How to Hyperlink Within a Document in Google Docs — So Easy!

Everyone knows what hyperlinks are. 

These are highlighted parts of the text in a document that brings you outside of word processing tools like Google Docs — specifically, websites.

With those hyperlinked texts, you’re able to gain more information about a certain topic by reading another online source.

But, while it’s possible to link your Google Docs document to a website, can you also hyperlink within the document?

I mean, is it possible to link one part of the document you’re working on to another section of the same document?

Let’s find out in a bit if hyperlinking within a Google Docs document is workable or not.

 

How to Hyperlink Within a Document in Google Docs

You can hyperlink within a Google Docs document either by linking to a heading or a bookmark. To link to a heading, highlight a heading, press “Ctrl/Cmd + K” and choose a heading in “Headings.” Follow the same steps to link to a bookmark, but choose a bookmark in “Bookmarks” instead.

 

Hyperlinking Within a Document in Google Docs — What to Do

If you’re a keen observer, you’ll realize by now that there are 2 ways to hyperlink within a document in Google Docs.

It just depends on what linking style you prefer to use, and what works best for the type of document you have.

So, for starters, let’s learn the basics of hyperlinking to a heading in Google Docs.

 

Hyperlinking to a Heading in Google Docs

Step 1: In the Google Docs document that you opened (granting there’s text in it already), head to the paragraph where your desired text is.

Once you find the desired text or keyword, highlight it by dragging the cursor until the text’s covered in blue highlight.

Step 2: After highlighting the desired text, right-click on it and choose the “Link” option in the pop-out menu that appears.

You can also directly activate the “Link” option by pressing “Ctrl/Cmd + K” on your keyboard.

Step 3: Whatever option you choose to activate the “Link” function, you’ll then see a dialog box appear above, below, or to the side of the highlighted text.

Then, scroll down until you see the “Headings and bookmarks” option. Click the “>” icon to proceed to open another dialog box.

Step 4: You’ll then be redirected to the “Headings” page where the different headings of your text are listed. Click one of them.

Step 5: After selecting the heading, the text will be underlined and have a blue color. 

You can then click the hyperlinked text to see if it works. 

You’ll know if you’ve saved the hyperlink properly if you see the heading name once you hover the cursor over it.

And, just like that, you’ve linked a text to a heading in your Google Docs document.

Don’t you worry if you made a mistake; you can always remove the hyperlink in Google Docs in a jiffy.

Now, what if you want to link to specific data in your Google Docs document instead of to a heading, how do you do it?

 

Hyperlinking to a Bookmark in Google Docs

Now, after moving the tables you added to your Google Docs document, you want to link a specific topic to one of the data presented. 

But, if it’s not a heading, how then can you hyperlink the desired text to a key point in the document?

The best way to do this is to create a bookmark and then hyperlink that bookmark to the desired text.

 

Creating a Bookmark in Google Docs

Step 1: In the document you opened, highlight the text or number by dragging the cursor over it until it’s covered in blue highlight.

Step 2: Head to the menu bar and select the “Insert” tab. A dropdown menu will then appear after clicking it.

Step 3: In the “Insert” dropdown menu, keep scrolling until you see the “Bookmark” option. 

This move will then make a bookmark icon appear beside the text you highlighted earlier.

And, now that you’ve created a bookmark, it’s time to link another selected text to it.

 

Hyperlinking to a Bookmark in Google Docs

Step 1: First, head to the paragraph in your Google Docs document where you want to hyperlink the bookmark to. Highlight it by dragging the cursor over it until the text’s covered in blue highlight.

Step 2: After selecting the desired text, press “Ctrl/Cmd + K” or right-click on the highlighted text to activate “Link.”

Step 3: In the “Link” pop-out window, click the “Headmarks and bookings” option. 

You’ll then see the headings and bookmarks you created in the Google Docs document.

Since we want to hyperlink to a bookmark, head to the “Bookmarks” section and select the bookmark you want to link the text to.

And, just like that, you’ve linked the text to bookmarked data in Google Docs.

So, which of the two hyperlinking options in Google Docs do you want to try?

 

Frequently Asked Questions about How to Hyperlink Within a Document in Google Docs

 

Do I need to format the text into a heading for me to hyperlink to it?

You need to format the text first into a heading if you want to hyperlink some text to it within Google Docs. But, if you don’t want to format the text into a heading, just create a bookmark that you can hyperlink the text into.

 

How best can I format a text into a heading?

To format a text into a heading, first, highlight it. Then, head to the “Font Style” button and click the “v” button. In the dropdown menu, select what kind of heading you want to format it into — Title, Subtitle, Heading 1 to 5. 

 

Is it possible to create a shareable link out of the bookmark you created?

Creating a shareable link out of a bookmark is possible in Google Docs. Simply click the bookmark to make a pop-out window appear. Click on the double-page icon, which is the “Copy link” option. Then, paste the link on the messaging app you’re using to share the link with your colleagues or peers.

 

Do the hyperlinks still function even after you download your Google Docs document as a PDF or Word file?

The hyperlinks still are functional despite downloading your Google Docs document as a Word or PDF file. It’s because you’re only hyperlinking to specific parts of the text rather than on a website, which needs an internet connection.