hyperlink in presentation mode

Open hyperlink without holding Ctrl in PowerPoint

PowerPoint always has the next two opportunities:

   1.   If you edit your presentation in the Normal mode or in the Outline View mode, when you move the mouse over the hyperlink, you can press Ctrl+Click to follow link to:

   2.   If you show or preview your presentation in the Reading View mode or in the Slide Show mode, when you move the mouse over the hyperlink, you can just Click to follow link to:

Note : You can choose the mode in which you want to work:

There are four options in the status bar: Normal mode, Slide Sorter mode, Reading View , and Slide Show mode.

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How to hyperlink in PowerPoint (best practices)

• PowerPoint Tutorials
• Shortcuts & Hacks
• February 14, 2024

In this post you’ll learn how to hyperlink in PowerPoint.

And the reason that hyperlinking in PowerPoint is important is that it allows you to jump around within your presentation or open documents outside of your presentation without leaving Slideshow Mode.

This allows you to create interactive and non-linear presentations. Common things you might use hyperlinks for in PowerPoint are:

• Hyperlinking to another slide in your presentation
• Opening a document or file on your computer Jumping to a page on the internet
• Open another PowerPoint presentation or slide show
• Create the mouseover text effect in PowerPoint (using ScreenTips)

The other great thing about hyperlinks in PowerPoint is that they automatically convert to the PDF file format. For details on how to convert PowerPoint into the PDF file format, read our guide here .

Table of Contents

What is a hyperlink in powerpoint.

A hyperlink is typically clickable text that jumps you to a location online, opens a file on your computer or performs some other action when you click it.

An online hyperlink can be written in two ways:

• As the full URL address you are jumping to: For example, visit our website www.nutsandboltsspeedtraining.com
• As shortened text with the hyperlink embedded inside the text (which is how it works in the Microsoft Office suite): For example: Visit our website here (with the entire URL address embedded in the text ‘ here ‘).

This is an important distinction to make, as most of the hyperlinks you add in PowerPoint, Word and Excel are clickable text or objects, with the hyperlink embedded within.

You can use hyperlinks in the Microsoft Office suite to do a variety of things like:

• Open a web page online
• Open files or documents on your computer
• Jump to a specific section in your document
• Create new documents (that you can begin editing)
• Start an email message

These hyperlinks can be embedded (as you’ll learn to do below) in text, shapes, pictures, charts, etc., allowing you to create interactive documents.

That is, people can click on things within your document to perform certain tasks, navigate to specific sections of your presentation or even open custom slide shows (if you have already set them up).

NOTE:  In PowerPoint, you can also use clickable objects to trigger animated effects, but these are NOT hyperlinks. To learn how to set up trigger objects to fire your animations (like making objects appear and disappear),  read our guide here .

Take your PPT skills to the next level

How to hyperlink to another slide in powerpoint.

To hyperlink to another slide in PowerPoint, the first thing you need is some text or an object to anchor your hyperlink in. Once you have the object, simply select the text or object and hit Ctrl+K on your keyboard to open the Insert Hyperlink dialog box.

If you do not like keyboard shortcuts, you can alternatively open the Insert Hyperlink dialog box using your Ribbon.

To add a link to an object (or block of text) using the PowerPoint Ribbon, simply:

• Select your text or object that you want to use as the anchor for link
• Click the Insert tab
• Open the Link drop down
• Select Insert Link…

For this example, I have done the following in the Insert Hyperlink dialog box:

• Selected a Place in this Document
• Selected Slide 3 (the slide I want to jump to within this presentation)

You can choose for yourself where you want your hyperlink to link to. Just keep in mind that a hyperlink can only have a single destination. A hyperlink cannot link to multiple locations at the same time.

Instead of using hyperlinks to jump around your presentation, you can also use action buttons. To learn about action buttons, see GFC Global’s blog post here .

Note. To use the Show and Return feature at the bottom of the Slide preview window, you need to hyperlink to a Custom Slideshow.  That is, a smaller subset of your slides that you set up. 

How to trigger a hyperlink

Once you’ve inserted a hyperlink into PowerPoint, there are two ways to trigger it.

#1. Slideshow mode (Presentation View)

When in any of the Presentation Views (like Presenter View), simply hover your mouse over your hyperlink and click it like you would any online link. Triggering the hyperlink then jumps you to the destination you selected (see details above).

To expand your knowledge and learn the different ways to start a PowerPoint slideshow (including how to start Presenter View), read more about it here .

#2. Normal View

In the Normal View in PowerPoint (the standard editing view), you can trigger a hyperlink by holding the Control  key and clicking the hyperlink with your mouse. This creates the same effect as simply clicking a hyperlink in the Presentation View.

Hyperlinking text vso Objects

When given the choice of what to use as your hyperlink trigger, the best practice is to use the object itself, rather than text. That’s because you have little control over the default hyperlink text formatting as pictured below.

All the objects in the graphic above have the same exact hyperlink applied to them. Notice how the hyperlinked text displays formatting, while the hyperlinked objects do not show any formatting.

When you add a hyperlink to text, it not only gets that underlined hyperlink formatting, but it also changes color once you have clicked the hyperlink. In PowerPoint, this is known as the Followed Hyperlink color. On the other hand, when you anchor your hyperlink on an object, the text never displays the hyperlink formatting. This is why most presenters prefer to anchor their hyperlink on their object instead of anchoring it on their text.

If you do decide to use text hyperlinks in your slides, you can always change the used hyperlink formatting by resetting your hyperlinks (see the next section).

When would using text hyperlinks make sense? When you want to see what you’ve already clicked on inside your presentation.  That’s because the Followed Hyperlink color (I’ll show you how to change that in a second) shows you exactly what you have already clicked on.

How to reset a hyperlink's color

If you are using text hyperlinks, as you click them in your presentation, the hyperlink color changes to the Followed Hyperlink color. This is fine if you want them to change colors (demonstrating what you have already clicked on), but it’s annoying if you don’t.

If you are using text hyperlinks, this means that after you have tested them out, you will need to reset the hyperlinks, so they start with the unfollowed hyperlink color.

To reset the color of a text hyperlink in PowerPoint, simply:

• Select the hyperlinked text
• Open the Insert Hyperlink dialog box (Ctrl+K)
• Immediately click OK

Clicking OK automatically resets the used hyperlink formatting back to the default unused text hyperlink formatting.

If you do go with text hyperlinks, the used formatting gives you a sense of what you’ve already clicked on. That means you won’t waste time navigating to something you’ve already covered. That said, you will need to reset the text formatting each time before you give your presentation.

How to change your hyperlink color in PowerPoint

To change the colors of your Hyperlinks and Followed Hyperlinks in PowerPoint, simply:

• Navigate to the Design tab
• Open the  More option (downward facing arrow)
• Open the Color drop down
• Select  Customize Colors
• Set a new  Hyperlink  and  Followed Hyperlink  color
• Select  Save

Selecting Save saves your new color combination as a PowerPoint Theme and apply it to your current presentation. When selecting your own colors for your hyperlinks, stark colors work best so they stand out from your presentation.

To learn all about creating your PowerPoint template (including selecting your own theme colors, etc.), read our guide here .

Next, you’ll see how to reset your Followed Hyperlink color back to the default color you set.

