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: Editing a Hyperlink.

Editing a Hyperlink

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated October 31, 2022)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Microsoft 365


1

Once a hyperlink is placed in your document, it is not unusual to periodically need to change the link in some way. This is quite easy to do, using any of the following methods:

  • Position the insertion point within the hyperlink, display the Insert tab of the ribbon, and then click the Hyperlink tool in the Links group.
  • Right-click on the hyperlink and then choose Edit Hyperlink the Context menu.

At the conclusion of either of these approaches, the Edit Hyperlink dialog box is visible. (See Figure 1.) The difference between this instance and actually adding a hyperlink is that all the information in the dialog box is already filled in. You can make edits to your heart's content, and then click on OK to save your changes.

Figure 1. 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 (11670) 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: Editing a Hyperlink.

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. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Understanding the If ... End If Structure

One of the powerful programming structures provided in VBA allows you to conditionally execute commands. The If ... End ...

Discover More

Capitalizing Spring

According to the normal rules of grammar, the word "spring" is not supposed to be capitalized. There may be times, ...

Discover More

Alerts About Approaching Due Dates

You may use Excel to track due dates for a variety of purposes. As a due date approaches, you may want that fact drawn to ...

Discover More

Comprehensive VBA Guide Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) is the language used for writing macros in all Office programs. This complete guide shows both professionals and novices how to master VBA in order to customize the entire Office suite for their needs. Check out Mastering VBA for Office 2010 today!

More WordTips (ribbon)

Differences in Behavior of Links

Got some active links in your document? Do you want to have them activated when you click on them, or do you want to ...

Discover More

Creating a Hyperlink to a Specific Page

Most people add hyperlinks in a document to reference pages on the Web. You can, however, create hyperlinks to other Word ...

Discover More

Pulling All Hyperlinks

Word allows you to add hyperlinks to your document. If your document includes quite a few hyperlinks, you may want a way ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is two more than 7?

2018-08-08 17:56:50

Heather

What a great site you have! One question. For years, I've been telling the editors I work with that, when you want to edit the display text of a hyperlink that's already been inserted, you can't just delete or add characters--you have to right-click and choose Edit Hyperlink and then change the text of the "Text to display" field. This is what I was taught, but I realize I don't know why. Does anything bad happen if you don't do this and just type your changes instead? I'm sure my colleagues would like an end to this convoluted process, as well as my nagging. (Most of us work in Word 2016.)

Last time I looked this up in Microsoft help, the instructions still said to follow my processs but didn't say why. But today I found https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/291182/frequently-asked-questions-about-hyperlinks-in-word, which seems to say (under "How do I change the display text or image of a hyperlink after it has been created?") that I've been wrong. Can you corroborate that? Thank you!


This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the ribbon interface (Word 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the menu interface.

Videos
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.