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You can create hyperlinks so that when you export to Adobe PDF or SWF in InDesign, a viewer can click a link to jump to other locations in the same document, to other documents, or to websites. Hyperlinks you export to PDF or SWF in InCopy are not active.
A source is hyperlinked text, a hyperlinked text frame, or a hyperlinked graphics frame. A destination is the URL, file, email address, page text anchor, or shared destination to which a hyperlink jumps. A source can jump to only one destination, but any number of sources can jump to the same destination.
A source is hyperlinked text or a hyperlinked graphic. A destination is the URL, file, email address, page, text anchor, or shared destination to which a hyperlink jumps. A source can jump to only one destination, but any number of sources can jump to the same destination.
If you want the source text to be generated from the destination text, insert a cross-reference instead of adding a hyperlink. See Cross-references.
A. Hyperlink source B. List of hyperlinks in the current document C. Hyperlink status icons
- Choose Window > Interactive > Hyperlinks.
- Choose Window > Hyperlinks.
- Choose Window > Type & Tables > Cross-References.
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Choose Sort from the Hyperlinks panel menu, and then choose any of the following:
Displays the hyperlinks in the order in which they were added to the document.
Displays the hyperlinks in alphabetical order.
Displays the hyperlinks in groups of similar type.
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Choose Small Panel Rows from the Hyperlinks panel menu.
You can create hyperlinks to pages, URLs, text anchors, email addresses, and files. If you create a hyperlink to a page or text anchor in a different document, make sure that the exported files appear in the same folder.
To show or hide hyperlinks, choose View > Extras > Show Hyperlinks or Hide Hyperlinks.
Hyperlinks are included in exported Adobe PDF files if Hyperlinks is selected in the Export Adobe PDF dialog box in InDesign. Hyperlinks are included in the exported SWF file if Include Hyperlinks is selected in the Export SWF dialog box.
Create a hyperlink to a web page (URL)
You can use several different methods to create hyperlinks to URLs. When you specify a URL, you can use any valid Internet resource protocol: //, file://, ftp://, or mailto://.
You may want to create a character style for hyperlinks. Hyperlinks are often formatted in underlined blue text.
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Select the text, frame, or graphic you want to be the hyperlink’s source. For example, you can select the text, “See the Adobe website.”
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In the Hyperlinks panel, use any of the following methods to create a hyperlink to a URL:
In the URL text box, type or paste the URL name (such as //www.adobe.com), and then choose New Hyperlink from the Hyperlinks panel. Choose URL from the Link To menu, specify appearance options, and click OK.
If a URL is selected in your document, choose New Hyperlink From URL in the Hyperlinks panel menu. Double-click the hyperlink in the Hyperlinks panel, and then choose URL from the Link To menu, specify appearance options, and click OK.
Select a previously added URL from the URL menu. The hyperlink appearance is the same as that used in the previous URL.
Choose New Hyperlink in the Hyperlinks panel menu. Choose URL from the Link To menu, specify appearance options, and click OK.
If a URL hyperlink isn’t working in the exported PDF, there may be a problem with the hyperlink being a “Shared Destination.” Double-click the hyperlink in the Hyperlinks panel, choose URL from the Link To menu, deselect Shared Hyperlink Destination, and click OK.
When you create a hyperlink to a file, clicking the hyperlink in the exported PDF or SWF file opens the file in its native application, such as Microsoft Word for .doc files.
Make sure the file you specify is available to anyone opening the PDF or SWF file you export. For example, if you’re sending the exported PDF to a coworker, specify a file located on a shared server rather than your hard drive.
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Select the text, frame, or graphic you want to be the source of the hyperlink.
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Choose New Hyperlink in the Hyperlinks panel menu, or click the Create New Hyperlink button at the bottom of the Hyperlinks panel.
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In the New Hyperlink dialog box, choose File from the Link To menu.
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For Path, type the pathname or click the folder button to locate and double-click the filename.
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Select Shared Hyperlink Destination if you want the file to be stored in the Hyperlinks panel for easy reuse.
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Specify the appearance of the hyperlink source, and then click OK.
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Select the text, frame, or graphic you want to be the source of the hyperlink.
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Choose New Hyperlink in the Hyperlinks panel menu, or click the Create New Hyperlink button at the bottom of the Hyperlinks panel.
