How to Add a Hyperlink in Google Docs

When writing a research paper, a corporate report, or an informational guide in Google Docs, you often need to reference external websites, cite sources, or direct readers to other related documents. Instead of pasting long, ugly URLs directly into your text (like https://www.example.com/very/long/path/to/an/article), you can create clean, professional hyperlinks. A hyperlink hides the messy web address behind relevant text, allowing the reader to click the words themselves to open the webpage.

How to Insert a Basic Hyperlink

The fastest and most common method for adding a link relies on highlighting existing text.

1. Open your document in Google Docs.
2. Using your mouse, click and drag to highlight the specific word or phrase you want to turn into a clickable link (e.g., highlight the words “official documentation”).
3. Right-click the highlighted text.
4. Select Insert link from the context menu. (Alternatively, you can click the chain-link icon in the top toolbar, or use the keyboard shortcut: Ctrl + K on Windows or Cmd + K on Mac).
5. A small dialogue box will appear directly below the text.
6. In the Search or paste a link box, paste the full URL of the website you want to link to.
7. Click the blue Apply button.

The text you highlighted will instantly turn blue and become underlined, indicating that the hyperlink is active.

How to Link to Another Google Document

Google Docs integrates seamlessly with your Google Drive, allowing you to link directly to other files without needing to find their specific URLs.

1. Highlight the text you want to link.
2. Press Ctrl + K (or Cmd + K).
3. Instead of pasting a URL into the box, simply start typing the name of the other Google Doc, Sheet, or Slide presentation you want to link to.
4. Google will search your Drive and display matching files in a dropdown list below the search bar.
5. Click the correct file from the list to automatically apply the link.

How to Edit or Remove a Hyperlink

If you made a mistake or the webpage you linked to no longer exists, you can easily change or delete the link without rewriting the text.

1. Click anywhere inside the blue, hyperlinked text. Do not highlight it, just place your blinking text cursor inside the word.
2. A small preview box will pop up showing the destination URL.
3. To change the link, click the Edit link icon (it looks like a small pencil). You can then paste a new URL and click Apply.
4. To completely remove the hyperlink and revert the text to normal black text, click the Remove link icon (it looks like a chain link with a slash through it).