a message that says, "Click or tap to follow link," shows when you move the mouse pointer over a hyperlink, but all you need to do is click on the link to go to that destination.
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (10839) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Getting Rid of the Ctrl+Click Message.
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2020-10-02 16:35:26
Robert
Hi -
I'd rather not turn off the CTRL + Click for all my documents,
But I have one that has a lot of bookmarks, so it would be handy to turn it off just for that document.
Now that I think about it more, I'd be fine with just-click *any* bookmark.
It would be nice if "require CTRL+Click" to follow bookmarks was a separate setting from
"require CTRL+Click" to open files or web sites.
2018-09-07 12:06:43
Janelle
Do you know how to make this permanent? I followed the above and it worked on my document, but when I sent the document to a co-worker the single click feature was re-set.
2017-07-22 09:36:20
catdev
Sorry - I hadn't read all the other comments, which mostly say essentially the same thing I did.
2017-07-22 09:34:45
catdev
In Word 2016, this just replaces the "Ctrl+click..." message with "Click or tap to follow link." What I want is nothing but the text for my ScreenTips. Microsoft strikes again. It's a ScreenTip; why should a link be required to accompany it?
2015-10-22 17:28:08
Patti
Agreeing with Alan and Jackie. I need help with this. Like them, I only want the screen tip visible -- NOTHING ELSE. Thanks,
2015-09-14 09:10:14
Lisa
How very non-helpful of me! I was addressing a different issue entirely--posted in the wrong place, I think. I was referring to the pesky rectangle that has a clipboard icon followed by "(Ctrl)" and a down arrow (which leads to a drop-down list of further paste options). It doesn't want to go away after the paste operation is done and gets in the way, and that's what I hit the Esc key to dismiss. Sorry to muddy the waters with my misdirected advice.
2015-09-11 18:32:07
DRMNZ
Ditto Jackie & Alan's comments. Lisa's suggestion doesn't work either. Only exiting Word appears to fix on my machine (Word 2010 & Windows 10).
Any other suggestions please?
2015-07-31 13:35:03
Jackie
I want to remove all formatted directions from the box... the bold "click to follow link" that appears... the directions above do not remove the words... only changes them... I would like to know how to just keep what I added only, to the tip...
2015-07-11 09:21:29
Alan Pink
Maybe I am missing the point of this tip, but in my Word 2010, when I clear the 'Use Ctrl+Click...' option, although the Ctrl+Click message is removed, it is replaced with 'Click to follow link' instead.
2015-06-29 09:06:17
Lisa
Another way to get rid of the message is to hit the Escape key. It's a simple fix if you won't be moving around lots of bits of text.
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Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Microsoft 365. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here: 
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