How to remove a PowerPoint hyperlink

To remove a hyperlink in PowerPoint:

• Select the hyperlinked text or hyperlinked PowerPoint object
• Right-click the object (or text)
• Select Remove Link

Regardless of what the link was pointing to, Remove Link removes the hyperlink formatting and the link. 

New Zoom Transition Hyperlink

If you have a Microsoft 365 subscription, there is a new way to add hyperlinks to PowerPoint called the Zoom transition. To make it easier to refer to, I will simply call them Zoom slides below.

To create a Zoom transition, simply click and drag a slide from the Thumbnail view on the left of your presentation, onto the slide you are currently using as pictured below.

Once you have created a Zoom slide, selecting it on your slide opens the Zoom Tools Format tab. From this tab, you have a variety of different formatting and transition options to choose from.

For example, do you want your Zoom transition to return to the slide it started on?

If yes, then in the Zoom Tools Format tab Zoom Options, simply select Return to Zoom (see picture below).

Selecting  Return to Zoom  means that after jumping to your Zoom slide, when you advance your slideshow, you will automatically return to the jumping off point within your presentation.

That allows you to create a dashboard like effect within your presentation. For example, you could present your audience with options – have them vote – and then click the link to jump to that section of your presentation.

And while this might seem complicated, you are in fact just creating hyperlinks (with a cool zoom effect).

For a FULL walk through of how to create a Zoom link and everything you can do with it, see the Presentation Guild’s full training online seminar here .

How to troubleshoot hyperlinks that are not working

First off, hyperlinks are meant to work in Slideshow Mode or Presentation View of PowerPoint.

So before troubleshooting your hyperlinks, make sure you have tried them out in the proper view first.

If your hyperlinks are still not working, the probable cause is that your hyperlink is broken. That is, whatever you were hyperlinking to has been deleted or moved. If this is the case, you simply need to reset your hyperlink.

To reset (or fix) a hyperlink in PowerPoint, simply:

• Make sure you have access to the file, slide or location you want to hyperlink to
• Select your hyperlinked text or object
• Open the Insert Hyperlink dialog box ( Ctrl+K on your keyboard)
• Set up your hyperlink to the correct slide, document, or location on your computer

Clicking  OK , your hyperlink resets, and will properly take you the slide, document, or location that you set it to.

Hyperlink ScreenTip Trick (the Mouseover Text Effect)

Another way to user hyperlinks in PowerPoint is to leverage the ScreenTip functionality to create the mouse pop-up text effect in PowerPoint that you can see in the picture below.

In this case, you are not using the hyperlink to jump around your presentation. Instead, you are leveraging the ScreenTip functionality, to display text as you hover your mouse over an object in PowerPoint.

To expand your knowledge for creating this effect, see my guide on how to create this mouseover text effect in PowerPoint .

As you can see, there is more to hyperlinking in PowerPoint than just inserting the link. There are considerations on what you anchor your link to, how to change the color of your hyperlinks, and how to reset them as well.

I always hyperlink objects instead of text whenever possible as it creates fewer formatting issues as you click through the slides. That said, if you want a visual cue of which links you’ve already clicked in your presentation, you will want to hyperlink your text directly.

In short, hyperlinks are a great way to create choices within your presentation. That is, giving your audience a choice and then jumping to topics within your presentation that they are most interested in learning more about.

If you enjoyed this article, you can learn more about our PowerPoint training and free tutorials  here .

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This Post Has One Comment

On a different machine with Powerpoint 2016 Home, my hyperlinks are clickable in Normal Edit View, but on another machine with Powerpoint 2016 Professional I have to view in Slideshow to click the hyperlinks. What gives?

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How to Hyperlink in PowerPoint? [The Complete Guide!]

By: Author Shrot Katewa

If you wish to jump a few slides when delivering your PowerPoint presentation, you will need to make use of the “Hyperlink” feature in PowerPoint!

To insert a hyperlink in PowerPoint, first, select and highlight the text or object. Next, right-click and choose the “Link” option. Select the destination of the link. You can link to an existing file, web page, or a specific slide within the presentation. Once the destination is chosen, click “OK”.

In this article, you will get to understand the hyperlink feature in PowerPoint in great detail. I’ll share with you how to add a hyperlink (in further detail), how do you edit a hyperlink, and even how to link to files outside of PowerPoint! That and much more!

So, let’s get started!

1. How to Add a Hyperlink in PowerPoint?

Let’s get straight to the key reason why you are here reading this article i.e. how do you insert a hyperlink in PowerPoint?

A hyperlink is a link added to a text or image that leads to a new document or a new section within the document when clicked on.

In Microsoft PowerPoint, even though you can add a hyperlink to texts or images, the process of doing so is quite similar for both.

Let’s take a look at the step-by-step process involved in adding a hyperlink in PowerPoint.

Step-1: Select the Text and Click on the “Link” option

The first step is to “Right Click” on the text or image where you want to add the hyperlink. In the dropdown menu, click on the “Link” option. Alternatively, you can press the “Ctrl+K” keys on your keyboard.

You can also click on the “Insert” tab in PowerPoint , and click on the “Link” option from the ribbon. You can use any of the three methods, and you will be prompted with the “Insert Hyperlink” window.

Step-2: Choose the Destination of the Link

In the “Insert Hyperlink” dialog box, you can either link a file from your computer or an online source by clicking on the “Existing File or Web Page” button. Then, navigate to the folder containing the file, click on the file to select it, and click “ OK “.

Alternatively, you can also click on the “ Place in this document ” option to link to an existing slide. (I shall show the exact steps later in this article).

2. How to Edit Hyperlink Text in PowerPoint?

In PowerPoint, adding a hyperlink does not change the behavior of text or the text box. Thus, the process of editing a hyperlink text is similar to the way you would edit the text in PowerPoint normally.

All you have to do is click inside the text box and delete or add text. You can also change the appearance of the hyperlink text by using the tools in the “Font” section of the “Home” tab in PowerPoint .

3. How to Edit the Hyperlink in PowerPoint?

Once a hyperlink is added to a text or image in a PowerPoint slide, you can go back and edit it. To do so, “Right Click” on the hyperlinked text and select the “Edit Link” option from the dropdown menu.

This will open the familiar “Insert Hyperlink” dialog box that we saw in section 1 of this article. Simply select another file or slide from the presentation in order to edit the link.

4. How to Remove Hyperlink in PowerPoint?

In Microsoft PowerPoint, you can remove the hyperlink from a text or an image with only one click. “Right Click” on the text or image to open the dropdown menu.

Now all you have to do is click on the “Remove Link” option to remove the hyperlink.

5. How to Hyperlink to Another Slide in PowerPoint

As mentioned earlier in the article, you can even link one slide to another within the same presentation using the hyperlink feature. This has great benefits especially when you want to specifically jump to a section in the presentation that you want to show in further detail.

Here’s what you need to do in order to link to another slide within the same presentation using the hyperlink feature in PowerPoint –

Step-1: “Right Click” on the selected text or image

In the selected slide, “Right Click” on the text or image where you want to link another slide. Then click on the “Link” option from the dropdown menu.

You can alternatively press the “Ctrl+K” keys on your keyboard. This will open a dialog box.

Step-2: Click on the “Place in This Document” option

In the “Insert Hyperlink” dialog box, click on the “Place in This Document” option from the left sidebar. Then select the slide you want to link.

You can see the selected slide in the “Slide preview” section in the dialog box. Finally, you have to click on the “OK” button to finish the process.

5a. How to Return Back to the Main Slide?

