Add a Link or URL to a PDF — Make Any Word Clickable
Turn a word or phrase in your PDF into a clickable link — sometimes called a hyperlink. WT-PDF writes a real /Link annotation (not a visual overlay), so the URL works in Acrobat, Preview, browsers, and on mobile. The linked text gets a blue underline so readers know it's clickable.
Link an existing word to a URL
- Open wt-pdf.com and load your PDF.
- Double-click the word you want to turn into a link (or drag to select a phrase).
- In the edit popup, click the 🔗 button.
- A URL field appears — type or paste the full URL (
https://…,mailto:…,tel:…, etc.). - Hit Accept. The link is committed with a blue underline over just that word.
Add a link to a new text box
- Switch to the Text tool.
- Click the page and type your label ("Read our policy", "Contact us", etc.).
- Hover the overlay until controls appear; click the 🔗 handle next to the × delete.
- Enter the URL. The box turns blue to show the link is staged.
- Download — the overlay is baked with a
/Linkannotation and a blue underline.
Why links matter in a PDF
A clickable link turns a footnote reference, a support URL, or a call-to-action into a one-tap action. For reports, brochures, and whitepapers shared as PDFs, a real link is often the difference between a reader bouncing and actually visiting your site. Writing out the URL as plain text — the old "type it in your browser" convention — loses most of that traffic.
What URL formats can I link to?
- Web URLs:
https://example.com/page(http://also works but modern browsers may warn) - Email links:
mailto:team@example.com?subject=Hello - Phone links:
tel:+14155551234— tap-to-call on mobile - File / FTP URLs:
file://,ftp://(most PDF viewers support these with a confirmation prompt)
"Link", "URL", or "Hyperlink" — what's the difference?
In everyday use they're interchangeable. A URL is the address itself (https://example.com). A link (or hyperlink) is the clickable text that takes you to that URL. In a PDF, that clickable region is stored as a /Link annotation in the PDF spec — what WT-PDF writes when you click 🔗.
FAQ
Will the link work on mobile?
Yes. /Link annotations are part of the PDF standard — they're clickable in every major mobile viewer (iOS Books, Adobe Acrobat mobile, Google Drive preview, etc.).
Can I change the link's color?
The auto-applied underline is blue to match web conventions. Changing the underlying text color is a content-stream edit; most PDF editors (including Acrobat) don't do that automatically with the link tool.
Can I delete or change a link?
Double-click the linked word, click 🔗 again, and either clear it or paste a new URL. Accept to commit.
Does the link survive printing?
The blue underline prints; the click target is digital-only (paper can't be clicked).
Is this free?
Yes — advertiser supported, no signup required. Your file never uploads; everything runs in your browser.
Related: Sign a PDF · Draw on a PDF · Redact a PDF · Edit a PDF