Content

• Steps
• Part 1 of 3: How to Create a Hyperlink Object in Illustrator
• Part 2 of 3: How to add a hyperlink in Acrobat
• Part 3 of 3: How to add a hyperlink in InDesign
• Tips
• Warnings

In this article, we'll show you how to insert a hyperlink into a PDF document created in Adobe Illustrator. Unfortunately, hyperlinks created in Illustrator will not be active when the file is saved as a PDF document, but the link can be made active using Adobe Acrobat or Adobe InDesign.

Steps

Part 1 of 3: How to Create a Hyperlink Object in Illustrator

1. 1 Remember, you cannot create an active hyperlink in Illustrator. Even if you add a web page address in Illustrator and hide it under an object (such as text or an image), the hyperlink will not be active when you convert the Illustrator file to PDF. But in Illustrator, you can create a hyperlink object (text or image) and then create an active hyperlink in Acrobat or InDesign.
2. 2 Open Illustrator. Double-click the icon with the letters “Ai” on the yellow background, click “File” in the menu bar at the top of the screen, and then do one of the following:
   • click on "Open" and select an existing document to open it;
   • click on "New" to create a new document.
3. 3 Enter the text for the hyperlink. Skip this step if you want to add a hyperlink to the image. To add a hyperlink to the text, you have to convert it to curves (you don't need to do this if the hyperlink is a simple web page address):
   • take the Selection tool. Its icon looks like a black pointer and is located in the upper left part of the toolbar (in the left part of the window);
   • click on the text to which you want to add a hyperlink;
   • open the "Text" menu (it is located in the menu bar at the top of the screen);
   • select "Convert to Curves" in the center of the menu;
   • open the "Object" menu (it is located in the menu bar at the top of the screen);
   • select "Group" at the top of the menu.
4. 4 Modify the hyperlink object. Drag the text or image to where you want the hyperlink to be.
5. 5 Save the document in PDF format. Then you can create an active hyperlink in Acrobat. To save a file:
   • click "File";
   • click on "Save As";
   • enter the file name;
   • select "Adobe PDF" as the file format;
   • click "Save".

Part 2 of 3: How to add a hyperlink in Acrobat

1. 1 Open the PDF document in Adobe Acrobat. Double-click the PDF if Adobe Acrobat is your main PDF program. Otherwise, do the following:
   • on Windows, right-click the PDF file and choose Open With> Adobe Acrobat from the menu;
   • on Mac OS X, click the PDF and click File> Open With> Adobe Acrobat.
2. 2 Open the menu Tools. It's in the upper left corner of the screen.
   • On Windows, you may need to click View (at the top of the window)> Tools.
3. 3 Click on Edit PDF. It's near the top of the page under the Create and Edit section. A toolbar and additional options will open at the top of the window.
4. 4 Click on Link. It's next to the chain link icon in the toolbar at the top of the page. A menu will open.
5. 5 Click on Add or change. It's the first option at the top of the menu. The mouse cursor turns into a crosshair.
6. 6 Create a link. Hold down the left mouse button and move the pointer over the text or object to which you want to add a hyperlink; then release the mouse button. A window will open.
   • For example, if you want to add a link to the phrase "Click here", slide your pointer from the letter "H" of the word "press" to the letter "b" of the word "here."
7. 7 Customize the link's appearance. Open the Link Type menu and select Visible Rectangle or Invisible Rectangle to display or hide the link, respectively. If you have selected the "Visible rectangle" option, the following options will be available to you:
   • Line Style: select the outline type for the reference rectangle (solid, dotted, or underlined);
   • "Color": select the desired color;
   • Selection Style: Specify what the link should do when the user clicks it (applies only to certain PDF programs).
8. 8 Select the link action. It depends on the type of link:
   • Go to Page: This is a link to another page in the PDF document. Click "Next", go to the desired page, and then click "Install link";
   • Open File: This is a link to a file that is stored on your computer. Find the file on your hard disk, click "Select", specify the required parameters, and then click "OK";
   • Open Web Page: This is a link to a web page. Enter the webpage address (don't forget the "https: //" prefix).
9. 9 Save the PDF file. Click on Ctrl+S (Windows) or ⌘ Command+S (Mac). The hyperlink object will now become active, that is, you can click on it to open the link.

Part 3 of 3: How to add a hyperlink in InDesign

1. 1 Open the PDF in InDesign. Right-click the PDF and choose Open With> InDesign from the menu.
   • On Mac OS X, click the PDF and then click File> Open With> InDesign.
2. 2 Open the menu Window. It's at the top of the InDesign window.
3. 3 Please select Interactive elements. It's in the middle of the menu. A pop-up menu will appear.
4. 4 Click on Hyperlinks. You will find this option at the bottom of the pop-up menu. A small pop-up window will open.
5. 5 Select the hyperlink text. Hold down the left mouse button and move the pointer over the text to which you want to add a hyperlink.
6. 6 Click New. It's the center button in the lower-right corner of the window. A large pop-up window will open.
7. 7 Open the Link To menu. It's at the top of the window.
8. 8 Select the link type. Choose one of the following options from the Link To menu:
   • "URL": a link to the web page will be created;
   • "File": a link to the file stored on the computer will be created;
   • Page: A link to the page of the PDF document will be created.
9. 9 Create a link path. Depending on the link type you selected in the previous step, do one of the following:
   • "URL": in the "URL" text box, enter the address of the web page (do not forget the "https: //" prefix);
   • "File": click on the folder to the right of the "Path" text box, select the file and click "Open" or "Select";
   • Page: Select the desired page number.
10. 10 Click on OK. It's in the upper right corner of the window. The hyperlink will be saved.
11. 11 Create an interactive PDF document. In this case, the hyperlinks in the PDF file will be active:
    • click "File";
    • click on "Export";
    • enter the file name;
    • choose Adobe PDF (Interactive) from the Save As Type (Windows) or Format (Mac) menu;
    • click "Save".

Tips

• Use InDesign if you want more control over hyperlinks; otherwise, when you just need to add a hyperlink, use Acrobat or InDesign.

Warnings

• Unfortunately, adding any hyperlink in Adobe Illustrator will make it inactive if you save the file in PDF format.