This article is for people who use a screen reader program such as Windows Narrator, JAWS, or NVDA with Microsoft 365 products. This article is part of the Microsoft 365 screen reader support content set where you can find more accessibility information on our apps. For general help, visit Microsoft Support.
Use Word with your keyboard and a screen reader to create hyperlinks in your document. We've tested it with Narrator, JAWS, and NVDA, but it might work with other screen readers as long as they follow common accessibility standards and techniques. You'll learn how to link to a file, web page, or blank email message, or you can link from one location to another in the current document. You'll also learn how to create bookmarks, insert screen tips, and change the link text color.
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New Microsoft 365 features are released gradually to Microsoft 365 subscribers, so your app might not have these features yet. To learn how you can get new features faster, join the Office Insider program.
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To learn more about screen readers, go to How screen readers work with Microsoft 365.
In this topic
Create an automatic hyperlink
Word can create a hyperlink automatically as you type. In your document, type a web address (URL) like www.contoso.com or an email address like someone@example.com, and then press Spacebar or Enter. Word changes the text to a hyperlink.
: If you don't want the web or email address you typed to be a hyperlink, immediately after pressing Spacebar or Enter, undo the last action by pressing Ctrl+Z. You hear: “Undo.”
Link to a web page, file, or blank email
In Word, you can create links that point to a web page, file, or a new email. Almost every element in Word can be turned into a link: a piece of text, picture, shape, screenshot, SmartArt, or an icon.
Link to a web page
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Place the cursor where you want the link in your document.
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Press Ctrl+K to open the Insert Hyperlink dialog box. The focus is on the Address field.
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Type the web address of the destination site, and then press Alt+T to move to the Text to display field.
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Type the link text you want to display in your document.
: Link text should describe the link destination. For example, the title of a destination web page makes good link text. When people link to that page, screen readers read the title of the page first. This confirms the destination and makes the link a more accessible experience.
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Press Enter. The Insert Hyperlink dialog box closes and the cursor is placed after the inserted link.
Link to a file
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Place the cursor where you want the link in your document.
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To insert a link, press Alt+N, I. You hear "Recent items," followed by the name of the most recently opened document.
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Do one of the following:
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If you have recently opened the file you want to link to, use the Down and Up arrow keys to find the file in the Recent items list, and then press Enter.
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To browse for the file on your computer, press I to open the Insert Hyperlink dialog box. Press the Tab key until you hear "Current folder, tree," press the Down arrow key until you find the file you want, and then press Enter.
: If the file is not in the default folder that is displayed, press Alt+L to open the Look in drop-down menu, use the Down and Up arrow keys to find the right folder, press Enter, and then browse for the file in the same way.
The Insert Hyperlink dialog box closes and the cursor is placed after the inserted link.
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Link to a new email message
Sometimes you want to make it possible for people to send email while they read your document. For example, you might want people to contact your office for more information, or you might be collecting feedback about a new idea you proposed. Word lets you add a link that opens a new email message with the address and subject already filled in.
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Place the cursor where you want the link in your document.
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Press Ctrl+K to open the Insert Hyperlink dialog box.
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Press Alt+M to open the email message dialog box. You hear: "Email address."
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Type the email address, and then press the Tab key to move to the Subject field.
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Type the subject of the email, and then press Alt+T to move to the Text to display field.
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Type the link text you want to display in your document.
: If you don't write the link text, it is displayed as a long mailto: link that includes the address and subject information. Your own link text can be short and informative.
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Press Enter. The Insert Hyperlink dialog box closes and the cursor is placed after the inserted link.
Link to a location within a document
You can link to the predefined headings or bookmarks within your document.
For instructions on how to apply the built-in heading styles to your document, refer to the section "Use headings" in Use a screen reader to insert and change text in Word.
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Place the cursor where you want the link in your document.
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Press Ctrl+K to open the Insert Hyperlink dialog box.
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Press Alt+A to open the Select a place in this document tab. The focus is on the list which contains the headings and bookmarks that you can link to in your current document.
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Press the Down arrow key to move down in the list. When you reach the link target you want, press Enter to select it and insert the link.
