How to Create a Clickable Phone Link Button in a PDF
Question details
The user wants to create a clickable button or link in a PDF that automatically launches a calling application when clicked.
- Product
- Adobe Acrobat / PDF
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Creating interactive elements in a PDF document to facilitate direct phone calls.
- Observed behavior
- The user needs a button that triggers a telephone URL (tel protocol) to open calling apps like Cisco Jabber for confirmation.
Ensure that your computer or mobile device has a default calling application (such as Cisco Jabber, Skype, or FaceTime) installed and associated with the 'tel' URL protocol.
Create a Phone Link Button using the Tel Protocol
Add an interactive button to your PDF and configure its action to open a web link using the 'tel:' URL prefix.
To make a phone number clickable in a PDF, you need to use the standard 'tel' protocol. This instructs the operating system to pass the number to a compatible calling application.
Open your PDF document in a PDF editor. Navigate to the form editing tools and select the 'Add Button' or 'Button Field' option.
Click and drag to draw the button over the area where the phone number is displayed on the page.
Right-click the newly created button and select 'Properties' from the context menu, then navigate to the 'Actions' tab.
Set the 'Select Trigger' option to 'Mouse Up'. Choose 'Open a web link' from the 'Select Action' dropdown and click 'Add'.
In the URL field, enter the phone number using the tel protocol format (e.g., tel:+1234567890). Save the document to apply your changes.
Easily Add Clickable Phone Links with WPS Office
WPS Office provides a comprehensive PDF editor that lets you easily insert hyperlinks, text, and interactive elements into your documents. It seamlessly supports standard URL protocols including phone links, alongside powerful Word, Excel, and PowerPoint editing tools.
- 1. Open the PDF: Launch WPS Office and open your target PDF file.
- 2. Access the Link Tool: Navigate to the 'Edit' tab on the top ribbon and click on the 'Link' button.
- 3. Select the text area: Draw a rectangle over the phone number text you want to make clickable.
- 4. Enter the tel URL: In the Link Properties window, choose 'Open a web link' and input your number starting with 'tel:' (e.g., tel:+1234567890).
- 5. Save the changes: Click 'OK' to confirm and save your PDF document.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why isn't my PDF phone link opening a calling app on my computer?
This usually happens if your operating system does not have a default application set to handle the 'tel:' protocol. Check your system's default apps settings to associate a calling app like Skype, Zoom, or Cisco Jabber with URL:tel links.
Can I create a phone link using just text instead of adding a button?
Yes, most PDF editors allow you to highlight text, right-click, and select 'Add Link' or 'Hyperlink'. Simply set the link destination to a web URL and use 'tel:+[your number]'.
Do clickable phone links in PDFs work automatically on mobile devices?
Yes, when opened in a standard mobile PDF reader, tapping a 'tel:' link will automatically prompt your smartphone's native phone dialer app to call the embedded number.
