How to Hyperlink in Microsoft Word, 2007

I was trying to understand how to make hyperlinks (or links) by reading the tutorials others suggested. I even tried to copy their hyperlink and insert my own website (Making Strides Against Breast Cancer) inside of it. Oy Vay! It was very frustrating. I just could not master it. I could do the copy and insert my own but I could not keep doing it that way forever. It was not making sense.

Unfortunately, sometimes I have to really want to understand something in order to learn how to do it. In the case of hyperlinks, I just wanted the end result; I wasn't really interested in the how of it no matter how much I wished I could be.

I was typing away in Microsoft Word 2007 when suddenly a lightening bolt struck me and I realized that I am in this great program willing to do everything for me and there just MIGHT be an easy way to do to hyperlink here. Sure enough...it was right in front of me! How I missed it before or, more the point, why I didn't think to look for it here, is a puzzle in itself. Now that I have found and used it with success, I am excited and want to share my new discovery with the world.

The definition of hyperlink can be found at Wikipedia-Hyperlink . Basically, on the internet, a hyperlink is highlighted text in a document that (1) takes you to another website or (2) to a referenced place inside the current document. An example of (1) would be the "Wikipedia-Hyperlink" I created in the first sentence of this paragraph. If you click on it, it will take you directly to the Wikipedia (free internet encyclopedia) website, open to the "hyperlink" page. Definition (2) is often used in a document that is several pages long and saves you from slowly scrolling through the document in search of it. Perhaps you want to know the best dog breed that will fit into your family's lifestyle. You could go to the PGAA website and then either scroll down to find the characteristics of a breed by size of the dog or you can click on the "Go Directly to the Breed Matrix" link inside the website to save time scrolling through the document.

To create a hyperlink to a website:

1. Click on the "Insert" tab

2. In "Links", click on "Hyperlink".

3. The default ("Existing File or Webpage") is already highlighted for you and the cursor is waiting at "Address" for you to either type in the web page or copy and paste it.

4. The website's address will now be copied into "Text to display" at the top. Delete that and type in whatever you want your reader to click on (ex: "Making Strides Against Breast Cancer").

5. Click on "Ok". You are done!

To send your reader to another part of your document or insert an email address (ex: Click Here to Contact Us), do steps 1 and 2 above and then choose "Place in This Document" or. "E-mail Address". For an easily understood video lesson, try either Brainstorm Inc. or About.com. Practice, have fun, and don't get frustrated. You will be very glad that you did not give up.

To see more about this author and read more of her articles, see Sharon Pfohl's profile.