The Insert Hyperlink dialog box closes and the cursor is placed after the inserted link.
Add a bookmark
Create bookmarks to items within your document, so you can link to them. You can add a bookmark, for example, to the beginning of a paragraph, a table, or an image.
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In your document, move the cursor where you want to add a bookmark.
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Press Alt+N, K to open the Bookmark dialog box. The focus is on the Bookmark name text field.
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Type a name for the bookmark.
: Bookmark names need to begin with a letter. They can include both numbers and letters, but not spaces. If you need to separate words, you can use an underscore (_) between the words.
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Press Enter to add the bookmark. The dialog box closes and the focus returns to the body text.
Insert a screen tip
With screen tips you can provide more information on the hyperlinks in your document. For example, if you've added a link to a picture, you can type the hyperlink text to a screen tip and tell your reader where the link will take them.
You can add a screen tip when you're creating a new link or to an existing hyperlink.
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Do one of the following:
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If you're creating a new link, place the cursor where you want the link and screen tip in your document.
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If you want to add a screen tip to an existing link, select the link or place the cursor within the link text.
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Press Ctrl+K to open the Insert Hyperlink dialog box.
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Press Alt+P to open the Set Hyperlink ScreenTip dialog box. The focus is on the ScreenTip text text field.
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Type the text that you want to appear as the screen tip.
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To add the screen tip to the hyperlink, press Enter. The focus returns to the Insert Hyperlink dialog box.
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If this is a new link that you’re creating, create the rest of the link as instructed in Link to a web page, file, or blank email. Otherwise, move to the next step.
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To apply the changes you made, press the Tab key until you hear "OK button," and then press Enter.
Change the link text color
To change the link text color throughout your document, you can use the Word themes. You can also customize the link theme color to make it more accessible, for example.
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To open the Themes menu, press Alt+G, T, H.
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Use the arrow keys to browse the available themes. Press Enter to select and apply a theme to your document. A unified color and font is applied to the hyperlink texts.
Customize the link text color
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To open the Create New Theme Colors dialog box, press Alt+G, T, C, C.
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Press the Tab key until you hear "Hyperlink," and press Spacebar.
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Use the arrow keys to locate the color you want, and then press Enter to select it.
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To create a name for the new theme colors, press Alt+N, and type the name.
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To apply the new color, press the Tab key until you hear "Save," and then press Enter.
Remove a hyperlink
Sometimes you change your mind. Here's how to remove a hyperlink from a document without removing the text itself:
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Open the document, and then select the hyperlinked text.
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To open the Insert Hyperlink dialog box, press Ctrl+K.
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To remove the selected hyperlink, press Alt+R. The Insert Hyperlink dialog box closes, and the hyperlink is removed from the selected text.
Turn off automatic formatting for links
You can prevent Word from automatically creating a link when you type a web address.
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Press Alt+F, T to open the Word Options window, press the Down arrow key until you hear "Proofing," and then press Alt+A to open the AutoCorrect options window.
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Press the Tab key until you hear the currently selected tab, and then use the arrow keys to navigate to the AutoFormat As You Type tab.
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Press the Tab key until you hear "Internet and network paths with hyperlinks, checkbox checked," press Spacebar to clear the checkbox, and then press Enter.
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To exit the Word Options window, press Esc.
See also
Use a screen reader to insert and change text in Word
Use a screen reader to share a document in Word
Basic tasks using a screen reader with Word
Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365
Use Word for Mac with your keyboard and VoiceOver, the built-in MacOS screen reader, to create hyperlinks in your document. You can add a link to a file, web page, or blank email message. You can also link from one location to another in the current document using headings or bookmarks, insert screen tips, and change the color of the link texts.
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New Microsoft 365 features are released gradually to Microsoft 365 subscribers, so your app might not have these features yet. To learn how you can get new features faster, join the Office Insider program.
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This topic assumes that you are using the built-in macOS screen reader, VoiceOver. To learn more about using VoiceOver, go to VoiceOver Getting Started Guide.
