Free Hyperlink Generator: Create a Clickable Link
Turn any URL into a clickable hyperlink with custom link text. Copy it as a real link for Gmail, Outlook, Docs, Word and Slack, or as HTML, Markdown or BBCode.
The words people click. Leave empty to show the URL itself.
https:// is added if you leave it out. mailto: and tel: links work too.
Enter a URL to see your clickable link.
Quick Answer
To create a hyperlink, type the words people should click, paste the URL and copy the result. The U2L AI Hyperlink Generator builds a clickable link that pastes into Gmail, Outlook, Google Docs, Word and Slack, plus HTML, Markdown and BBCode versions. It adds https:// when missing and runs entirely in your browser.
Quick Facts
- Four outputs from one form: a rich-text clickable link, HTML (<a href="...">text</a>), Markdown ([text](url)) and BBCode ([url=...]text[/url]).
- The clickable link copies as rich text, so it pastes as a real link in Gmail, Outlook, Google Docs, Word, Slack and Notion. Plain-text fields receive the URL instead.
- Link text is optional. Leave it empty and the URL itself becomes the clickable text.
- https:// is added when you leave the scheme out. mailto: and tel: links are accepted as typed.
- Optional attributes: "Open in a new tab" adds target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer", and "Add nofollow" adds rel="nofollow". Both can be combined.
- In most editors the manual shortcut is Ctrl+K (Cmd+K on Mac): Word, Google Docs, Gmail and Outlook all use it. Slack uses Ctrl+Shift+U (Cmd+Shift+U).
- Everything runs in your browser. The URL and link text are never sent to a server or stored.
How to create a hyperlink
Four steps. The preview and every output update as you type.
- 1
Type the link text (optional)
Enter the words people will click, such as 'Read our pricing guide'. Descriptive text works best for readers and screen readers. Leave the field empty if you want the URL itself to be the clickable text.
- 2
Paste the URL
Paste or type the destination. If you leave out the scheme (example.com/pricing), https:// is added for you. Email and phone links work too: type mailto:hello@example.com or tel:+14155551234. If the input is not a valid link, a message tells you what to fix.
- 3
Pick the options you need
Tick 'Open in a new tab' to add target="_blank" with rel="noopener noreferrer", and 'Add nofollow' to add rel="nofollow". The options apply to the clickable link and the HTML output; Markdown and BBCode have no syntax for them. Check the live preview to see the finished link.
- 4
Copy the format you need
Use 'Clickable link' for email, documents and chat: it pastes as a real link with your text. Use HTML for websites and CMS code blocks, Markdown for README files and Markdown editors, and BBCode for forums. Each output has its own Copy button.
What is a Hyperlink Generator?
Hyperlink Generator is a free tool that turns a URL and the words you want people to click into a ready-to-paste link. It gives you the same link four ways: a rich-text clickable link for email, documents and chat, plus HTML, Markdown and BBCode code for websites, README files and forums.
Every app has its own way to make a link. Word, Google Docs, Gmail and Outlook use an Insert link dialog (Ctrl+K), Slack uses Ctrl+Shift+U, web pages need an <a href> element, Markdown uses square brackets and parentheses, and forums often use BBCode. The generator builds all of them from one form, with the special characters in each format already handled, so you can paste the result wherever the link needs to go.
The most useful output for everyday writing is the clickable link. When you copy it, the clipboard holds a formatted link (the same kind of data you get when you copy a link from a web page), so rich-text editors paste it as blue, clickable text with your wording instead of a raw URL. This is the quickest way to make a link clickable in an email or document when you do not want to hunt for the Insert link button.
The tool focuses on making links. If you want the background on how links work, including anchors, absolute and relative URLs, see U2L AI's guides What Is a Hyperlink and What Is a URL on the blog.
How does a Hyperlink Generator work?
