Adding a hyperlink to text or an image in PowerPoint

To add a clickable link in PowerPoint, select the text or image you want to turn into a link, then use the Insert menu to add the destination. The link will work when you run your presentation in slideshow mode — during editing, you need to hold Ctrl and click to test it.

Start by clicking on the word or image you want to link from. If you are linking text, triple-click to select the whole word, or click and drag to select a phrase. If you are linking an image, click once on the image itself.

With your text or image selected, go to the Insert menu at the top of the screen. Look for the option labeled Link or Hyperlink — the exact wording depends on whether you are using PowerPoint on Windows or Mac, but both versions have this option in the Insert menu. Click it.

Key Takeaways

  • Select the text or image first, then use Insert > Link to add the destination URL or file path.
  • You can link to a website, another slide in the same presentation, a file on your computer, or an email address.
  • During editing, hold Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac) and click a link to test it; in slideshow mode, a regular click will follow the link.
  • Change link colors in the Design tab so they stand out from regular text and remain visible against your slide background.
  • Remove a link by right-clicking it and selecting Remove Link, which keeps the text or image but deletes the destination.

Choosing where the link should go

After you click Insert > Link, a dialog box opens asking you where the link should point. The most common choices are a website URL, another slide in your presentation, or a file on your computer.

To link to a website, paste the full web address into the box labeled Address or URL. Include https:// at the start — PowerPoint will not recognize the link without it. For example, type https://www.example.com, not just example.com.

To link to another slide in the same presentation, look for an option called Place in This Document or Link to Slide. Click it, then select the slide number you want to jump to from the list. This is useful for creating a table of contents at the start of your presentation or for jumping between sections.

To link to a file on your computer, choose Existing File or Web Page, then browse to find the document. PowerPoint will store the relative path, so if you move both files together into the same folder, the link will still work when you open the presentation on another computer.

Making links visible on your slides

By default, PowerPoint colors hyperlinks blue and underlines them, which makes them stand out from regular text. However, if your slide background is dark or your text is already blue, the link may be hard to see. You can change the link color to match your presentation design.

To change how all links look in your presentation, go to the Design tab and click Variants or Colors. Look for an option to customize the color scheme. The exact steps vary depending on your PowerPoint version, but the goal is to find where hyperlink colors are set — usually under a section for accent colors or theme colors.

If you want to change just one link's color without affecting the others, select the link text, then use the Home tab to change the font color manually. This overrides the default hyperlink color for that single link.

Testing your links before presenting

During editing mode, a regular click will select the link for editing rather than following it. To test whether a link actually works, hold down Ctrl (on Windows) or Command (on Mac) while clicking the link. PowerPoint will open the destination — either a website in your browser, another slide in the presentation, or the linked file.

Test all your links before you present, especially if they point to websites. A broken link or a slow website can disrupt your presentation. If a link does not work, right-click it, select Edit Link or Edit Hyperlink, and check that the URL or file path is correct.

When you run your presentation in slideshow mode (by pressing F5 or clicking Slide Show > From Beginning), a regular click on any hyperlink will follow it. This is the moment when your audience will see the links in action, so test the slideshow mode specifically before presenting to others.

Removing or editing a link

If you want to delete a link but keep the text or image, right-click the link and select Remove Link or Delete Link. The text or image will remain on the slide, but it will no longer be clickable.

To change where a link points without deleting it, right-click the link and select Edit Link or Edit Hyperlink. The same dialog box from the Insert menu will open, and you can change the destination URL, slide number, or file path. Click OK to save the change.

If you want to change the text that appears on the slide but keep the link pointing to the same place, click once to select the link, then click again (more slowly) to enter edit mode. You can now type new text. The link destination will not change.

Linking to email addresses

PowerPoint can also create links that open a new email when clicked. This is useful if you want your audience to contact you or send feedback after the presentation.

Select the text or image you want to turn into an email link, then go to Insert > Link. Look for an option called Email Address or E-mail. Type the email address into the box — you do not need to include mailto: at the start, as PowerPoint will add it automatically. You can also add a subject line if you want the email to open with a pre-filled subject.

When someone clicks this link during your slideshow, their default email program will open with a new message addressed to that email. This only works if the person has an email client set up on their computer — it will not work in a web browser or on a device without email configured.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my link not work when I click it during editing?

PowerPoint treats a regular click as a selection action during editing mode. Hold Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac) while clicking to follow the link. In slideshow mode, a regular click will work without holding anything.

Can I link to a specific page in a PDF file?

PowerPoint can link to a PDF file, but it will open the file from the beginning. Most PDF readers do not support jumping to a specific page through a hyperlink from PowerPoint. If you need to highlight a specific section, consider converting the PDF to images or embedding the content directly in your slide.

What happens if I move my presentation to a different computer?

Links to websites will work on any computer. Links to files on your computer will break unless you move the linked files along with the presentation and keep them in the same folder structure. Links to other slides in the same presentation will always work because they are stored inside the file.

Can I make an entire image clickable, or just part of it?

You can make an entire image clickable by selecting the whole image and adding a hyperlink. PowerPoint does not support linking to only part of an image — if you need that, you would need to crop the image or use a different tool.

How do I change the color of a link so it matches my slide design?

Select the link text, go to the Home tab, and use the font color option to change it. You can also change all links at once by going to Design > Colors and customizing the hyperlink color in the theme settings, though the exact steps vary by PowerPoint version.