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We recommend that you read and edit documents in the Print Layout view. VoiceOver might not work reliably in other view modes.
In this topic
Create an automatic hyperlink
Word can create a hyperlink automatically as you type. Type a web address (URL) like www.contoso.com or an email address like someone@example.com, and then press Spacebar or Return. Word changes the text to a hyperlink.
: If you don't want the web or email address you typed to be a hyperlink, immediately after pressing Spacebar or Return, undo the last action by pressing Command+Z. You hear: "Undo autoformat."
Link to a web page, file, or blank email message
In Word, you can create links that point to a web page, file, or a new email. Almost every element in Word can be turned into a link: a piece of text, picture, shape, screenshot, SmartArt, or an icon.
Link to a web page
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Place the cursor where you want the link in your document.
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To insert a link, press Command+K. The Insert Hyperlink dialog box opens.
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In the dialog box, press Control+Option+Left or Right arrow key until you hear "Web page or file, tab," and then press Control+Option+Spacebar to select the tab. The focus is on the Address field.
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Type the web address of the destination site.
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To change the link text, press Control+Option+Left arrow key until you hear the current link text, followed by “Text to display, edit text.” Type the link text you want to display in your document.
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To insert the link, press Return. The dialog box is closed and the hyperlink is inserted.
Link to a file
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Place the cursor where you want the link in your document.
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To insert a link, press Command+K. The Insert Hyperlink dialog box opens.
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In the dialog box, press Control+Option+Left or Right arrow key until you hear "Web page or file, tab," and then press Control+Option+Spacebar to select the tab.
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To select the file to link, press Control+Option+Right arrow key until you hear "Select, button," and then press Control+Option+Spacebar to select.
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The Choose a file to link to dialog box opens. Use the Tab key or Control+Option+arrow keys to browse the sections in the dialog box. To browse the items, use the arrow keys. To navigate between folders and subfolders, use the Right or Left arrow key. When you are on the file you want to link to, press Return. The file is selected and the dialog box closes.
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To change the link text, in the Insert Hyperlink dialog box, press Control+Option+Left arrow key until you hear the menu path for the document you selected, followed by “Text to display, edit text.” Type the link text you want to display in your document.
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To insert the link, press Return. The dialog box is closed and the hyperlink is inserted.
Link to a new email message
In Word, you can also create links to email addresses. Use the link to quickly open your Mail app and send an email to a specific address.
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Place the cursor where you want the link in your document.
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To insert a link, press Command+K. The Insert Hyperlink dialog box opens.
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In the dialog box, press Control+Option+Left or Right arrow key until you hear "Email address tab," and then press Control+Option+Spacebar to select.
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The focus moves to the Email address: text field. Type the email address.
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To add a subject to the email, press Control+Option+Right arrow key until you hear "Subject, edit text," and then type the email subject.
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To change the link text, press Control+Option+Left arrow key until you hear the current link text, followed by “Text to display, edit text.” Type the link text you want to display in your document.
: If you don't change the link text, it is displayed as a long mailto: link that includes the address and subject information. Your own link text can be short and informative.
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To insert the link, press Return. The dialog box is closed and the hyperlink is inserted.
Link to another location in the current document
You can link to the predefined headings or bookmarks within your document.
For instructions on how to apply the built-in heading styles to your document, refer to Use a screen reader to insert and change text in Word.
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Place the cursor where you want the link to the bookmark in your document.
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Press Command+K. The Insert Hyperlink dialog box opens.
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Press Control+Option+Left arrow key until you hear "This document, tab," and then press Control+Option+Spacebar to select.
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Press Control+Option+Right arrow key until you hear "Select a place in this document, table," and then press Control+Option+Shift+Down arrow key.
To browse the list of the available link targets, such as Headings and Bookmarks, use the Control+Option+Up or Down arrow key. To expand an item, press the Right arrow key. The names are announced as you move.
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After you have navigated to the bookmark or heading you want to select, press Control+Option+Shift+Up arrow key to close the table.
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To change the link text, press the Tab key until you hear the current heading or bookmark text, followed by “Text to display, edit text.” Type the link text you want to display in your document.