The URL field is parsed with the browser's standard URL parser. If you type a web address without a scheme, https:// is added before parsing; a bare domain such as example.com keeps its original form rather than gaining a trailing slash. The host must look like a real domain (it needs a dot, or be localhost). A mailto: link needs an address after the colon, and a tel: link needs a number made of digits, an optional leading +, and optional spaces, dots, dashes or parentheses; spaces are removed from tel: links. If the link text is empty, the final URL is used as the text.
Each output is escaped for its own format. The HTML output is <a href="URL">text</a> with &, <, >, double quotes and single quotes converted to HTML entities, so a URL with query parameters or link text with quotes cannot break the tag. When 'Open in a new tab' is on, target="_blank" and rel="noopener noreferrer" are added; 'Add nofollow' adds nofollow to the same rel attribute (rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" when both are on). The Markdown output follows the CommonMark inline-link form [text](url): square brackets and backslashes in the text are escaped, and spaces and parentheses in the URL are percent-encoded (%20, %28, %29) so they cannot end the link early. The BBCode output uses [url=URL]text[/url], the form used by phpBB and many other forums, with square brackets in the URL percent-encoded.
The 'Clickable link' button writes two formats to the clipboard at once through the browser's Clipboard API: text/html containing the finished <a> element, and text/plain containing the URL. text/html and text/plain are among the data types the W3C Clipboard API specification requires browsers to support. The app you paste into picks the richest format it understands: rich-text editors such as Gmail, Outlook, Google Docs, Word, Slack and Notion take the HTML and show a clickable link with your text, while plain-text fields fall back to the URL. In older browsers without that API, the tool selects a rendered copy of the link and copies the selection, which also carries the formatting.
If you prefer to create a hyperlink by hand inside an app, the shortcut is nearly universal. In Word, select the text and press Ctrl+K (Cmd+K on Mac), or right-click and choose Link; Word also turns a typed web address into a link when you press Space or Enter after it. In Google Docs, select text and press Ctrl+K or Cmd+K, or use Insert, then Link. Gmail uses Ctrl+K (Cmd+K on Mac) in the compose window, and Outlook uses Ctrl+K in classic Outlook, the new Outlook and Outlook on the web (Cmd+K on Mac). In Slack, select text and press Ctrl+Shift+U (Cmd+Shift+U on Mac), or paste a copied URL over the selected text.
Use Cases
How marketers, businesses, and developers use hyperlink generator.
Links in Gmail and Outlook emails
Copy the clickable link and paste it into the message body. The recipient sees your link text, not a long URL. This avoids the Ctrl+K dialog when you are building a link from text you already have elsewhere, such as a spreadsheet of URLs.
Google Docs and Word documents
Paste the clickable link straight into a report, proposal or handout. It arrives as a formatted link with your wording. For links you add while typing, Ctrl+K (Cmd+K on Mac) opens the same Insert link dialog in both apps.
Slack and team chat messages
Paste the clickable link into a Slack message to share a tidy, named link instead of a raw URL. Inside Slack you can also select text and press Ctrl+Shift+U (Cmd+Shift+U on Mac) to add a link.
Website pages and blog posts
Copy the HTML output into a CMS HTML block, a landing-page builder or a template. Quotes, ampersands and angle brackets are already escaped, so the tag will not break your markup.
README files and Markdown docs
Use the Markdown output in README files, documentation sites, note apps and any editor that accepts Markdown. Brackets in your text and spaces or parentheses in the URL are escaped so the link renders correctly.
Forum posts with BBCode
Many forums, including those built on phpBB, use BBCode instead of HTML. Paste the [url=...]text[/url] output into your post to get a named link rather than a bare address.
'Email us' links
Type mailto:you@example.com in the URL field and 'Email our team' as the text. The result opens the reader's email app with your address filled in when they click it.
Tap-to-call phone links
Type tel:+14155551234 to make a phone number clickable on a website or in an HTML email. On a phone, tapping it offers to call the number. Use the international format with + so it works for callers in any country.
Sponsored or untrusted links on a site
Tick 'Add nofollow' for links you do not want to vouch for, such as links in user comments. Google treats nofollow as a hint and recommends rel="sponsored" for paid and affiliate links, so change the value in the HTML output when that fits better.
