Have you ever considered linking to sources outside of your slides during a presentation? If yes, you might want to know more about hyperlinks and how to use them.
A hyperlink refers to a clickable element that takes your viewer to a web page, another slide, a document, or even an email draft. It improves your presentations by making them interactive and professional.
This guide explores five ways to attach a hyperlink in PowerPoint, including advanced customization tips and how to make slides effortlessly with AiPPT.
What are Hyperlinks in PowerPoint?
A hyperlink in PowerPoint can be a text, shape, image, or object, as long as it opens a different destination when clicked on. There are various types of hyperlinks that you can use. They include:
➤ Link to external websites: These hyperlinks open URLs in a web browser.
➤ Link to files: Open documents in different formats such as PDFs, Word docs, or spreadsheets.
➤ Link to email addresses: Opens the default mail app with a “mail to:”.
➤ Link to other slides in the same presentation: Navigate between slides in your PPT presentation.
➤ Link to custom show or slide navigation button: Non-linear presentations.
How to Attach a Hyperlink in PowerPoint in 5 Ways
Ready to do more with slides? Let’s see how you can place a hyperlink in PowerPoint using the various types we discussed above. The best part is that you can do all of these on PowerPoint alone.
1. Link to Another Slide Within the Presentation
You can use hyperlinks to connect slides within a single presentation. This internal linking is perfect when creating a table of contents, jumping to a certain location, or reviewing key points.
With this, you don’t even need to scroll through slides manually anymore.
🔍 Here’s how you can link to other slides inside the same presentation:
Step 1: Open your PowerPoint presentation and select the text, image, or shape you want to place the hyperlink in.
Step 2: Right-click on it and select “Hyperlink…” from the options, or go to “Insert > Link” from the toolbar.
Step 3: In the “Insert Hyperlink” window, choose “Place in This Document” on the left panel.
Step 4: Select the slide you want to link to in the presentation. Then click “OK” to confirm.
2. Link to an External Website
Linking directly to websites is the most common form of hyperlink. You can use them to refer your viewers to relevant resources on the web, such as articles, live examples, or case studies.
🔍 Follow these steps to embed a link in PowerPoint to external websites:
Step 1: Select the text or object you want to hyperlink in the presentation.
Step 2: Proceed to “Hyperlink…” from the pop-up menu or press Ctrl + K (Windows) or Command + K (Mac).
Step 3: Select “Existing File or Web Page” in the dialog box that appears.
Step 4: Type the full URL of the web page in the address bar, then click “OK” to finish.
Best practices:
- Always include “https://” in URLs to avoid errors.
- Link only to reliable, professional websites.
- Test each link before presenting to prevent broken or slow connections.
3. Link to an Email Address
If you’re creating a presentation that requires contact information for feedback, questions, or inquiries, you may want to link to an email address. This feature automatically opens your viewer’s default mail client with your email address pre-filled.
🔍 Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to embed a link in PowerPoint to an Email address:
Step 1: Select the text you want to add the email link to.
Step 2: Right-click on the text and select “Hyperlink…”
Step 3: Choose “E-mail Address” on the left panel of the dialog box.
Step 4: Enter the email address you want to link to and add a default subject line if needed. Then, click “OK” to continue.
4. Link to a File or Document
Hyperlinks also allow you to link to files on your computer or in the cloud, so your viewers can access them easily. This is particularly useful when you need to share reports, PDF handouts, spreadsheets, and other documents with your slides.
🔍 Follow this procedure to insert a link in PowerPoint to a file or document:
Step 1: Highlight the text, icon, or button you want to hyperlink.
Step 2: Right-click on it and select “Hyperlink…”, or go to “Insert > Link > Existing File or Web Page”.
Step 3: Locate the file you want to link to and select it. Then, click OK to apply the link.
Note: Always save the PowerPoint and the linked document in the same folder as your PowerPoint file. Otherwise, PowerPoint won’t find it.
5. Link to a Custom Show or Navigation Button
Custom shows and navigation buttons turn your presentation into a non-linear experience. This is ideal for interactive training slides, quizzes, or menu-based presentations where you can jump between sections and control the flow.
🔍 Here’s how to create a custom show hyperlink:
Step 1: Go to “Slide Show > Custom Slide Show”.
Step 2: Click on “Custom Shows…” and select “New…”
Step 3: Select the slides you want to include and click on “Add”.
Step 4: Name the show and click on “OK”.