During a presentation, it may be important to return to the main slide in one click after jumping to the linked slide. To do so, you can add a shape and hyperlink it back to the main slide.

Here’s how to create a hyperlink back to the main slide –

Step-1: Click on the “Shapes” option

The first step is to open the linked slide. Then click on the “Insert” tab from the menu ribbon located at the top of the screen. In the “Insert” menu, click on the “Shapes” option and select your preferred shape from the dropdown menu.

Step-2: Edit the shape

Now you can select the shape and click on the “Shape Format” tab from the menu ribbon. In the “Format Shape” sidebar located on the right side of the screen, edit the color and of the shape to visually match the rest of the slide.

I would highly recommend adding a text to the shape something to the effect of “Go back to slide X” (where “X” is the slide number of the main slide you want to return). This will help you and others take note of why a shape exists on the slide and prevent others from deleting it accidentally.

Step-3: “Right Click” on the shape

Now, all we need to do is simply create a hyperlink that links back to the original slide.

Select the shape and “Right Click” on the shape. Then, click on the “Link” option. You can alternatively press the “Ctrl+K” keys on your keyboard to open the “Insert Hyperlink” dialog box.

Step-4: Hyperlink the main slide

In the “Insert Hyperlink” dialog box, click on the “Place in This Document” button from the sidebar located on the left side. Then select the main slide and click on the “OK” button.

Now all you have to do is click on the shape to return to the main slide during the presentation.

Note that this link will only work when you are viewing the presentation in slideshow mode!

6. How to Hyperlink Without Underline?

In Microsoft PowerPoint, you cannot hyperlink text without the underline directly. However, there is a workaround.

To add a hyperlink without underlining a text in PowerPoint, you will need to use a transparent shape. Insert a shape over the text. Right-click and add a hyperlink to the shape. Then, select the “No Fill” options to remove the “Fill” and “Line” colors in the “Format Shape” settings.

Here’s a detailed step-by-step process that you will need to follow –

Step-1: Click on the “Remove Link” option

The first step is to remove the hyperlink from the text. “Right Click” on the hyperlink text and select the “Remove Link” option from the dropdown menu.

This will ensure that the underline from the text gets removed.

Step-2: Click on the “Shapes” option

Now click on the “Insert” tab from the menu bar and click on the “Shapes” button in the “Insert” menu. From the dropdown menu, select the “Rectangle” option.

Then insert the rectangle shape over the hyperlink text.

Step-3: Add a hyperlink to the shape

The next step is to add the hyperlink to the shape instead of the text.

“Right Click” on the shape and click on the “Link” option. Alternatively, you can press the “Ctrl+K” keys on your keyboard.

In the “Insert Hyperlink” dialog box, paste the link that was previously on the text (as we did before in the previous sections). Then click on the “OK” button.

Step-4: Click on the “Format Shape” option

Now all you have to do is “Right Click” on the shape and click on the “Format Shape” option at the bottom of the dropdown menu.

This will open a “Format Shape” sidebar located at the right side of the screen.

Step-5: Click on the “No fill” and “No line” options

In the “Format Shape” sidebar, click on the “No fill” option under the “Fill” section. Then click on the “No line” option under the “Line” section.

This will make the shape completely transparent and make the text visible while removing the underline from the text. You can now click on the text and access the hyperlink in the slideshow mode.

7. How to Add a YouTube Link in PowerPoint?

To add a Youtube link in a PowerPoint slide, you have to first open the Youtube video that you want to link and copy the link address. Then follow the 2 quick steps.

Step-1: Click on the “Link” option

First, you have to select the text to hyperlink. Then “Right Click” on the selected text and click on the “Link” option. Alternatively, you can press the “Ctrl+K” keys on your keyboard.

Step-2: Paste the Youtube link

Click on the “Existing File or Web Page” option in the “Insert Hyperlink” dialog box. Then paste the Youtube link in the “Address” box at the bottom.

Now all you have to do is click on the “OK” button to hyperlink the Youtube video.

8. How to Insert a Website Link in PowerPoint?

In Microsoft PowerPoint, you can hyperlink to any resource available on the web. To insert a website link, you have to first obtain the link from the website. Then follow the 3 easy steps.

Step-1: Click on “Link”

In the open slide, select the text or image which you want to hyperlink. Then “Right Click” on the selected text or image. Click on the “Link” option from the dropdown menu. Alternatively, you can press the “Ctrl+K” keys on your keyboard.

Step-2: Paste the link to the website

The next step is to paste the website link in the “Address” box in the “Insert Hyperlink” dialog box. “Right Click” on the “Address” box and click on the “Paste” option from the dropdown menu.

This will paste the copied website link. You can alternatively press the “Ctrl+V” keys on your keyboard.

Step-3: Click on the “OK” option

Now all you have to do is click on the “OK” button at the bottom of the “Insert Hyperlink” dialog box to insert the link to the website (as shown in the image in step 2).

9. How to Hyperlink in PowerPoint to an Excel File?

Microsoft PowerPoint allows you to add both links from the web as well as links to existing files in your computer as a hyperlink. To hyperlink to an Excel file in a slide, follow the 3 simple steps.

Step-1: “Right Click” on the selected text

The first step is to select the text or image where you want to insert the link. Then you have to “Right Click” on it. From the dropdown menu, click on the “Link” option.

Step-2: Click on the “Browse for File” option

The next step is to click on the “Browse for File” option in the “Insert Hyperlink” dialog box. It is the third icon at the right side of the “Look in” box and looks like a folder.

This will open another dialog box.

Step-3: Click on the “Search Documents” box

In the “Link to File” dialog box, click on the “Search Documents” box located at the top and right corner. Then type in the name of the Excel file you want to hyperlink.

Select the Excel file and click on the “Open” button at the bottom of the dialog box to insert the link to the Excel file.

10.  How to Hyperlink in PowerPoint to a PDF File?

In Microsoft PowerPoint, you can add a hyperlink to a PDF file. This can be an efficient way for you to link to references for your presentation content.

The process is similar to that of adding a link to an excel file. Here’s what you need to do –

You have to first select a text or image and then “Right Click” on it. Click on the “Link” option from the context menu. Alternatively, you can press the “Ctrl+K” keys on your keyboard.

Step-2: Click on “Browse for File”

In the “Insert Hyperlink” dialog, click on the “Browse for File” option which is the icon that looks like a folder. It will open the “Link to File” dialog.

Step-3: Click on “Search This PC”

In the “Link to File” dialog box, click on the “Search This PC” option and type in the name of the PDF file you want to link.

Then select the PDF file and click on the “Open” button at the bottom of the dialog box. This will hyperlink the PDF file to the presentation.

11. How to Open a Hyperlink in PowerPoint?

To open a hyperlink, “Right Click” on the hyperlink text or image. From the dropdown menu click on the “Open Link” option. This will open the hyperlink in a new window.

Alternatively, you can press down the “Ctrl” key on your keyboard and click on the hyperlink text or image simultaneously to open the hyperlink.

Using the keyboard shortcut is more practical in the “Slide Show” screen during a presentation.

12. Hyperlink Not Working in PowerPoint

When inserting or accessing a hyperlink in Microsoft PowerPoint, sometimes, you might run into some issues. For instance, the option to hyperlink a text or image may be greyed out and you may not be able to insert a hyperlink.

These and other issues can be solved quite easily.