Email signatures
Gmail and Outlook signature editors are rich-text boxes. Paste a clickable link for your website, booking page or portfolio so the signature shows clean link text instead of a full URL.
Hyperlink Generator vs Alternatives
Side-by-side feature and pricing comparison with the top alternatives.
| Feature | U2L | Word/Docs Ctrl+K | Hand-written HTML | Pasting a bare URL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Custom clickable text | ||||
| Pastes as a real link into Gmail, Outlook, Docs, Word, Slack | Rebuild it in each app | Shows the raw URL | ||
| HTML code output | ||||
| Markdown and BBCode output | ||||
| Special characters escaped for you | By hand | n/a | ||
| rel="nofollow" option | One checkbox | Typed by hand | ||
| Adds https:// when you leave it out | Varies by app | n/a | ||
| Cost | Free, no signup | Included with the app | Free | Free |
Hyperlink Generator vs Ctrl+K in Word and Google Docs
Ctrl+K (Cmd+K on Mac) is the fastest way to add a link while you are writing inside Word, Google Docs, Gmail or Outlook. Select the words, press the shortcut, paste the URL and confirm. If you only ever link inside one app, that shortcut is all you need.
The generator is better when the link has to travel. It gives you the same link as rich text for editors, HTML for a website, Markdown for a README and BBCode for a forum, with escaping handled for each. It also adds rel values such as nofollow, which document editors do not offer, and it lets you prepare a link once and paste it into several places.
Hyperlink Generator vs Hand-Written HTML
Writing <a href="https://example.com">text</a> by hand is simple until the details bite: a forgotten https:// turns the link into a relative path on your own site, an unescaped double quote in the URL ends the href early, and an ampersand in link text may need to be written as &. The generator escapes all of these for you and shows a live preview of the result.
Hand-written HTML also cannot be pasted into Gmail, Google Docs or Word as a link; those editors show the code as text. The generator's clickable-link output solves that case, and the HTML output is still there when you need the code itself.
Best Practices
Write link text that describes the destination
Readers and screen-reader users scan links out of context. W3C's WCAG guidance treats vague text such as 'click here' or 'more' as a failure of Link Purpose (2.4.4) when nothing else explains the link. 'Download the 2026 price list' tells people exactly what they get.
Link a short phrase, not a whole sentence
A few meaningful words make the link easy to spot and easy to tap on a phone. Long linked sentences are harder to read and look like a block of blue text.
Use https:// for every web link
Secure URLs avoid browser warnings and redirects. The generator adds https:// when you leave the scheme out, but double-check that the site actually serves the https version.
Open in a new tab only when it helps
New tabs suit links that would interrupt a task, such as a help link inside a form. For ordinary reading, same-tab links let people use the Back button as they expect. When you do use a new tab, keep rel="noopener noreferrer", which the tool adds automatically.
Qualify paid, affiliate and user-submitted links
Google asks sites to mark paid and affiliate links with rel="sponsored" and links added by users with rel="ugc" or rel="nofollow". Tick 'Add nofollow' for the generic case, or edit the rel value in the HTML output to sponsored or ugc.
Match the output to where you paste
Use the clickable link for rich-text editors (email, documents, chat), HTML for code views and CMS blocks, Markdown for Markdown editors and BBCode for forums. Pasting code into a rich-text editor shows the code as plain text.
Shorten long or tracking-heavy URLs first
URLs full of UTM parameters are hard to read when they show as text. Shorten them with the U2L AI URL Shortener (free, no signup; the short domain is picked automatically), then build the hyperlink from the short link. A free account adds click analytics.
Test the link after pasting
Hover over or click the pasted link to confirm it points where you expect, especially after editing the text. A typo in the destination is invisible until someone clicks it.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Using 'click here' as the link text
Generic text hides the destination and fails accessibility guidance. Put the meaning in the link itself: 'Read the setup guide' instead of 'Click here to read the setup guide'.
