Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. 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: Adding a ScreenTip.

Adding a ScreenTip

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated November 20, 2021)

ScreenTips are a helpful little embellishment that first appeared in Web browsers. You've probably hovered your mouse pointer over a link on a Web page so that you can see a small box appear that contains the address for the link. These ScreenTips can also appear in Word, where they are sometimes called ToolTips. You can add a ScreenTip as you add a hyperlink by following these steps:

Press Ctrl+K. Word displays the Insert Hyperlink dialog box. (See Figure 1.)

Figure 1. The Insert Hyperlink dialog box.

Click on the ScreenTip button. Word displays the Set Hyperlink ScreenTip dialog box. (See Figure 2.)

Figure 2. The Set Hyperlink ScreenTip dialog box.

In the ScreenTip Text box, enter the text you want to use for your ScreenTip.
Click on OK to close the dialog box.
Set any other hyperlink values, as desired.
When completed, click on OK.

With your ScreenTip defined, all you need to do hover the mouse pointer over the hyperlink. Shortly Word displays a small box that contains whatever text you specified in step 3.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (13183) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Adding a ScreenTip.

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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