12a. Hyperlink is Greyed Out

In the “Insert” menu, you may find that the “Link” option is greyed out. But, this problem can be easily fixed! Here’s what you need to do –

Step-1: Click on the “Insert” tab

In the open PowerPoint presentation, click on the “Insert” tab in the menu ribbon located at the top of the screen. In the “Links” section of the “Insert” menu, you will notice that the “Link” option is greyed out.

Step-2: Click on an object

The “Link” option is usually greyed out because there are no objects selected yet. In Microsoft PowerPoint, you cannot insert a hyperlink to a slide. You can only insert hyperlinks to an object.

To be able to insert a hyperlink, all you have to do is click on any object in the open slide. You will now see that the “Link” option is no longer grayed out, and you can click on it.

12b. Hyperlink in PowerPoint is Not Clickable

After inserting a hyperlink in a PowerPoint presentation, you will notice that the hyperlink is not clickable. This is because you cannot click on the hyperlink in “Normal View” .

In Microsoft PowerPoint, “Normal View” is the default view where you can edit the slides. You can fix this problem in 3 easy methods.

Method-1: Click on “Ctrl+Save”

In the “Normal View” , you cannot open a hyperlink with a click. Instead, you have to press the “Ctrl” key on your keyboard and click on the hyperlink simultaneously. This will allow you to access the link.

Method-2: Click on the “Slide Show” tab

In the menu ribbon located at the top of the screen, click on the “Slide Show” tab. Then click on the “From Current Slide” option in the “Slide Show” menu.

Alternatively, you can press the “Shift+F5” keys on your keyboard. This will start the slideshow where the hyperlink is clickable.

Method-3: Click on the “Reading View” option

In the menu ribbon, click on the “View” tab. Then click on the “Reading View” option from the “Presentation Views” section (as shown in the image in method 2 above).

For the shortcut, all you have to do is click on the “Reading View” option which is the icon that looks like an open book in the status bar located at the bottom of the screen.

This will open the reading view screen where the hyperlinks are clickable.

Credit to cookie_studio (on Freepik) for the featured image of this article (further edited)

How to Use Hyperlinks and Action Buttons in PowerPoint

If you would like to link to an outside source within your PowerPoint presentation, you have the option of using a hyperlink or action button. These instructions are for Office 2016, 2013, 2010, and 2007.

In PowerPoint, you can create a hyperlink using any text within your presentation. When clicked on, a hyperlink can directly link to a specific slide within your presentation, a saved file, a web page, another PowerPoint presentation, or a custom email. To insert a hyperlink into your presentation:

• Open the PowerPoint presentation.
• Highlight the text or object you would like to hyperlink.
• Right-click the highlighted text and select "Hyperlink..."
• For Existing File or Web Page , browse your computer to locate the file you wish to link to.
• For Place in This Document , choose the slide you wish to link to.
• For Create a New Document , type the name of your new PowerPoint presentation and choose when to edit the document.
• For E-mail Addresses , enter the recipient(s) email address and the subject line of the email.
• Click [OK].
• To test the action button, start your PowerPoint slideshow (Click F5 on your keyboard) and click the text with the action button.

A PowerPoint hyperlink can link to a file on one of your drives (with the exception of your C: drive, which will not work in any circumstance) only if you are presenting the PowerPoint on campus. If you are off campus, you can use a path to any portable medium you have on hand (e.g. thumb drive, CD, etc.).

Action Button

In PowerPoint, you can create an action button using shapes, images, and text within your presentation. When activated, an action button can link to either a specific slide within your presentation, a web page, or another PowerPoint presentation. In addition, PowerPoint offers action buttons that play sounds when activated. To insert an action button into your presentation:

• Click the [Insert] tab > From the "Links" group, click [Action].
• Select the "Hyperlink to:" radio button > From the drop-down menu, choose where you would like the action button to link to when activated.
• To test the action button, start your PowerPoint slideshow (Click F5 on your keyboard) and click the text or image with the action button.

To insert an action button that plays a sound into your presentation:

• Highlight the text or object you would like to play a sound when clicked on.
• If you would like the text or object to link to a slide, web page, or file and play a sound, select the "Hyperlink to:" radio button and choose a destination. If not, select the "None" radio button.
• Check the "Play sound:" box > From the drop-down menu, choose what sound you would like the action button to play when activated > Click [OK].
• To test the action button, start your PowerPoint slideshow (Click F5 on your keyboard) and click the text or object with the action button.

You can also create an action button that activates when you hover your mouse over the text or object (as opposed to clicking the action button). In the "Action Settings" dialog box, click the [Mouse Over] tab and choose where you would like the action button to link to.

Keywords: ppt, powerpoint, powerpoint buttons, link from powerpoint, web page, insert slideshow hyperlinks, office 2010

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Level Up Your Presentations: How to Insert Hyperlinks in PowerPoint Like a Pro

Table of Contents

Hyperlinks in PowerPoint can be really helpful. They let you link to other websites, slides within your presentation, or multimedia resources, making your presentations more engaging. Whether you want to add interactive elements, simplify navigation, or just make your presentation more dynamic, knowing how to use hyperlinks is important.

In this guide, we’ll explore different ways you can use hyperlinks in PowerPoint to enhance your presentations. You’ll learn how to link to websites and documents, set up navigation, and customize hyperlink colors to make your presentations more visually appealing.

A Closer Look at How to Insert Hyperlinks in PowerPoint

1. hyperlink to a website.

Want to make your PowerPoint presentation more interactive? You can easily add links to websites! Here’s how:

Step 1. Pick What You Want to Link

This could be text, an image, or even a shape. Just click on the slide element you want viewers to click to open the website.

Step 2. Find the Link Menu

Head over to the “Insert” tab. There, you’ll see a button called “Link.” Click it to open the link menu. (If you prefer, you can right-click the element and choose “Hyperlink” from the menu that pops up.)

Step 3. Link to a Website

Choose the option “Existing File or Web Page” since you’re linking to an external website.

Step 4. Type in the Web Address

In the “Address” field, enter the complete URL of the website you want to link to. Remember to include “http://” or “https://” at the beginning.

Step 5. Click “OK” and you’re done!

Now, when you run your presentation and someone clicks the linked element, their web browser will automatically open and take them to the website.

2. Hyperlink to an Existing Document

Want to take your audience deeper into a topic? PowerPoint lets you create hyperlinks that jump to existing documents, adding another layer of interactivity to your web article presentations. Here’s how to do it:

• Select the text or object  you want to turn into a hyperlink.
• Go to the  Insert  tab on the ribbon.
• Click  Link .
• Choose  Existing File or Web Page  under “Link to.”
• Browse  and find the document you want to link to.
• Click  OK .

Now, when you click the hyperlinked text or object during your presentation, it will open the linked document.

3. Hyperlink to a New Document

In PowerPoint, you can’t directly hyperlink to a new document you haven’t created yet. But you can create a new document and link to it at the same time. Here’s how:

• Pick the text or image on your slide that you want as the hyperlink.
• Go to the “ Insert ” tab on the ribbon.
• Click “ Link ” and then choose “Insert Link” at the bottom.
• Select “ Create New Document. “
• Name your new document and choose where to save it.
• In” When to edit “, choose your preference for “Later” or “Now”.
• Click “ OK .”

