Adding Hyperlinks in AutoCAD

While sending a drawing to your team member or a client, has there been a need to send other reference information along with it? Most likely the answer is “yes”.  The associated information could be in the form of an excel sheet with product specification details, or a link to the product specs page on the manufacturer’s website, or it could be a document about the project proposal.  

The AutoCAD software has a Hyperlink tool, which can be used to add links to objects in a drawing that can point to a spreadsheet, a proposal document, a website, a layout in another drawing, and many more other options. 

Hyperlink Tool 

The (Hyperlink) tool is available in the Insert tab>Data panel.  

Adding a Hyperlink 

Follow the steps below to add hyperlinks:  

1. Start by selecting the (Hyperlink) tool which prompts you to select an object.  

2. Select the object to which the hyperlink needs to be added. Select the Text object (ASCENT – Center for Technical Knowledge) in the drawing as shown in the image below. 

3. After you select the object, press Enter. The Insert Hyperlink dialog box opens. 

4. In the dialog box, in the Link to: area on the left side of the dialog box, select the type of link that you want to use. It can be: 

• a file or web address, 

• a named view in the drawing, or 

• an email address (send a message to that address). 

5. In the Text to display: area, type the text that should display in the drawing as the hyperlink’s tag or description. 

6. Depending on the type of link that was selected in Step 4, specify any one of the following: 

• a URL for a web address or a filename with a path, 

• a named view or layout in the drawing, or 

• an email address. 

In the dialog box shown below, type the hyperlink label (Text to display) and the filename or web page address. The example below uses ASCENT Web Page as the hyperlink label and the URL for ASCENT’s home page as the web page name.  

7. Click OK to end the command. 

Using the Hyperlink 

After a hyperlink has been added to an object, move the cursor near the object. A small hyperlink icon displays along with the tooltip that contains the hyperlink description or path, as shown in the image below. 

Hold <Ctrl> and click on the object to activate the hyperlink. In the example above, the homepage for ASCENT opens up. Alternatively, you can select the object with the hyperlink, right-click, expand Hyperlink and select Open "<name of hyperlink>". The associated file opens. 

I hope that this blog helps you in adding hyperlinks to the objects in a drawing. If you are interested in learning more about Hyperlinks, I have provided additional information in the AutoCAD 2024 Advanced learning guide.  

About the Author

Learning Content Developer<br><br>Renu has worked with Autodesk products for the past 20 years with a main focus on design visualization software. Renu holds a bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering and started her career as an Instructional Designer/Author where she co-authored a number of Autodesk 3ds Max and AutoCAD books, some of which were translated into other languages for a wide audience reach. In her next role as a Technical Specialist at a 3D visualization company, Renu used 3ds Max in real-world scenarios on a daily basis. There, she developed customized 3D web planner solutions to create specialized 3D models with photorealistic texturing and lighting to produce high quality renderings.

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