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I would like to know how to format a link that when it is manually pasted (in this case from Zotero) into MS Word it displays custom text (text to display) and links it to the URL, like if you copy this link (not copy as link) to MS Word Superuser.

I tried to use the reverse approach from Paste rich text with formating but it does not work.

Dave M
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Shod Der
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3 Answers3

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If I understand correctly, you are trying to create a hyperlink with custom text ?

If that is correct,

  1. Highlight the text you want to hyperlink,
  2. Press Ctrl+K on your keyboard to open the Insert Hyperlink dialog in Word,
  3. In the address field at the bottom, enter the website URL, and press enter.

I tried it in Word online and on the Desktop app and it works for me. Here is a link to more info in Microsoft's documentation

Sam P
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After copying the link, right click in the destination document where you want to insert the formatted link. You should see the following:

enter image description here

The first option of an clipboard icon with paint brush will paste the object and keep its source formatting. Hover your cursor over each of the Paste icons to see an explanation of what it will do.

Rich Michaels
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  • This is not what I want. I want to format a link, in non html document, and copy it to word in a manner where "Text to display" and "Address" field will be populated as if I copied it from a html named link, like the example above of "Superuser" link. – Shod Der Jan 25 '21 at 16:04
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Hyperlinks in Word have multiple parts, just as in HTML

This is probably most easily seen looking at the Insert Hyperlink dialog. You can view this dialog using Ctrl+K or Insert > Links > Hyperlink. You do not need this to paste a hyperlink but it is useful to see.

screenshot insert hyperlink dialog

That inserts the hyperlink Global Templates in Microsoft Word. The URL or address is http://www.addbalance.com/usersguide/templates.htm#Global. It is directing to a bookmark Global in the page. It looks like this when entered:

screenshot

Hyperlinks are fields, most of which you can see by toggling field codes Alt + F9 in Windows. This one looks like this:

screenshot of field code

Notice that the Display Text is not shown in the field as displayed even though it is clearly there. This is a defect in this field display.

If there is a screentip it will be shown.

screenshot of dialog with screentip

screenshot of screentip showing in document

screenshot of field code with screentip

You can get back to the dialog which would show the display text by editing the Hyperlink.

Back to your question

When you paste into word, what you need to do depends on what it is you paste.

  • If it is a live hyperlink with display text and possibly a bookmark, you would want to use the Merge Formatting option as shown in an earlier answer.
  • If it is a bare text URL you would want to simply paste as text, select it and use the Ctrl+K shortcut to add your display text.
  • If it is the name or display text, you would again simply paste as text, select it and use the Ctrl+K shortcut to add your URL or Address.
Charles Kenyon
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