4. Hyperlink to an E-mail Address

Creating a hyperlink to an email address in PowerPoint lets viewers easily contact you through email during your presentation. Here’s a quick guide:

• Select the text  you want to turn into the clickable link. This could be your name, “Contact Us,” or any other relevant text.
• Go to the  Insert  tab and click  Link  (or  Hyperlink ).
• In the pop-up window, choose  E-mail Address .
• Enter the email address you want to link to in the  E-mail address  field.
• (Optional) In  Text to display , you can customize the text viewers see for the link. If you leave it blank, the email address itself will be displayed.
• Click  OK  to create the hyperlink.

Now, during your presentation slide show, viewers can click the linked text to open their default email program with the recipient’s address already filled in.

Advanced Hyperlink Techniques

How to create a transparent hyperlink area.

Creating a transparent hyperlink area in PowerPoint allows you to assign hyperlinks to objects without affecting their appearance. This technique is useful for creating interactive presentations, especially for touchscreen applications or online presentations where precise tapping is required.

Step 1. Access the Insert tab on the PowerPoint ribbon and choose Shapes.

Step 2. Opt for a rectangle or another shape that matches your target object.

Step 3. Position the shape over the desired area, such as a video.

Step 4. Right-click the shape and access Format Shape.

Step 5. Within the Format Shape pane, navigate to Fill and adjust transparency to 100%.

Step 6. Proceed to Line and adjust transparency to 100%.

Step 7. Right-click the shape again and choose Hyperlink.

Step 8. Input the desired destination and confirm with OK.

Following these steps will create a transparent shape serving as a hyperlink area over your object.

How to Change Hyperlink Color

Changing the color of hyperlinks in a PowerPoint presentation can help improve visibility and align with your presentation’s color scheme. By following a few simple steps, you can customize the appearance of hyperlinks to enhance the overall design and readability of your slides.

• Select the hyperlink you want to re-color.
• Go to the Home tab on the ribbon.
• Click the down arrow next to the Font Color button to open the menu of colors.
• Select the color you want for the hyperlink.

These steps are common across the provided instructions and are neatly ordered for clarity.

How to Create ScreenTip

Adding a ScreenTip to your hyperlinks in PowerPoint can provide additional context or information when users hover over them. By following a simple process, you can enhance the usability and clarity of your presentation.

• In the Edit/Insert Hyperlink window, click the ScreenTip button.
• Type in the text for the ScreenTip in the open window.
• Click OK to apply the ScreenTip.

Closing Thoughts

We hope this guide has benefited you by showing the power of hyperlinks in PowerPoint. By incorporating these techniques, you can create presentations that are not only informative but also interactive and engaging.

Remember, hyperlinks can link to websites, documents, email addresses, and even other slides within your presentation, making your content richer and more user-friendly. So, go forth and explore the possibilities of hyperlinks in your next presentation!

Frequently Asked Questions

What are hyperlinks used for in powerpoint.

Hyperlinks in PowerPoint are used to link to other slides, websites, or files within your presentation. This can make your presentation more interactive and engaging for your audience.

How can I quickly insert a hyperlink in PowerPoint using keyboard shortcuts?

To quickly add a hyperlink, Select text, then press Ctrl + K (Command + K on Mac) or press Alt+N+I to add a hyperlink in PowerPoint.

How do I add a link to an online Microsoft 365 file in PowerPoint?

To link to an online Microsoft 365 document, select the desired slide object or text. Then, go to the “Insert” tab on the Ribbon, choose ‘Link’ from the drop-down list, and select the online Office 365 document from the “Recent items” list.

If I change the text color of a hyperlink, how do I revert it to the default color?

To reset the hyperlink color, use the “Clear all formatting” tool by highlighting the link and clicking on the “A” with an eraser icon. Alternatively, you can try using the format paintbrush from normal text. Another option is to copy the link to a browser, and then copy it back into PowerPoint.

How to remove a hyperlink in powerpoint?

Right-click the hyperlink and select “Remove Hyperlink”.

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How to Put a Hyperlink in Microsoft PowerPoint

Last Updated: July 18, 2022

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 31 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 426,376 times. Learn more...

Do you want to add a link to a website or document to your PowerPoint presentation? Adding hyperlinks to PowerPoint slides is incredibly easy. This wikiHow will teach you how to insert hyperlinks into PowerPoint slides using Windows and macOS.

Select a slide.

Select the hyperlink text.

• You can also make an image a hyperlink—just click the desired image to select it.

Click the "Insert" tab.

Click the "Link" icon.

Add a location or address to link to.

• To link to a file or website, select Existing File or Web Page at the top-left. Then, enter the full URL of the website or select the document.
• To link to another location in your presentation, select Place in This Document , then select a slide title.
• To create an email hyperlink, select E-mail address , then enter an email address. Clicking the link will simply compose a new message to this address.

Click "OK" to create the link.

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• ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/add-a-hyperlink-to-a-slide-239c6c94-d52f-480c-99ae-8b0acf7df6d9

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PowerPoint, click and open external file during presentation

is it possible? During presentation on some slide I click on some part of the slide and then the OS opens some external file with its associated program.

• microsoft-powerpoint

• What sort of file? –  ChrisF Jan 16, 2010 at 17:18
• it is whatever kind of file. i.e., PDF, etc. I am using mac office 2008 and it should work with "inser hyperlink" but it does not! –  asdf Jan 16, 2010 at 17:27
• 1 for solving the problem one has to put the linked files on the same folder than the presentation file. otherwise one gets problems –  asdf Jan 16, 2010 at 17:45
• Yeah ideally one could embed the file in the ppt but this does not seem to be possible. –  Timmmm Oct 18, 2013 at 13:29

2 Answers 2

Just right-click on an object (image, text, etc.), select "Hyperlink..." and then select the file you want opened. Note that clicking the object only works in presentation mode.

At least in PowerPoint 2013 you cloud use following technique:

edit: Sorry, I thought this was about opening embedded file.

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How to Hyperlink in PowerPoint (Insert, Remove or Edit Links)

Insert and Manage Links or Hyperlinks to Create Interactive PowerPoint Presentations

by Avantix Learning Team | Updated October 14, 2022

Applies to: Microsoft ® PowerPoint ® 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021 and 365 (Windows)

You can easily add links or hyperlinks in PowerPoint presentations to add interactivity and make it easy for users to click a button or link to jump to another slide in your deck, to another presentation, to an Excel file or to a web site. You can edit hyperlinks at any time and remove hyperlinks if necessary. In PowerPoint, hyperlinks become active when you run a slide show (normally by clicking the Slide Show button on the bottom right of the screen). In newer versions of PowerPoint, the term link is used as an alternative to hyperlink (although the dialog box displays Hyperlink).

Hyperlinks can be displayed as full source URLs or internet addresses such as http://abccompany.ca, as descriptive text, as an image or as a shape.

In this article, we'll be using the Link or Hyperlink command to insert hyperlinks, not Action Settings (an alternative method for adding hyperlinks).

Recommended article: How to Crop a Picture in PowerPoint (4 Ways)

Do you want to learn more about PowerPoint? Check out our virtual classroom or in-person classroom PowerPoint courses >

Insert a text hyperlink

If you select text and use it as a hyperlink on a PowerPoint slide, it appears underlined and in a color (normally blue) and coordinates with the color theme in your document. The text color changes automatically after you click hyperlink text in a slide show (again based on color theme settings). Shapes or images with hyperlinks do not change color.

