The simplest way to add a hyperlink in PowerPoint

Select the text or image you want to turn into a link, then right-click and choose Link from the menu. A dialog box opens where you paste the web address you want to link to — for example, https://www.example.com — and click OK. That text or image is now clickable during your presentation.

If you prefer the menu route, select your text or image, go to the Insert tab at the top, click Link, and the same dialog appears. Both methods do the same thing; use whichever feels faster to you.

The link works immediately in Slide Show mode (when you press F5 or click Slide Show from the menu). During editing, you have to hold Ctrl and click to follow the link; a regular click just selects it for editing.

Key Takeaways

  • Right-click selected text or an image and choose Link to open the hyperlink dialog in one step.
  • Paste the full web address (starting with http:// or https://) into the address field, then click OK.
  • During a presentation, hyperlinks are clickable; while editing, hold Ctrl and click to test them.
  • You can link to web pages, email addresses, other slides in the same presentation, or files on your computer.

Linking to different types of destinations

PowerPoint hyperlinks are not limited to websites. When you open the link dialog, you see tabs or options for different link types. The Existing File or Web Page tab is the default and handles both URLs and files on your computer — browse to a PDF, Word document, or image file and PowerPoint will link to it.

The Place in This Document tab lets you link to another slide in the same presentation. This is useful for a table of contents or a navigation slide. Select the slide you want to jump to, and when you click that link during the presentation, you jump straight there.

The Email Address tab creates a link that opens the viewer's default email program with a pre-filled recipient. Type the email address and optionally a subject line, and the link is ready. This works best when your audience is at a computer; on a phone or tablet, the behavior varies.

Editing and removing hyperlinks

To change where a link points, right-click the linked text or image and choose Edit Link. The dialog opens with the current address showing. Change the URL, file path, or destination and click OK.

To remove a link entirely, right-click it and choose Remove Link. The text or image stays in your slide, but it is no longer clickable. If you want to delete the text or image itself, just press Delete after selecting it.

You can also see all the links in your presentation at once by going to File > Info > Check for Issues > Check Compatibility (in older versions, this may be under Tools). This does not show you the links directly, but it flags broken ones if you move or rename files.

Making links visible and clear to your audience

By default, hyperlinked text appears in blue and underlined — the standard web convention. PowerPoint applies this formatting automatically, so your audience recognizes it as clickable. If you change the text color or remove the underline, the link still works, but people may not realize it is there.

If you want to keep the link but change how it looks, select the linked text, then format it as you would any other text — change the color, font, or size. The link itself is unaffected. However, consider whether your new formatting still signals "this is clickable" to someone seeing your slide for the first time.

For images, there is no visual change when you add a link — the image looks the same. Some presenters add a small icon or note near the image to hint that it is clickable, or they mention it aloud during the presentation.

Testing links before you present

Always test your links before you present. Start a slide show by pressing F5 (or Shift+F5 to start from the current slide), then click each link to confirm it opens what you expect. If a link points to a file on your computer, make sure that file is in a location your computer can reach — links to files on a network drive may break if you present offline.

If a link does not work during the slide show, you see an error message or nothing happens. Stop the presentation, right-click the link, choose Edit Link, and check the address. Common mistakes are typos in the URL, a missing https:// at the start, or a file path that no longer exists.

If you are presenting on a different computer, copy any linked files to the same folder as your PowerPoint file, then update the link paths to point to those files. This way, the links work no matter which computer you use.

Links in presentations you share or convert

If you email your PowerPoint file to someone else, the links go with it — they do not break just because the file moved. However, if you convert your presentation to a PDF, links may or may not work depending on how you export. Use File > Export As > Create PDF to preserve links; some third-party PDF converters do not.

If you save your presentation as an image file (JPG, PNG) or a video, hyperlinks are lost entirely — those formats do not support interactive elements. Stick with PowerPoint format (.pptx) or PDF if you need links to work.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I link to a specific part of a web page, not just the home page?

Yes. Paste the full URL including the anchor or section, for example https://www.example.com/page#section. Not all websites use anchors, so test the link first to see if it jumps to the right spot. If it does not, the website may not support deep linking.

What happens if I click a link by accident during a presentation?

You jump to that link — a website opens in your browser, or a file opens in its default program. To get back to your presentation, close the browser or file window or use Alt+Tab to switch back. This is why testing links beforehand matters; you do not want surprises mid-presentation.

Can I make a link open in a new window instead of taking over my presentation?

PowerPoint does not have a built-in option for this. When you click a link, it opens in the foreground. If you want to keep your presentation visible, use Alt+Tab to switch back after the link opens, or ask your audience to wait while you close the opened window.

Do hyperlinks work on all devices, or just computers?

Hyperlinks work on tablets and phones running PowerPoint or the free PowerPoint app, but the experience varies. Some links may not open as expected on mobile devices, especially links to files on your computer. Web links usually work fine. Test on the device you plan to use before presenting.

Can I link to a specific slide without knowing the slide number?

Yes. Use the Place in This Document tab in the link dialog, and PowerPoint shows you a list of all slides with their titles. Click the one you want, and the link jumps to it by name, not by number. This is more reliable if you later add or remove slides.