Pasting HTML code into Gmail or Google Docs
Rich-text editors display <a href> code as literal text. Use the 'Clickable link' output for editors and keep the HTML output for website code, CMS HTML blocks and templates.
Leaving out https:// in hand-written HTML
href="example.com" is read as a relative path, so it points to a page on your own site (yoursite.com/.../example.com) instead of example.com. Always include the scheme; the generator adds it for you.
Not escaping quotes and ampersands
A double quote inside an href ends the attribute early and breaks the tag. The HTML output converts &, <, >, double and single quotes to entities, so query strings and quoted text stay intact.
Expecting Markdown or BBCode to open a new tab
Neither format has syntax for target or rel, so the new-tab and nofollow options only apply to the clickable link and HTML outputs. If you need those attributes on a Markdown site, use the HTML output where the platform allows it.
Sending every link to a new tab
Opening all links in new tabs breaks the Back button and piles up tabs, especially on phones. Reserve target="_blank" for cases where leaving the page would lose the reader's work.
Technical Specifications
| HTML output | <a href="URL">text</a>, plus target="_blank" and rel="..." when options are on |
| rel values | nofollow; noopener noreferrer (new tab); nofollow noopener noreferrer (both) |
| HTML escaping | & < > " ' converted to entities in the URL and the link text |
| Markdown output | [text](url); [ ] and \ escaped in text; spaces and parentheses in the URL percent-encoded |
| BBCode output | [url=URL]text[/url]; square brackets in the URL percent-encoded |
| Clickable link clipboard formats | text/html (the finished link) and text/plain (the URL) |
| Accepted links | https://, http://, mailto: and tel:; https:// is added when no scheme is given |
| Empty link text | The URL is used as the clickable text |
| Manual shortcuts | Ctrl+K / Cmd+K in Word, Google Docs, Gmail and Outlook; Ctrl+Shift+U / Cmd+Shift+U in Slack |
| Processing | In the browser only; nothing is sent to a server or stored |
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I create a hyperlink?
How do I make a link clickable?
How do I create a hyperlink in Word?
How do I add a link in Google Docs?
How do I insert a hyperlink in Gmail?
How do I insert a hyperlink in Outlook?
How do I hyperlink text in Slack?
What is the HTML code for a hyperlink?
How do I make a link in Markdown?
What is the BBCode for a link?
Why did my clickable link paste as a plain URL?
What does 'Open in a new tab' add?
What does 'Add nofollow' do?
Can I link an email address or phone number?
What happens if I leave the link text empty?
Why do Markdown and BBCode ignore the new-tab and nofollow options?
Does this tool store my links?
How do I shorten a long URL before making a hyperlink?
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Key Terms
- Hyperlink
- A reference in a document or page that takes the reader to another location, such as a web page, file, email address or phone number, when clicked or tapped.
- Anchor text (link text)
- The visible, clickable words of a link. In HTML it is the content between <a> and </a>. Descriptive anchor text helps readers, screen-reader users and search engines understand the destination.
- href
- The HTML attribute on an <a> element that holds the link's destination URL. Without a scheme such as https://, the value is treated as a path relative to the current page.
- target="_blank"
- An HTML attribute that opens the link in a new tab or window. Modern browsers apply noopener behavior to it automatically.
- rel="noopener noreferrer"
- Link relationship values. noopener stops the new page from accessing the original page through window.opener; noreferrer also stops the browser from sending the Referer header.
- rel="nofollow"
- A link relationship value that tells search engines not to associate your site with the linked page. Google treats it, along with sponsored and ugc, as a hint.
- Rich text
- Formatted text that carries styling and links, as opposed to plain text. When you copy a rich-text link, the clipboard holds an HTML version that editors paste as a clickable link.
Shorten the URL before you link it
Long links full of tracking parameters are hard to read and share. Create a free short link with U2L AI, no signup needed. A free account adds click analytics and link management.
Shorten a link free