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In the New Hyperlink dialog box, choose Email from the Link To menu.
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For Address, type the email address, such as .
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For Subject Line, type the text that appears in the subject line of the email message.
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Select Shared Hyperlink Destination if you want the email message to be stored in the Hyperlinks panel for easy reuse.
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Specify the appearance of the hyperlink source, and then click OK.
Create a hyperlink to a page
You can create a hyperlink to a page without first creating a destination. However, by creating a page destination, you can specify a page number and view setting.
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Select the text, frame, or graphic you want to be the source of the hyperlink.
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Choose New Hyperlink in the Hyperlinks panel menu, or click the Create New Hyperlink button at the bottom of the Hyperlinks panel.
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In the New Hyperlink dialog box, choose Page from the Link To menu.
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For Document, select the document containing the destination that you want to jump to. All open documents that have been saved are listed in the pop‑up menu. If the document you’re looking for isn’t open, select Browse in the pop‑up menu, locate the file, and then click Open.
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For Page, specify the page number you want to jump to.
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For Zoom Setting, do one of the following to select the view state of the page being jumped to:
Select Fixed to display the magnification level and page position that were in effect when you created the link.
Select Fit View to display the visible portion of the current page as the destination.
Select Fit In Window to display the current page in the destination window.
Select Fit Width or Fit Height to display the width or height of the current page in the destination window.
Select Fit Visible to display the page so that its text and graphics fit the width of the window, which usually means that the margins are not displayed.
Select Inherit Zoom to display the destination window at the magnification level the reader uses when the hyperlink is clicked.
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Specify appearance options, and then click OK.
Creating a hyperlink destination is necessary only if you’re creating a hyperlink or cross-reference to a text anchor. A text anchor can point to a selection of text or to the insertion point location. Then you create the hyperlink or cross-reference that points to the hyperlink destination. You can also create hyperlink destinations for pages and URLs, but a destination isn’t necessary for those links.
Hyperlink destinations you create do not appear in the Hyperlinks panel; they appear in the dialog box that appears when you’re creating or editing hyperlinks.
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If you’re creating a text anchor, use the Type tool to place the insertion point, or select the range of text that you want to be the anchor.
You cannot set up an anchor destination for text on a master page.
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Choose New Hyperlink Destination in the Hyperlinks panel menu.
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Choose Text Anchor in the Type menu. Specify a name for the text anchor, and then click OK.
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Do any of the following, and then click OK:
Choose Text Anchor in the Type menu. Specify a name for the text anchor.
Choose Page in the Type menu. Specify the page number you want to jump to and the Zoom Setting. Type a name for the page, or select Name With Page Number to name the destination automatically based on the page number and zoom setting you specify.
Choose URL in the Type menu. Type or paste a URL, such as //www.adobe.com. You can use any valid Internet resource protocol: //, file://, ftp://, or mailto://.
Create a hyperlink to a text anchor
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Select the text, frame, or graphic you want to be the source of the hyperlink.
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Choose New Hyperlink in the Hyperlinks panel menu, or click the Create New Hyperlink button at the bottom of the Hyperlinks panel.
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Choose Text Anchor from the Link To menu.
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For Document, select the document containing the destination that you want to jump to. All open documents that have been saved are listed in the pop‑up menu. If the document you’re looking for isn’t open, select Browse in the pop‑up menu, locate the file, and then click Open.
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From the Text Anchor menu, choose the text anchor destination you created.
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Specify hyperlink appearance options, and then click OK.
While creating a hyperlink, if you choose Shared Destination from the Link To menu, you can specify any named destination. A destination is named when you add a URL using the URL text box or when you select Shared Hyperlink Destination while creating a hyperlink to a URL, file, or email address.
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Select the text, frame, or graphic you want to be the source of the hyperlink.
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Choose New Hyperlink in the Hyperlinks panel menu, or click the Create New Hyperlink button at the bottom of the Hyperlinks panel.
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In the New Hyperlink dialog box, choose Shared Destination from the Link To menu.
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For Document, select the document containing the destination that you want to jump to. All open documents that have been saved are listed in the pop‑up menu. If the document you’re looking for isn’t open, select Browse in the pop‑up menu, locate the file, and then click Open.
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Choose a destination from the Name menu.
