When processing PDF documents, we usually make use of various interactive elements to enrich the files. These elements include clickable hyperlinks, bookmarks, rich media, buttons and fields. Among them, hyperlinks enable you fast jump to the specified location in or outside the PDF.
So how to add hyperlink to PDF? Many users deem Adobe Acrobat as the only way to add a hyperlink to a PDF, but actually there are many alternatives to add hyperlink to PDF without Adobe Acrobat.
Cisdem PDFMaster
Free Download macOS 11 or later 
Free Download Windows 11/10/8/7
A majority of people have been discouraged to install and use Adobe Acrobat, due to the high subscription fee and large memory consumption. So here we will start with a better way to add hyperlink to PDF without Adobe Acrobat, that is Cisdem PDFMaster.
As a one-stop PDF editor, PDFMaster is capable of inserting links, editing links and even removing unnecessary links as you like. Whether you want to jump to a specific page/part, another PDF, an external website or an email, this application will make it an easy task. What’s more, it can hyperlink any element in a PDF.
In addition to hyperlinking a PDF, you can even drag and drop PDF files to the program to convert PDF, reduce file size, add passwords and unlock passwords in batch. Besides, it features various practical editing tools for you to edit text and image, add markups and annotations, create interactive PDF forms, manipulate pages and more. There is no reason to say no to this almighty PDF editor.
Free Download macOS 11 or later Free Download Windows 11/10/8/7
Sometimes, we need to remove unwanted or obsolete links from a PDF, or change a wrong link to the right one. Still, go ahead with Annotate > Link, navigate to the link that you want to edit, right click on it and choose Delete button. In addition, the program will show the original link on the right panel, you can modify it easily.
You can also watch this video to add hyperlink to PDF easily:
Adobe Inc. is a giant in the software industry and has always enjoyed a great reputation. It has released many powerful and well-known products, among which Acrobat, Illustrator and Photoshop are the most well-reviewed and popular with the public. They are respectively a PDF editor, a raster graphics editor and a vector graphics editor, all able to add a hyperlink to a PDF.
What can it be used for: Add a URL to PDF; Link to a page in the PDF; Change the appearance of the inserted link; Remove the link from PDF.
What can it be used for: Add a hyperlink to an image/object in the PDF; Type a URL directly to add a hyperlink on text; Link to URL only.
What can it be used for: Add a hyperlink to the text/image/object in the PDF; Link to URL only; Make adjustments to the created hyperlink.
Preview is the built-in app to view and markup PDF files on Mac. It is understandable that all Mac users try this tool first when they need to add hyperlink. However, it supports adding external URL links to PDF only. That is to say, you can’t utilize it to add internal links, for instance, direct you to a specific page or section within the PDF document. If this is OK for you, you can follow the steps to add links to your PDF with Mac Preview.
Note: “Open URL” feature is only available in Preview app. When you open this linked PDF with other PDF viewer, the added URL link is not clickable. You’ll have to copy the link and paste it to a browser to check the content.
Some operating systems and devices have pre-installed the free Microsoft Office suite, and it is free to use forever. Microsoft Word, part of the MS Office suite, has been upgraded with a new feature for 2013 and later versions. It is able to convert a PDF to Word in the program and then edit it easily.
As for its link tool, it can link to more locations than general software, not only can select the text of this file, a new file, and even jump to web pages, email addresses, etc.
Note 1: According to the feedbacks, the original layout of inserted PDF may be changed in Microsoft Word. So, before you add hyperlink to PDF free in Word, you’d better manually adjust the formatting.
Note 2: For users who installed Microsoft Word before 2013, you can’t open the PDF file in Word directly. The only method is to insert it via object. So if you want to add hyperlink to your PDF successfully, convert it to DOCX/ DOC format first.
Without Adobe Acrobat and any desktop programs, we can also add links to PDF using online tools like Google Docs and Canva with Internet connected.
Although it is not a professional PDF editor, it has covered the basic functions that most users need to use to work on PDF files. Through turning PDF into editable Word, it provides the functionalities to insert hyperlink, image, chart, watermark, page numbers, etc.
Canva is a versatile design platform that enables everyone to create a visual project. There are abundant tools to make and design videos, documents, postcards, websites, etc. Most of elements and tools are free to use. As a hyperlink adder, you can utilize it to link to a page in the current PDF, a file in Canva, a web page, etc.
In reality, a hyperlink is not exactly the same as a link, particularly reflected on their appearances. A hyperlink is a specific type of link usually hidden in the texts (called anchor text) of the page you’re viewing, helping you jump from the current page to a new page or resource. While, a link directly shows you the address of the certain page or website you want to visit and takes you to it.
Hyperlink is quite common and important in a PDF file, as it gives readers a quick and easy navigation between different sections within a document and various contents on the Internet. On the one hand, for large files with multiple pages, creating a hyperlinked table of contents helps readers clarify the ideas of the document promptly and leap to the part they are interested in. On the other hand, documents can’t always present all the required information in detail. Hyperlinks enable readers to access more additional materials handily. Furthermore, some authoritative websites can make the content more credible.
When we want to add a link to another PDF in the current PDF, the first thing is to create a link/URL for it. There are multiple approaches, but the simplest is using Google Drive. Log into your Drive account and find the PDF that you’d like to create a link for in your Drive. Right click on the file, choose Share > Copy link, then the PDF link is copied on the clipboard. You can paste it anywhere you want.
It often occurs that the hyperlinks added in a PDF doesn’t work correctly. The reasons can be various, including unstable internet connection, obsolete or broken links, corrupted PDF files and so on. To troubleshoot the hyperlinks not working in PDF, you can refer to this post: https://www.cisdem.com/resource/hyperlinks-not-working-in-pdf.html.
So, Adobe Acrobat is not the only solution to add link to PDF, you can utilize Cisdem PDFMaster, Preview, Microsoft Word, even online tools to hyperlink a PDF. Free solutions like Preview and Google Docs do save money and the hassle of downloading the software, but meanwhile, they lack more functionalities to add various hyperlinks to PDF as professional PDF editor do. Nevertheless, choose the appropriate method based on your needs.
Bianca is a senior tech editor and strategist at Cisdem with Over 10 years of experience on PDF related solutions which covers all document editing, annotating, converting and managing etc.
Adam
The links I insert into PDF don't work sometimes, so I'm searching for a reliable way. I think I’m on the right track.