How to add and edit links
Learn how to add hyperlinks to text, buttons, and images in WordPress — including internal links, external links, and how to remove or change a link.
Links are one of the most important things on any website. They connect your content together and send visitors where they need to go. This guide shows you how to add links to text, buttons, and images in WordPress — and how to edit or remove them when needed.
Quick summary
To add a link to text: select the text, click the Link button in the toolbar (it looks like a chain link), paste or type the URL, and press Enter. To link a button, edit the Button block and enter the URL in its settings. Links can point to a page on your site or anywhere on the web.
What you'll need
Beginner 2–5 minutes- Access to edit a page or post. See how to edit a page if you need a refresher.
- The URL (web address) you want to link to. For a page on your own site, you can search by title instead of needing the exact URL.
Add a link to text
This is the most common type of link — a word or phrase that visitors click to go somewhere.
Select the text you want to link. Click and drag to highlight the words. For example, highlight "contact us" to make those words into a link.
Click the link button in the toolbar. The floating toolbar appears above the selected text. Click the Link icon (it looks like two chain links connected). A small input box appears.
Enter the URL or search for a page. Paste the full web address (starting with https://) or start typing the title of a page on your site — WordPress will search for it and show suggestions. Click a suggestion or paste the URL.
Press Enter or click the arrow button to save the link. The text is now underlined and linked.
Include the full URL
When linking to an external website, always include the full address, like https://www.example.com. If you type just www.example.com without the https://, the link may not work correctly.
Open a link in a new tab
Some links should open in a new browser tab — especially links that take visitors away from your site entirely. When you add or edit a link, click the Open in new tab toggle in the link input area. An arrow icon will appear next to the link in the editor to show it's set to open in a new tab.
Don't open every link in a new tab
Opening every link in a new tab can be disorienting for visitors and screen reader users. Use it for links to external websites, documents, or PDFs — not for links to other pages on your own site.
Edit an existing link
Click on the linked text. A small preview popup appears showing the current URL and two icons: a pencil (edit) and a chain-break (remove).
Click the pencil icon to edit. The link input opens with the current URL filled in.
Change the URL and press Enter to save.
Remove a link
Click on the linked text. The link preview popup appears.
Click the chain-break icon (it looks like two broken chain links). The link is removed, but the text stays in place.
Add a link to a button
The Buttons block has its own built-in URL field — you don't link button text the same way you link paragraph text.
Click the button block to select it. The button text becomes editable.
Click the link icon in the button's toolbar or click directly on the URL field that appears below the button. A URL input box opens.
Paste or type the URL and press Enter.
Add a link to an image
You can make an entire image clickable.
Click the Image block to select it.
In the right-hand panel, look for the "Link" section under the Block settings tab. You'll see a field labelled "Link to" or similar.
Choose where the image should link: to a media file, an attachment page, a custom URL, or none. For most cases, choose "Custom URL" and paste the address you want.
Internal links vs external links
| Type | What it is | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Internal link | A link to another page on your own website | /about or https://yoursite.com/contact |
| External link | A link to a different website entirely | https://google.com |
| Email link | Opens the visitor's email app | mailto:hello@example.com |
| Phone link | Taps to call on mobile | tel:+15551234567 |
For email and phone links, type the full mailto or tel address in the URL field.
Common questions
Related guides
- Working with blocks
- The most useful blocks, explained
- How to add images to a page or post
- How to edit a page
- SEO-friendly URLs
Need a hand?
Learn more
The most useful blocks, explained
A plain-English guide to the WordPress blocks you'll use most often — what each one does and when to use it.
How to add images to a page or post
Step-by-step instructions for adding, positioning, and captioning images in WordPress pages and posts using the block editor.