6 Word – Links

Overview

Accessible links in Microsoft Word are clear, informative, and easy for all users to understand. There are two main considerations for links in a Word document:

1. Descriptive links: Text that clearly explains the hyperlink’s subject or destination.
2. Link formatting: The link’s color and underlining.

Important Notes

• For descriptive links, always provide text that describes the link’s content instead of a raw URL. Avoid generic phrases like “click here” or “read more.” For example, instead of a link saying “Click here,” use “View Course Syllabus.” This tells students exactly what the link is.
• When formatting a hyperlink, choose a color with sufficient contrast against the background.
• Don’t underline text for emphasis if it’s not a hyperlink. This can confuse users, who might assume all underlined text is a link.

Walk-through

Create Descriptive Links

1. Highlight the text you want to link.
2. Right-click and select Hyperlink…
3. In the “Text to display” field, you can modify the descriptive text of the link.
4. In the “Address” field, paste the URL.
5. If you’re starting with a URL already in your document, right-click the URL text, click Hyperlink, then Edit Hyperlink. Here, you can add your descriptive text to the “Text to display” field.

Format Link Style

To format all hyperlinks in a document:

1. Navigate to the Home tab on the Ribbon and click the Styles Pane button.
2. In the Styles Pane, scroll down until you see Hyperlink. Click the down arrow, then Modify Style.
3. Select the desired color for your links and click OK.
   • All links in the document will now update to the new style.