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Specify hyperlink appearance options, and then click OK.
The options determine the appearance of the hyperlink or cross-reference source in the exported PDF or SWF file. These appearance options are also displayed in the InDesign document if you choose View > Extras > Show Hyperlinks.
Choose a character style to apply to the hyperlink source. The Character Style option is available only if the hyperlink source is selected text, not a selected frame or graphic.
If you’re inserting a cross-reference, you can apply a character style when you edit a cross-reference format. You can also apply character styles to building blocks within a format. See Using cross-reference formats.
Select Visible Rectangle or Invisible Rectangle.
Select Invert, Outline, Inset, or None. These options determine the appearance of the hyperlink when it’s being clicked in the PDF or SWF file.
Select a color for the visible hyperlink rectangle.
Select Thin, Medium, or Thick to determine the thickness of the hyperlink rectangle.
Select Solid or Dashed to determine the appearance of the hyperlink rectangle.
You can find and convert URLs (such as “www.adobe.com”) in your document and convert them to hyperlinks.
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Choose Convert URLs To Hyperlinks from the Hyperlinks panel menu.
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For Scope, indicate whether your want to convert URLs in the entire document, the current story, or the current selection.
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To apply a character style to the hyperlink, select a character style from the Character Style menu.
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Do any of the following, and then click Done.
Click Find to locate the next URL.
Click Convert to convert the current URL to a hyperlink.
Click Convert All to convert all URLs to hyperlinks.
Use the Hyperlinks panel to edit, delete, reset, or locate hyperlinks. In InCopy, you can manage hyperlinks only if the story is checked out for editing.
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In the Hyperlinks panel, double-click the item you want to edit.
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In the Edit Hyperlinks dialog box, make changes to the hyperlink as necessary, and then click OK.
To edit a hyperlink to a URL, select the hyperlink, edit the URL in the URL text box, and then press Tab or Enter.
When you remove a hyperlink, the source text or graphic remains.
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Select the item or items you want to remove in the Hyperlinks panel, and then click the Delete button at the bottom of the panel.
Renaming the hyperlink source changes the way it appears in the Hyperlinks panel.
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In the Hyperlinks panel, select the hyperlink.
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Choose Rename Hyperlink from the Hyperlinks panel menu, and specify a new name.
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Open the document in which the destination appears.
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Choose Hyperlink Destination Options in the Hyperlinks panel menu.
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For Destination, select the name of the destination you want to edit.
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Click Edit, and then make changes to the destination as necessary.
Click Delete to remove the destination.
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When you have finished editing or deleting destinations, click OK.
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Select the range of text, the text frame, or the graphic frame that will act as the new hyperlink source. For example, you may want to select additional text to include in the source.
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Select the hyperlink in the Hyperlinks panel.
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Do either of the following:
Choose Reset Hyperlink in the Hyperlinks panel menu.
To update hyperlinks to external documents, choose Update Hyperlink in the Hyperlinks panel menu.
- To locate the source of a hyperlink or cross-reference, select the item you want to locate in the Hyperlinks panel. Choose Go To Source in the Hyperlinks panel menu. The text or frame will be selected.
- To locate the destination of a hyperlink or cross-reference, select the item you want to locate in the Hyperlinks panel. Choose Go To Destination in the Hyperlinks panel menu.
If the item is a URL destination, InDesign starts or switches to your web browser to display the destination. If the item is a text anchor or page destination, InDesign jumps to that location.
When a Microsoft Word document with hyperlinks is imported into an InDesign document, you may notice a box or border around the hyperlink URLs (such as www.adobe.com). The InDesign document inherits a blue swatch called Word_R0_G0_B255. The document also inherits a character style called “Hyperlink” that underlines the text and applies the blue color.
To remove the box, in the Hyperlinks panel, double-click the hyperlink. Under Appearance, choose Invisible Rectangle from the Type menu, and click OK.
You may also want to delete the imported swatch. While doing so, you can replace it with a different swatch. See Delete individual swatches.
Before you place the Word document in InDesign, you may want to remove the hyperlinks from the URLs in the Word document to avoid inheriting this formatting. See your Word documentation. Another option is to create a character style named “Hyperlink” in the InDesign document before you import. When you import the Word document, the InDesign style that has the same name is used by default.