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: ScreenTips without Hyperlinks.

ScreenTips without Hyperlinks

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated March 13, 2021)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Microsoft 365


1

Mark wants to have a ScreenTip appear when someone hovers the mouse pointer over a word in his document. The problem is, when he tries to create a ScreenTip using the Insert Hyperlink dialog box, he can't create a ScreenTip unless he provides a destination (such as a path, bookmark, or URL). Without the destination, the OK button remains grayed out.

This behavior, as described, is built into Word and there doesn't seem to be a way around it. There are several workarounds that could be tried, but perhaps the best solution is to simply create a hyperlink that goes nowhere. Follow these steps:

  1. Select the word or phrase that you want to activate the ScreenTip. (This would be the word or phrase that the person would hover the mouse pointer over in order to have the ScreenTip displayed.)
  2. Display the Insert tab of the ribbon.
  3. Click the Bookmark tool, in the Links group. Word displays the Bookmark dialog box. (See Figure 1.)
  4. Figure 1. The Bookmark dialog box.

  5. Give the bookmark a name, such as Bk1, and click on Add.
  6. While the word or phrase is still selected, press Ctrl+K. Word displays the Insert Hyperlink dialog box.
  7. Click the Place in This Document button at the left side of the dialog box. Word displays a list of locations. (See Figure 2.)
  8. Figure 2. The Insert Hyperlink dialog box.

  9. In the list of locations, choose the name of the bookmark you created in step 4.
  10. Click the ScreenTip button. Word displays the Set Hyperlink ScreenTip dialog box. (See Figure 3.)
  11. Figure 3. The Set Hyperlink ScreenTip dialog box.

  12. Type the text you want to use for your ScreenTip and click on OK.
  13. Click OK to dismiss the Insert Hyperlink dialog box.

Now when someone hovers over the word or phrase (from step 1), the ScreenTip appears. If they decide to "follow" the hyperlink, all they do is end up right back at the bookmark you defined in step 3—your original word or phrase.

Of course, the phrase you selected when you created the hyperlink will appear as a link—normally blue underlined text. If you don't want this type of treatment, apply a different format to the hyperlinked phrase or change the characteristics of the Hyperlink style.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (13230) 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: ScreenTips without Hyperlinks.

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

Signing a Protected Form

Tablet PCs are great for some uses, such as signing forms developed in Word. You may run into a problem with getting the ...

Discover More

Drop Shadows for Tables

When adding borders and shading to a document's elements, Word allows you to quickly add drop shadows to paragraphs, text ...

Discover More

Importing Huge Data Files

Sometimes, when importing data created by other programs, you may find that there is too much for Excel to handle. Here's ...

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)

Making Phone Numbers into Active Links

Want to use phone numbers in your documents and have those numbers be clickable links? This tip discusses all the ins and ...

Discover More

Specifying Your Target Monitor

When using Word to create content that will end up on the Web, it is helpful to know the probable screen resolution of ...

Discover More

Turning Off HTML Conversions

Don't want Word to load up your HTML documents as formatted text? There are a couple of ways you can instruct Word to be ...

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 eight more than 3?

2023-10-20 22:41:48

dave

Rather than using hyperlinks, a more elegant approach is to use AutoTextList entries. I always have a two-column Glossary table in my documents, with the phrase in the first column and the definition in the second column (note that the definition should be <250 words). I would like to be able to add each glossary entry as ToolTips automatically by selecting the glossary table and executing a VBA macro.
The macro would step through the table row by row, using the first column text as #term# and the second column text as #defn# in the VBA entry below:
Selection.Fields.Add Range:=Selection.Range, Type:=wdFieldEmpty, Text:= _
"AUTOTEXTLIST #term# \t ""#defn#"" ", _
PreserveFormatting:=False
I feel like it should be pretty easy to step through a table row by row, but haven't been able to figure it out. This avoids the messiness of having bookmarks or hyperlinks strewn throughout your document.
If this looks like an interesting application, I appreciate your expertise!


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.