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To insert the link, press Return. The dialog box is closed and the hyperlink is inserted.
Create a bookmark
Create bookmarks to items within your document, so you can link to them. You can add a bookmark, for example, to a piece of text, the beginning of a paragraph, a table, or an image.
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To bookmark a destination, select that location.
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To go to the Insert tab, press F6 until you hear the name of the currently selected tab. Then press Control+Option+Right or Left arrow key until you hear: "Insert tab." Press Control+Option+Spacebar to select.
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Press the Tab key until you hear "Bookmark, button," and then press Control+Option+Spacebar to select. The Bookmark dialog box opens with the focus on the Bookmark name text field. Type a bookmark name.
: Bookmark names need to begin with a letter. They can include both numbers and letters, but not spaces. If you need to separate words, you can use an underscore (_) between the words.
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To create the bookmark, press Return. The dialog box is closed and the bookmark created.
Insert a screen tip
With screen tips you can provide more information on the hyperlinks in your document. For example, if you've added a link to a picture, you can type the hyperlink text to a screen tip and tell your reader where the link will take them.
You can add a screen tip when you're creating a new link or to an existing hyperlink.
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Do one of the following:
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If you're creating a new link, place the cursor where you want the link and screen tip in your document.
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If you want to add a screen tip to an existing link, select the link or place the cursor within the link text.
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Press Command+K to open the Insert Hyperlink dialog box.
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Press Control+Option+Right or Left arrow key until you hear "Screen tip button," and press Control+Option+Spacebar. The Set Hyperlink ScreenTip dialog box opens. The focus is on the ScreenTip text field.
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Type the text that you want to appear as the screen tip.
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To add the screen tip to the hyperlink, press Return. The focus returns to the Insert Hyperlink dialog box.
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If this is a new link that you’re creating, create the rest of the link as instructed in Link to a web page, file, or blank email message. Otherwise, move to the next step.
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To apply the changes you made, press Return. The dialog box closes and the focus returns to the document body.
Change the link text color
To change the link text color throughout your document, you can use the Word themes.
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Press F6 until you hear the currently selected tab.
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Press Control+Option+Right or Left arrow key until you hear: "Design tab." Press Control+Option+Spacebar to select it.
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Press the Tab key until you hear "Themes, menu button," and press Control+Option+Spacebar to expand the Themes menu item.
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Use the arrow keys to browse the available themes. Press Return to select and apply a theme to your document. A unified color and font is applied to the hyperlink texts.
Remove a hyperlink
Sometimes you change your mind. Here's how to remove a hyperlink from a document without removing the text itself:
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In the document, select the hyperlink you want to remove.
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To open the Insert Hyperlink dialog box, press Command+K.
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Press Control+Option+Right or Left arrow key until you hear "Remove link button," and then press Control+Option+Spacebar.
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The Insert Hyperlink dialog box closes, and the hyperlink is removed from the text. The text itself remains intact and its style is changed to Normal.
Turn off automatic formatting for links
You can prevent Word from automatically creating a link when you type a web address.
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Press Command+Comma (,) to open the Word Preferences window, press the Tab key until you hear "Autocorrect button," and then press Control+Option+Spacebar to select.
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Press the Tab key until you hear the currently selected tab, use the Right or Left arrow key to go to the AutoFormat As you Type tab, and then press Control+Option+Spacebar to select.
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Press the Tab key until you hear "Internet and network paths with hyperlinks," and press Control+Option+Spacebar to clear the checkbox.
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To go back to your document, press the Tab key until you hear "Back button," press Control+Option+Spacebar, and then press Esc.
See also
Use a screen reader to insert and change text in Word
Use a screen reader to check spelling and grammar in Word
Basic tasks using a screen reader with Word
Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365
Use Word for iOS with VoiceOver, the built-in iOS screen reader, to create hyperlinks to web or email addresses in your document.
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New Microsoft 365 features are released gradually to Microsoft 365 subscribers, so your app might not have these features yet. To learn how you can get new features faster, join the Office Insider program.
