Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, and 2013. 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.

Getting Rid of the Ctrl+Click Message

by Allen Wyatt
(last updated June 27, 2015)

9

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? It's really quite easy:
  1. Display the Word Options dialog box. (In Word 2007 click the Office button and then click Word Options. In Word 2010 and Word 2013, display the File tab of the ribbon and then click Options.)
  2. At the left side of the dialog box, click Advanced. (See Figure 1.)

    3. Figure 1. The Advanced options of the Word Options dialog box.

  3. In the Editing section of the dialog box, clear the Use Ctrl+Click to Follow Hyperlink check box.
  4. Click on OK.
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.

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, and 2013. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Getting Rid of the Ctrl+Click Message.

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. ...

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What is nine more than 4?

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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