How to Insert a Link Into an Email With Outlook or Windows Mail

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by Heinz Tschabitscher
An independent writer who has reviewed hundreds of email programs and services since 1997.
Updated September 18, 2018

Outlook Express is a discontinued email client that Microsoft bundled with Internet Explorer 3 through 6. It was last included in Windows XP in 2001. In subsequent Windows operating systems, Windows Mail replaced Outlook Express.

Every page on the web has an address. By linking to its address, you can send anyone to it easily from anywhere including from another webpage or from an email.

In Windows Mail and Outlook Express, creating such a link is particularly easy. You can link any word in your message to any page on the web, and when the recipient clicks the link, the page opens automatically.

Insert a Link in a Windows Mail or Outlook Express Email

To insert a link in an email using Windows Mail or Outlook Express:

  1. Open the webpage you want to link to in your browser.

  2. Highlight the URL in the browser's address bar. The URL typically begins with http://, https://, or sometimes ftp://.

  3. Press and hold the Ctrl and C keys to copy the URL.

  4. Go to the email you are composing in Windows Mail or Outlook Express.

  5. Use the mouse to highlight the word or passage in the message you want to serve as the link text.

  6. Click the Insert a link or Create a Hyperlink button in the message's formatting toolbar. You can also select Insert > Hyperlink... from the message's menu.

  7. Press and hold the Ctrl and V keys to paste the URL link into the email.

  8. Click OK.

When the recipient of the email clicks on the link text in your email, the linked URL opens immediately in a browser.