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This topic assumes that you are using the built-in iOS screen reader, VoiceOver. To learn more about using VoiceOver, visit Apple accessibility.
In this section
Create a quick hyperlink
Word for iOS creates hyperlinks automatically as you type.
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In your document, navigate to the place where you want to insert the hyperlink.
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Use the on-screen keyboard to type a web address (URL) like www.contoso.com or an email address like someone@example.com, and then type a space or create a new line. Word for iOS changes the text to a hyperlink, and VoiceOver announces the URL or email address.
: If you select the Delete button on the on-screen keyboard twice after the hyperlink was created, the whole hyperlink is removed.
: If you want to create a link to a file, you have to use the desktop version of Word.
Link to a web page
You can write the link text yourself instead of using the web address (URL) as link text.
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In the Editing view, navigate to the place where you want to insert the hyperlink.
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To go to the ribbon, swipe left until you hear "Show ribbon, button," and double-tap the screen. The Home tab opens, and you hear: "Home tab."
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Double-tap the screen. The tab menu opens. Swipe right until you hear "Insert tab," and then double-tap the screen. You hear: "Insert tab."
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Swipe right until you hear “Insert hyperlink button,” and then double-tap the screen. The Insert Link dialog box opens, the focus is on the Address field, and the on-screen keyboard is displayed.
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Type the web address of the destination site, and then slide one finger near the lower-right corner of the on-screen keyboard until you hear “Done,” and double-tap the screen.
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Swipe right until you hear "Display," followed by the web address you typed, and then double-tap the screen. You hear: "Display, text field."
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Delete the web address from the Display text field, and enter the link text that you want to display in your document. Slide one finger near the lower-right corner of the on-screen keyboard until you hear “Done,” and then double-tap the screen.
: The link text should describe the link destination. For example, the title of a destination web page makes good link text. When people link to that page, screen readers read the title of the page first. This confirms the destination and makes the link a more accessible experience.
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Swipe left until you hear “Done button,” and then double-tap the screen.
The hyperlink is added, and the focus returns to the document body.
See also
Use a screen reader to insert and change text in Word
Use a screen reader to share a document in Word
Basic tasks using a screen reader with Word
Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365
Use Word for Android with TalkBack, the built-in Android screen reader, to create hyperlinks to web or email addresses in your document.
:
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New Microsoft 365 features are released gradually to Microsoft 365 subscribers, so your app might not have these features yet. To learn how you can get new features faster, join the Office Insider program.
-
This topic assumes that you are using the built-in Android screen reader, TalkBack. To learn more about using TalkBack, go to Android accessibility.
In this topic
Create a quick hyperlink
Word for Android creates hyperlinks automatically as you type.
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In your document, navigate to the place where you want to insert the hyperlink.
-
Use the on-screen keyboard to type a web address (URL) like www.contoso.com or an email address like someone@example.com, and then type a space or create a new line. Word changes the text to a hyperlink.
: If you don't want the web or email address you typed to be a hyperlink, select the Delete button on the on-screen keyboard immediately after the automatic link was created.
: If you want to create a link to a file, you have to use the desktop version of Word.
Link to a web page
You can write the link text yourself instead of using the web address (URL) as link text.
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In your document, navigate to the place where you want to insert the hyperlink.
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To go to the ribbon, swipe left until you hear "More options, button," and then double-tap the screen. The Home tab opens, and you hear: "Tab menu, home selected."
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Double-tap the screen. The tab menu opens. Swipe right until you hear "Insert tab," and then double-tap the screen. The Insert tab opens.
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Swipe right until you hear “Link menu,” and then double-tap the screen. You hear: "Link."
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Swipe right until you hear "Insert link button," and then double-tap the screen. The Link dialog box opens, the focus is on the Text to display field, and the on-screen keyboard is displayed.
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Type the link text you want to display in your document.
: The link text should describe the link destination. For example, the title of a destination web page makes good link text. When people link to that page, screen readers read the title of the page first. This confirms the destination and makes the link a more accessible experience.
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Swipe right until you hear: “Edit box for address.” Double-tap the screen and then type the web address of the destination site.