Step 5: Select the text or object you want to use as a placeholder for the custom show and go to “Hyperlink…”
Step 6: In the “Insert Hyperlink” menu, click on “Place in This Document” and select the Custom Show you just created, then click “OK”.
Advanced Settings of Hyperlink in PowerPoint
Once you’ve mastered the basics, like how to add hyperlink in PPT, you may want to check out advanced settings to create transparent areas, customize colors, and add hover prompts for hyperlinks.
1. Create Transparent Hyperlink Areas
You can customize hyperlinks and make them transparent so that it isn’t obvious that the anchor diagram, image, or icon carries a link.
🔍 Here’s how to go about it:
Step 1: Proceed to the “Insert” tab and select “Shapes”.
Step 2: Choose and draw a shape over the text area you want to hyperlink.
Step 3: Right-click the shape and go to “Format Shape…”
Step 4: Select “No fill” and “No line” from the “Shape Options”.
Step 5: Right-click the shape again and go to “Hyperlink…” then choose where you want to link to. Click “OK” to apply the settings.
2. Change Hyperlink Colors
Customizing the colors of hyperlinks helps maintain a consistent theme throughout your presentation.
🔍 Here’s how you can adjust the colors of hyperlinks:
Step 1: Go to “View > Slide Master”.
Step 3: Open the “Hyperlink” and “Followed Hyperlink” drop-down menus and choose new colors.
Step 2: Select “Colors > Customize Colors…”
3. Add ScreenTips (Hover Prompts) for Hyperlinks
PowerPoint also allows you to add screen tips in your hyperlinks. They help display text when the audience hovers over a hyperlink, giving them a hint of what the link is about.
🔍 Here’s how to add hover prompts to your hyperlinks:
Step 1: Select the text, image, or shape that carries your hyperlink.
Step 2: Right-click and go to “Edit Link”.
Step 3: Click “ScreenTip…” in the “Edit Hyperlink” box.
Step 4: Type your preferred message, then click “OK” to apply settings.
Bonus: Create PowerPoint Slides Effortlessly with AiPPT
Designing slides takes time, especially for beginners just learning the ropes. Instead of spending hours doing this, use AiPPT to generate professional PowerPoint presentations, including outlines and design layouts.
This AI-powered tool only requires a few prompts to turn your ideas into visually stunning slides in minutes.
🔍 Here’s how to create structured PowerPoint slides on AiPPT:
Step 1: Visit AiPPT, click “Get Started,” and choose a preferred sign-up or sign-in option.
Step 2: Choose how you’d like to create your PPT and enter a prompt or topic. Then hit the “Send” icon.
Step 3: Review the content outline, then proceed to “Select template”.
Step 4: Click “Generate PPT”.
Step 5: Edit, share, or download your presentation after it’s generated.
Conclusion
Hyperlinks make PowerPoint presentations more interactive and easier to use. You can attach hyperlink in PowerPoint to connect slides, link to websites, email addresses, link to custom slideshows, or even attach files for quick access.
After learning how to use hyperlink in PPT, you can go a step further and learn advanced settings to improve your presentations.
If you want to save time designing your slides, try using AiPPT. It helps you create complete presentations with ready-made layouts and designs in just a few clicks.
More About Adding Hyperlinks in PowerPoint
Here are short answers to common questions on using hyperlinks in PowerPoint.
1. How to make hyperlink in PowerPoint without an underline?
At the moment, there is no way to make hyperlink in PowerPoint without an underline. However, you can remove the hyperlink from the text and lay a transparent shape on it instead.
To do this:
- Right-click the hyperlink text and remove the hyperlink.
- Go to “Insert > Shapes” and draw a shape over the text.
- Right-click the shape and go to “Format Shape”, then select “No Fill” and “No Line”.
- Click the shape and enter the link.
2. How do you insert hyperlink in PowerPoint to another slide?
AiPPT also allows you to insert hyperlink in PowerPoint to jump between slides in the same presentation.
To do this:
- Click “Edit” after generating your PPT.
- Right-click on the slide you want to link to and copy.
- Paste it in your desired hyperlink area.
3. Why is PowerPoint presentation hyperlink not working?
Your PowerPoint presentation hyperlink not working can be due to some reasons, such as:
- The link uses a local file path that has changed; the file wasn’t included with the deck
- The URL is malformed (missing https://)
- You’re testing in Normal View instead of Slide Show.