Insert a hyperlink to a slide in the current presentation

To insert a link or hyperlink to a slide in the current presentation:

• In Normal View or Slide Master View, select the text, shape or image you want to use as a hyperlink. If you are using a shape that contains text, click its edge.
• Click the Insert tab in the Ribbon.
• In the Links group, click Link or Hyperlink. You can also press Ctrl + K. The Edit Hyperlink dialog appears.
• Under Link to, select Place in This Document.
• Under Select a place in this document, select the slide you'd like to link to.
• If you are using a text hyperlink, enter the descriptive text that will become the link text in the Text to display box (if necessary).
• Click Slide Show on the bottom right of the screen to run your slide show. You can also press Shift + F5.
• Click the link to test it.
• Press ESC to exit the slide show.

Below is the Edit Hyperlink dialog box with a link to another slide in the current presentation:

Insert a hyperlink to another PowerPoint presentation

To insert a link or hyperlink to another PowerPoint presentation:

• Under Link to, select Existing File or Web Page.
• Click Browse (yellow file folder icon).
• Navigate to the other presentation and double-click it.

Below is the Edit Hyperlink dialog box with a link to another presentation:

Insert a hyperlink to an Excel workbook

To insert a link or hyperlink to an Excel workbook:

• Navigate to the Excel workbook and double-click it.

Below is the Edit Hyperlink dialog box with a link to an Excel workbook:

Use relative or absolute addresses to external files

If you are creating hyperlinks to external files such as another PowerPoint presentation or an Excel workbook, it's important to understand the difference between a relative and absolute address. A relative hyperlink uses the address relative to the address of the containing document whereas an absolute hyperlink uses the full address of the destination document including the drive location.

The following example uses an absolute hyperlink address (full path address):

C:\Documents\January\Budget.docx

The following relative hyperlink contains only the relative address or path to a Budget document in the same folder as the presentation.

January\Budget.docx

You may want to use a relative hyperlink address or path if you want to move or to copy your files to another location such as another server.

Insert a hyperlink to a web site

To insert a link or hyperlink to a web site:

• In the Address box, enter the web address or url. You can also copy the web address from a browser or select from the drop-down menu of recent web sites.

Below is the Edit Hyperlink dialog box with a link to a web site:

Create a hyperlink using the context menu

Another method of creating or editing hyperlinks is to right-click and use the context menu (you can also press Shift + F10 to display the context menu).

To insert a hyperlink using the context menu:

• Right-click and choose Link or Hyperlink from the dropd-down menu and then select Insert Hyperlink or Insert Link. The hyperlink dialog appears.
• Select the appropriate option under Link to. If you are creating an external link to a webpage or another document, select Existing File or Web Page. If you are creating an internal link within the document, select Place in This Document.
• In the address field, enter or choose the address or location where the link should lead. For external references, enter or copy the URL in the Address field. For place in the same document, select the appropriate item.

Jump to a hyperlink location

Hyperlinks become active when you run a slide show or save your presentation as a PDF (portable document format). Simply click the hyperlink to jump to the hyperlink location.

Edit a hyperlink

To edit a hyperlink:

• In Normal View or Slide Master View, right-click the hyperlink and select Edit Hyperlink or Edit Link from the drop-down menu. The Hyperlink dialog box appears.
• Select the desired options.

You can also select a hyperlink and press Ctrl + K to edit it.

Create a screen tip

You can also create a screen tip that will pop up when you hover over a hyperlink during a slide show.

To create a screen tip for an existing hyperlink:

• In Normal View or Slide Master View, right-click the hyperlink.and select Edit Hyperlink or Edit Link from the drop-down menu. The Edit Hyperlink dialog box appears.
• Click ScreenTip (on the top right). A dialog box appears.
• Enter a screen tip.
• Click OK twice.

Remove a hyperlink

To remove a hyperlink:

• In Normal View or Slide Master View, right-click the hyperlink you want to remove.
• In the context menu, select Remove Hyperlink or Remove Link.

Hyperlinks can add a new dimension of interactivity to your decks and when a PowerPoint file is saved as a PDF, they become active hyperlinks.

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How-To Geek

How to link from one powerpoint presentation to another.

Don't waste time creating slides for a presentation when they already exist in another. Just link to them!

Linking two presentations together allows you to save time by using already-existing slides. The transition is almost seamless, giving it the illusion of one single presentation. Here's how to link PowerPoint presentations together.

Before we get started, note that both presentations need to be in the same folder to link them together. Moving or renaming the second file after the link has been created will cause the slide to break.

Linking two presentations together isn't magic, but it’s as simple as inserting and clicking a hyperlink. What this trick does is allows you to insert a link within an object or text from presentation A that brings you to a specific slide of presentation B while still in presentation mode.

Once you’ve opened the first presentation and have navigated to the slide in which you will be linking from, select the text or object where you want to place the hyperlink.

If you haven't already inserted an object, you can do so by selecting any of the options in the "Images" or "Illustrations" group of the "Insert" tab, and then selecting the object you'd like to insert.

Related: How to Insert a Picture or Other Object in Microsoft Office

Once selected, head over to the “Links” group of the “Insert” tab and select “Action."

Now you’ll be at the “Action Settings” menu. Here, select the “Hyperlink To” option. Once selected, you’ll be able to open the drop-down menu underneath it. Do so, and then select “Other PowerPoint Presentation."

Once you select that option, File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (macOS) will open. Here, select the presentation you would like to link to. Click the "OK" button.

Next, you'll be greeted with a list of the slides from the presentation you're linking to. Select the slide that you'd like to go to and click "OK."

You’ll now notice the file path of the second presentation appears under the “Hyperlink To” box. Once you’re ready, select the "OK" button.

Your hyperlink will now be inserted in the selected text or object. To ensure it inserted correctly, you can hover your mouse over the text or object and the file path will appear.

If you want to double-check that you pointed to the correct presentation, you can press the Ctrl key while clicking the link to follow it.

Now, when you play the PowerPoint in presentation mode, simply clicking the hyperlinked text or object to give you a seamless transition from the first presentation to the second.

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After designing all the slides for your presentation, the next and last step is presenting in front of your audience. In this new Slidesgo School tutorial, you’ll see how the presenter view works and how you can record your presentation .

Presentation Modes

Presentation modes — set up slide show, presentation modes — record slide show.

• There are different presentation modes in PowerPoint, besides the one you can find at the bottom of the screen.
• To access the presentation modes, go to the Slide Show tab.
• The first two options allow you to start the presentation from the beginning or from the currently selected slide.

• If you choose Present Online, an URL will be generated, which you can then share with your potential online viewers. After clicking this button, a new window will open, displaying info about the Microsoft Office online presentation service and a checkbox to enable remote download for your online audience. To enjoy this service, you need an Office 365 account. When you’re ready, click Connect to generate the URL.
• If you choose Custom Slide Show, you can select which slides to display in your presentation.  First, create a new custom slide show and select the slides that you want to display. Then, click Add, enter the name of the presentation and click OK. This new custom presentation will appear on the list. Select it and click Show to begin the presentation.
• In the Set Up group you’ll find options to set up the presentation, hide slides, rehearse your presentation and even record it.
• Click Set Up Slide Show to adjust several settings regarding your presentation. You’ll find more information in the next section of this tutorial .
• If you click Hide Slide, the selected slide won’t show up during your presentation. Hidden slides will appear faded out on the list and their numbers will be crossed out.
• If you click Record Slide Show, you’ll be able to record your presentation from the beginning or from the current slide. We’ll go into detail in the last section of this tutorial.
• There are several checkboxes regarding whether to play narrations, use timings and show media controls.