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Swipe left until you hear "Insert button," and then double-tap the screen.
The hyperlink is added, and the focus returns to the document body.
Remove a hyperlink
Sometimes you change your mind. Here's how to remove a hyperlink from a document without removing the text itself:
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Select the hyperlink.
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Swipe up-then-right. You hear: "Local context menu, Actions."
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Double-tap the screen. You hear: “Actions, Launch context menu.”
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Double-tap the screen. You hear: “Back button.”
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Swipe right until you hear “Remove link button,” and then double tap the screen.
The hyperlink is removed from the selected text.
See also
Use a screen reader to insert and change text in Word
Use a screen reader to share a document in Word
Basic tasks using a screen reader with Word
Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365
Use Word for the web with your keyboard and a screen reader to create hyperlinks to web or email addresses in your document. We have tested it with Narrator in Microsoft Edge, JAWS in Chrome, and NVDA in Firefox, but it might work with other screen readers and web browsers as long as they follow common accessibility standards and techniques.
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If you use Narrator with the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, you have to turn off scan mode in order to edit documents, spreadsheets, or presentations with Microsoft 365 for the web. For more information, refer to Turn off virtual or browse mode in screen readers in Windows 10 Fall Creators Update.
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New Microsoft 365 features are released gradually to Microsoft 365 subscribers, so your app might not have these features yet. To learn how you can get new features faster, join the Office Insider program.
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To learn more about screen readers, go to How screen readers work with Microsoft 365.
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When you use Word for the web, we recommend that you use Microsoft Edge as your web browser. Because Word for the web runs in your web browser, the keyboard shortcuts are different from those in the desktop program. For example, you’ll use Ctrl+F6 instead of F6 for jumping in and out of the commands. Also, common shortcuts like F1 (Help) and Ctrl+O (Open) apply to the web browser – not Word for the web.
In this topic
Create a quick hyperlink
Word for the web can create a hyperlink automatically as you type. In your document, type a web address (URL) like www.contoso.com or an email address like someone@example.com, and then press Spacebar or Enter. Word changes the text to a hyperlink.
: If you don't want the web or email address you typed to be a hyperlink, immediately after pressing Spacebar or Enter, undo the last action by pressing Ctrl+Z.
Link to a web page
You can write the link text yourself instead of using the web address (URL) as link text.
: Link text should describe the link destination. For example, the title of a destination web page makes good link text. When people link to that page, screen readers read the title of the page first. This confirms the destination and makes the link a more accessible experience. For more information about writing accessible documents, refer to Make your Word documents accessible to people with disabilities.
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Place the cursor where you want the link in your document.
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Press Ctrl+K to open the Link dialog box. The focus is on the Address field.
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Type the web address of the destination site.
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Press the Tab key until you hear "Display text," and type the link text you want to use.
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Press the Tab key until you hear "Insert button," and then press Enter.
The Link dialog box closes, and Word inserts the hyperlink in your document.
: If you want to create a link to a file or to a location within the current document, you have to use the desktop version of Word.
Remove a hyperlink
Sometimes you change your mind. Here's how to remove a hyperlink without removing the text itself:
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In your document, navigate to the hyperlinked text.
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Press Ctrl+K to open the Link dialog box. The focus is on the Address field, and the address is selected.
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Press Backspace to remove the hyperlink. With NVDA, you hear: "Unselected." With Narrator and JAWS, there's no audio feedback at this point.
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Press the Tab key until you hear "OK button," and then press Enter.
The Link dialog box closes, and the hyperlink is removed from the selected text.
See also
Use a screen reader to insert and change text in Word
Use a screen reader to share a document in Word
Technical support for customers with disabilities
Microsoft wants to provide the best possible experience for all our customers. If you have a disability or questions related to accessibility, please contact the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk for technical assistance. The Disability Answer Desk support team is trained in using many popular assistive technologies and can offer assistance in English, Spanish, French, and American Sign Language. Please go to the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk site to find out the contact details for your region.
If you are a government, commercial, or enterprise user, please contact the enterprise Disability Answer Desk.
