Hyperlinks, Bookmarks, and Cross-References in Microsoft Office

Since so many of us use Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other Microsoft Office files digitally, it makes sense to become better at using specialty linking so our readers have a richer user experience.

The Magic of Linking

In Office, hyperlinks, bookmarks, and cross-references can add structure, organization, and navigational functionality to your documents:

• Within an Office document, a hyperlink can direct readers to another document or to a website.
• A bookmark is a kind of hyperlink that directs readers to a specific place within a document. Bookmarks are commonly used within tables of contents to enable readers to go straight to a particular document section.
• A cross-reference directs readers to a named source within the same document, such as a table or graph.

Here we list instructions for inserting each one into a Word document. The process is similar for other Office applications.

Create a Hyperlink

1. To create a hyperlink within your document, highlight the text you'd like readers to click to get to another place.

2. Right-click the selected text to bring up an editing menu.

3. From the menu, select Link.

4. In the Insert Hyperlink dialog box, in the Link To section, select Existing File or Web Page.

5. If you want to link to a web page, in the Address field type the URL of the page.

6. Alternatively, if you want to link to a document, choose Current Folder, Browsed Pages, or Recent Files.

7. Select your file, then select OK.

8. The text you selected shows up as linked text.

Insert a Bookmark

1. Position your cursor where you want the bookmark to be.

2. On the ribbon, select Insert.

3. In the Links group, select Bookmark.

4. In the Bookmark dialog box, in the Bookmark name field, type a name for your bookmark, then select Add. The name should reflect the content nearby so you can easily identify it later.

   The name must be one continuous line of characters, so if you want to use more than one word, string them together with underscores or hyphens.

5. To create a link to your bookmark, position your cursor where you want the link to appear.

6. On the ribbon, select Insert.

7. In the Links group, select Link.

8. In the Insert Hyperlink dialog box, under Link to, select Place in This Document.

9. Under Select a place in this document, choose the bookmark you want to link to.

10. Select OK.

11. The link appears at the location you indicated in your document.

Insert a Cross-Reference

1. To insert a cross-reference, you first need to establish the item you want to refer to. For example, you can create a table in your document.

2. Create a caption for your item. First, select the item.

3. On the ribbon, select References.

4. In the Captions group, select Insert Caption.

5. In the Caption dialog box, in the Caption field, type a caption for your element.

6. In the Options section, make the appropriate selections.

7. Select OK.

8. The caption appears with the element.

9. To create a cross-reference to the item, place your cursor where you want the cross-reference to appear.

10. On the ribbon, select References.

11. In the Captions group, select Cross-reference.

12. In the Cross-reference dialog box, under Reference type, select Table.

13. Under Insert reference to, select Entire caption.

14. Under For which caption, select the caption associated with the element you want to link to.

15. Select Insert.

16. Select Close.

17. The cross-reference appears as a hyperlink in the location you indicated.