• In the Monitors group you can choose which screen to display your presentation.
• The last group, Captions & Subtitles, is only available in Office 365. You’ll find options to enable subtitles, which will be generated out of your speech (so you’ll need to have a mic). There are settings to change the language and the position of the subtitles.
• Open your presentation in PowerPoint.
• Go to the Slide Show tab.
• In the Set Up group, click Set Up Slide Show. A new window will open, where you’ll find several options.
• In the top-left corner, under “Show type”, you can choose whether the presentation will be in fullscreen with speaker notes, windowed, or in fullscreen without speaker notes or the menu bar.

• Under “Show options” you can choose whether to show the presentation without narration or animations, or disable the hardware graphics acceleration (for better performance). You can also set the pen and laser pointer color.

• Under “Show slides”, you can choose which slides to show in your presentation. You can select all of them, a specific range or a custom slideshow.
• There are other settings to determine how to advance slides (manually or using timings), what the resolution will be and whether to use the presenter view.
• Click Record Slide Show. From the drop-down menu, select From the Current Slide or From the Beginning.
• A new window will open, along with the presentation in fullscreen mode. At the top-left you’ll find a button to start recording.

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With the advance of technology, printing has become something that is no longer a necessity. Smartphones have made the paper format less and less frequent, but there are still certain cases in which having physical resources is much more convenient. Whether it's for taking notes, handing out assignments, making worksheets or handing out business cards or invitations, it's necessary to print your customized designs.From now on, in every Slidesgo printable presentation that you download, you will find the instructions for printing on the third slide. Depending on the style, colors or format of each presentation, we will tell you if you can...

How to Add Superscript and Subscript in Google Slides

Let’s take the most famous formula: E=mc^2, Einstein’s relativity equation. It wouldn’t be the same if it was E=mc2, right? Okay, yes, some people write it like that because it’s very famous and it won’t be misunderstood. But technically… It can! This is where the sophistication of superscript or subscript enters the room! Do you know how to write them in equations, copyright brands or even footnotes in your presentations? Let’s figure out how.

Go to a slide when delivering your presentation

As you deliver your presentation, here is how to move from one slide to the next, move to a previous slide, or move to a specific slide anywhere in the presentation. For information about moving slides or changing the order of slides in your presentation, see the article Add, rearrange, duplicate, and delete slides in PowerPoint .

Go to the next slide

Press the Right arrow key.

Mouse: Click once anywhere on a slide to move to the next one.

Note:  If you have a custom animation effect on your slide, clicking the slide starts the animation effect, rather than moving to the next slide. Use Go to a specific slide below to move to a specific slide and avoid triggering the animation effect.

Go to the previous slide

Press the Left arrow key.

Mouse: Right-click a slide, and then click Previous on the shortcut menu.

Go to a specific slide

Type the slide number, then press Enter.

Right-click a slide, select See All Slides or Go to Slide , and then click the slide you want to display to the audience. (The name of the option depends on the Show type option selected in the Set Up Slide Show dialog.)

Go to the beginning of a presentation

Press the Home key on the keyboard.

Right-click a slide, select See All Slides  or Go to Slide , and then click the first slide in the set.

Go to the end of a presentation

Press the End key on the keyboard.

Right-click a slide, select See All Slides  or Go to Slide , and then click the last slide in the set.

Auto-advance by using slide timings

See  Rehearse and time the delivery of a presentation for details. 

Use links to navigate in a presentation

Read these other articles for instructions on making hyperlinks:

Add a hyperlink to a slide

If you're a Microsoft 365 subscriber, you can use Zoom for PowerPoint to create a table of contents or to create visual links to a section or to individual slides . See Zoom for PowerPoint for more information.

Keyboard navigation

For a detailed list of keyboard shortcuts you can use when delivering your presentation, see the article Use keyboard shortcuts to deliver your presentation .

Press N, Right arrow, Down arrow, or Spacebar.

Press P, Left arrow, Up arrow, or Delete.

Note:  If you have a custom animation effect on your slide, right-clicking the slide starts the animation effect, rather than moving to the previous slide. Use Go to a specific slide below to move to a specific slide and avoid triggering the animation effect.

Type the slide number, then press Return.

Mouse: Right-click a slide, point to By Title on the shortcut menu, and then select a slide by title or slide number.

Type 1, then press Return.

Type the number of the last slide, then press Return.

Mouse: Right-click a slide, point to By Title on the shortcut menu, and then select the last slide in the list.

For instructions on adding hyperlinks to your slides, see Add a hyperlink to a slide .

Note:  If you have a custom animation effect on your slide, clicking the slide starts the animation effect, rather than moving to the previous slide. Use Go to a specific slide below to move to a specific slide and avoid triggering the animation effect.

Mouse: Right-click a slide, point to Go to Slide on the shortcut menu, and then click the first slide in the list.

Mouse: Right-click a slide, point to Go to Slide on the shortcut menu, and then click the last slide in the list.

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Troubleshoot Hyperlinks

You can add hyperlinks to your PowerPoint presentation. These links will be active in a web presentation that you publish with iSpring. However, some hyperlinks may not work due to peculiarities of the conversion. Usually, this can be easily resolved if you follow suggestions within this article.

Before we drill down, here is some general troubleshooting information:

• Hyperlinks don’t work in Flash content on local computer due to Global FlashPlayer security restrictions (it only happens when an .swf file is launched fr om the local destination, e.g., c:\ drive).
• Some PPT objects are converted to a raster format, so hyperlink information is lost. It happens with SmartArt objects and stylized text . See the specific paragraph in this article.
• If you publish to a video format .mp4 with iSpring, hyperlinks, as well as other interactivities won’t work. Later, after you upload this video to YouTube, you create and edit annotations that also includes adding hyperlinks.

In this article

Links in web presentation, absolute and relative paths, how to make relative hyperlinks work, what objects may have hyperlink, hyperlink on a stylized text, hyperlink on a smartart object, advanced hyperlink techniques: hotspot area.

There are two main hyperlink types that may be used in web presentations.

Internal hyperlink

What you can do with internal links:

• Link slides within a presentation to connect different topics or chapters.
• Create a table of contents, which is very useful for courses with a complex structure.
• Create a custom player in your presentation that will provide navigation.

External hyperlink

What you can do with external links:

• Open an existing webpage in the same or new browser window.
• Open a file that’s placed on the Web or at the local destination.

Note: All hyperlinks will be opened in a new browser window by default, but you can change that setting via the Resources button on the iSpring toolbar. The other options are to open a link in the same window or in a parent window. We don’t recommend that you sel ect The same window because it will interrupt the presentation’s playback, and your users will have to navigate back in their browsers to continue the presentation.

The other hyperlink types, Create New Document and E-mail Address won’t work in a web browser. You can only use them in PowerPoint.

An absolute path shows a full-length address to access an HTML web page or file on the Internet. This link will work from any place on the Internet.

• https://www.ispringsolutions.com/
• A relative path is a short path to a file that is located in the same folder structure that you are viewing at the moment. This link will for both, local computers and a website that hosts these linked folders.
• index.html (file is located in the same folder)
• /data/img01.png (file is located in a subfolder)
• ../index.html (file is located in a parent folder)

When you create a presentation or a learning course with iSpring, we recommend that you use absolute hyperlinks to web pages or files that are already placed on the Internet.

