File Sharing Problems

How to Create Clickable PDF Links from Microsoft Word

Maira Mehtab Sep 20, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user wants to hyperlink to a local PDF file from within a Microsoft Word document, convert the Word document to a PDF, and email it while ensuring the recipient can successfully click and open the linked PDF.

Product: Microsoft Word
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Sharing a converted PDF document via email that contains hyperlinks to other local PDF files.
Observed behavior: The user needs a method to create functional local file links that survive PDF conversion and can still be accessed by the email recipient despite being originally stored on a local hard drive.

Before you start

Before you begin, ensure that all the PDF files you intend to link to are saved in a specific local folder, ideally in the same directory as your Word document, to make sharing the required files easier.

Solution 1Recommended

Insert Local PDF Hyperlinks and Share Effectively

Use the built-in Link feature in Word to attach local PDFs, then package and share both the main document and the linked files together.

When linking to files stored on your local hard drive, the hyperlinks use local file paths. If you email the final document without sending the linked files, the links will fail because the recipient does not have those files on their own computer.

Select Target Text

Open your Microsoft Word document and highlight the text you want to turn into a clickable link.

Insert the Link

Right-click the highlighted text and choose 'Link' (or press Ctrl+K). Browse your local hard drive to locate and select the target PDF file, then click 'OK'.

Convert to PDF

Go to 'File' > 'Save As' and select PDF as the file format to convert your Word document while preserving the active hyperlinks.

Send All Required Files

When emailing the document, you must attach both the main PDF and all the linked PDF files. Instruct the recipient to download all files and save them to a single local folder before clicking the links.

Important Sharing Requirement: The links will stop working if the linked files are moved, deleted, or if the recipient attempts to click them without downloading the supplementary PDFs locally first.

Powerful Document Editor

Create and Manage Document Links Seamlessly with WPS Office

With WPS Office, you can effortlessly add hyperlinks to text, convert documents to PDF with links intact, and use WPS Cloud to generate shareable web links, avoiding the hassle of broken local file paths entirely.

1. Highlight Text: Open your document in WPS Writer and highlight the text you want to link.
2. Add Hyperlink: Right-click and select 'Hyperlink' (or press Ctrl+K). To avoid local path issues, consider pasting a cloud-hosted URL of your PDF instead of a local file.
3. Export to PDF: Go to the 'Menu' in the top-left corner and click 'Export to PDF' to save your document with fully functional links.

Easily insert and edit hyperlinks in documentsOne-click Export to PDF preserving all active linksBuilt-in WPS Cloud for reliable file sharing via URLsFully compatible with Microsoft Word (.docx) formats

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do my PDF links stop working when I email the document?

If you link to a local file on your hard drive, the link points to a specific folder on your computer (e.g., C:\Documents\file.pdf). When the recipient opens the document, their device cannot find that file. You must attach the linked files to the email and the recipient must save them locally for the links to work.

Is there a better way to link files so they work for email recipients without downloading attachments?

Yes. Instead of linking to local files, upload your PDFs to a cloud storage service like WPS Cloud, Google Drive, or OneDrive. Generate a shareable link for each file, and use those URLs as the hyperlinks in your Word document. This ensures anyone with internet access can open them.

Do hyperlinks carry over when I convert Word to PDF?

Yes. When you use the 'Save As' or 'Export' feature in Microsoft Word or WPS Writer and choose the PDF format, standard hyperlinks are preserved and will remain clickable in the final PDF document.

Document & File Issues