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: Adding a ScreenTip.

Adding a ScreenTip

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated November 20, 2021)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Microsoft 365

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 Word in Microsoft 365. 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...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Non-standard Sorting

Information in a cell can be entered using line feeds, which results in multiple lines of data in the same cell. If you ...

Discover More

Cannot Double-Click to Open a Workbook

When you double-click on a workbook in Windows, the Excel program should be started and the workbook loaded. When this ...

Discover More

Allowing Passive Voice in Writing

When you have Word do grammar checking on your document, it typically marks everything it considers wrong with the way ...

Discover More

The First and Last Word on Word! Bestselling For Dummies author Dan Gookin puts his usual fun and friendly candor back to work to show you how to navigate Word 2013. Spend more time working and less time trying to figure it all out! Check out Word 2013 For Dummies today!

More WordTips (ribbon)

Resetting Hyperlink to Original Color

When you click a hyperlink in a Word document, the color of the hyperlink changes. If you want to change the color back ...

Discover More

Creating an E-mail Message from the Current Document

In some earlier versions of Word, you could type an e-mail in your document and then have Word e-mail it, as a message, ...

Discover More

Formatting of Removed Hyperlinks

When you remove a hyperlink from a document, Word may not change the formatting of the hyperlink back to regular text. ...

Discover More

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.

Notify me about new comments ONLY FOR THIS TIP

Notify me about new comments ANYWHERE ON THIS SITE

Hide my email address

What is 2 + 2?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)

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.