If you want to add some files (documents) that will go with the presentation, use the iSpring Resources option instead of relative paths. The iSpring conversion engine will keep embedded files organized in a data folder and automatically handle file addressing.

If you have local documents linked with your PowerPoint presentation that you open during a slideshow, these links might not work after you publish the presentation with iSpring for the Web.

In the converted presentation, when you point the mouse to a hyperlink, it will show you an absolute path to the file instead of a short relative path (the bottom tooltip in your browser).

The reason why your links seem to be absolute is just because web browsers render bottom tooltips for relative paths this way. iSpring doesn’t change your relative links.

To demonstrate that, create a test HTML file “my-html-sample.html” with a relative path and save this file in the same folder as your PowerPoint file.

Open it in a web browser, point your mouse on the hyperlink, and it will still show you the full path. If you click on that, the link will open the .pdf file.

The reason why your relative links don’t work in the converted presentation is because iSpring publishes your web presentation to a subfolder, so it is placed one level below. Therefore, the hyperlinked file cannot be found.

The same rule applies to the Internet destinations with the only difference that forward slash is used to separate directories there.

If you don’t want to change paths for all local hyperlinks in your presentation, you can copy the linked document to the web presentation folder so it will reside in the same directory as your index.html file.

You can assign hyperlinks in PowerPoint to various objects, from text to SmartArt. However, conversion to a Web format makes some links inactive.

Here is a list of links on objects that may be freely used in a web presentation:

If you assign a link to text that has a style applied to it (shadow, reflection, 3d, etc.), the iSpring conversion engine will save this piece of text as a raster image, and therefore the hyperlink won’t work in a Flash or HTML5 version of your presentation.

After conversion, we can see the same text appear as a picture with no hyperlink data. When you point the mouse over the text, it doesn’t change to a hand, and when you click on it, nothing happens.

Workaround #1: Save as a picture

• Right-click on the frame of a text box that contains stylized text and select Save as Picture.
• Save it on your computer (e.g., on the Desktop) to .png format (default).
• Ins ert the .png picture on the same slide via the PowerPoint INSERT > Pictures option.
• Move the picture to the original text’s place. In case you want to change the text later, you can move the original text over the slide border.
• Assign a hyperlink to the picture.

Workaround #2: Add a hotspot area over the text

You can add a SmartArt object to your presentation and assign a hyperlink to its elements in PowerPoint. However, iSpring renders a SmartArt as a single picture. Therefore, links won’t be active after conversion to Flash or HTML5.

Workaround #2: Create transparent hyperlink areas

Note: If you apply animations to SmartArt elements, they also won’t be reproduced. Apply the second workaround and convert your SmartArt to Shapes. Then, animate them individually.

You can’t assign hyperlinks to some objects in PowerPoint (e.g., video objects). Also, because some objects (e.g., stylized text, SmartArt) are saved in raster format after conversion with iSpring, hyperlinks may be lost.

When you design a touchscreen app in PowerPoint, some small elements may be hard to click. In this case you may want to enlarge the active hyperlink area over the visual element.

All these cases can be resolved by applying an advanced technique: adding hotspot areas on your slides that will overlap objects.

To create a transparent hyperlink area

Select the INSERT tab on the PowerPoint toolbar.

Click Shapes.

• 3 Select a rectangle or another form that matches the object (that should be hyperlinked).

• 5 Right-click on the shape and select Hyperlink.
• 6 Add an internal or external hyperlink and click OK.

• 8 Do the same with the border. Outline > No Outline.

...or in the Format Shape sidebar when you right-click on the shape and sele ct Format Shape.

Note: A hyperlinked area will overlap the objects and their controls on the layers below. For example, if you insert an invisible hyperlink over a video, you can’t click on it to start or stop playback. Instead, you will be redirected to the website or a slide corresponding with the hyperlink. To resolve this issue, se t the video to play automatically.

Find and arrange transparent shapes

Once found, delete it or send it to the back of the slide (right-click, Send to Back > Send Backward ).

Flash Player global security on local computers

Q: I publish my PPT presentation using the Desktop (Flash) mode and launch it on my computer. For some reason, hyperlinks to a website don’t work. When I upload my presentation to the Internet , the hyperlinks work fine.

A: All hyperlinks in Flash .swf files that you launch fr om your computer are blocked due to the Adobe Flash Player global security settings. If you want to test hyperlinks on your local computer, go to the Flash Player settings and add a trusted location (such as a folder on your hard drive wh ere you publish presentations).

Q: I sent an .swf Flash presentation to my colleague via email and he can’t open any hyperlinks that should point to my website.

A: Adobe Flash Player global security settings are applied to all local destinations, even if you send it to a different computer. Your colleague has to adjust the security settings. The best solution is to share a Flash file on the Internet and send a link to access it. Also, you can publish to Mobile (HTML5) , check Zip output and send via email. HTML5 presentations aren’t bound by Adobe’s restrictions.

Inactive hyperlinks

Q: After I publish a presentation to a Web format, a hyperlink text is underlined. However, when I point my mouse on this text, the mouse pointer doesn’t change to a hand. When I click on it, nothing happens.

A: It seems that you applied a style to the text (shadow, 3d effect, etc.), and it was converted to a raster image and lost hyperlink data. Resolution: Remove the effect applied to your text to make it work. If you want to keep the text style, save it as a picture or add a hyperlink area over this text.

Q: I have some Smart Arts in my web presentation and none of the hyperlinks work on them.

A: A SmartArt object is always saved as a picture when you publish your presentation. That’s why, the hyperlinks applied to the elements on your SmartArt were lost after conversion. Resolution: Add a hotspot area with a hyperlink over the elements in PowerPoint before you publish.

Q: I don’t have any effects applied to a shape or its text, and still the hyperlink doesn’t work.

A: Probably some transparent object is overlapping the area with the hyperlink. Turn on the Selection Pane in PowerPoint to find this object.

Linked documents

Q: I added links to some documents located on my computer. When I send this presentation via email, documents can’t be opened by these links.

A: Hyperlinks with local paths work only on the local computer and don’t include these files in the presentation’s data folder. Use the Resources tool on the iSpring toolbar to keep your documents inside your presentation folder.

Q: I have local documents linked with my PowerPoint presentation. After conversion none of them work and URLs for my hyperlinks were changed (they all became absolute and start with file:/// prefix). If I click on that it tells me that the page is not found.

A: Please read the paragraph “How to make relative hyperlinks work” in this article.

Related Articles

• How to create an interactive software simulation in PPT
• How to add a scrollable text box to your online presentation
• Rename Control Buttons in the Presentation Player

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Share link to PPT in full screen presentation mode

How can I share a link to a PowerPoint presentation that opens in full screen presentation mode and can be navigated at the convenience of my audience (not live)?

This feature is available in Google Slides by changing "edit" in the URL to "present".

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Replies (1) .

• Microsoft Agent |

Hi Jennifer,

Thanks for posting in the community.

For your concern, for now, I am afraid there is no such link setting to open the presentation in presentation mode by default. PowerPoint does support opening the local file in presentation mode by default while there are no such settings in the shared link.

Based on the situation, I would like to suggest you send feedback to Microsoft. It’s the platform for us to hear your voice and improve our products.

How do I give feedback on Microsoft Office?

2 people found this reply helpful

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