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Create hyperlink to a specific PDF page in Microsoft Word for Windows

You can make a Word hyperlink to a PDF file in your local file system by inserting a URL like the following: “file:///C:\Grammar.pdf” in the “Address” field of the “Insert Hyperlink” window.

Unfortunately, Microsoft Word does not recognize the usual argument “#page=” for denoting a specific PDF page. You can overcome this limitation by creating and using the following Word macro.

The source for the function OpenPagePDF is from http://www.acrobatusers.com/forum/general-acrobat-topics/link-specific-page-pdf-word/

You can install the above VBA code by following these steps:

  1. Select the Developer Tab in the Ribbon. If it is not shown please follow the instructions below.
    • Choose the Microsoft Office Button (in the left up corner).
    • Choose Word Options (in the right down corner).
    • In the categories pane, choose Popular.
    • Select the Show Developer tab in the Ribbon check box.
    • Choose the OK button to close the Options dialog box. (Source: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb608625.aspx)
  2. Select “Macros” in the Developer Tab.

  3. Give the name “GoToPDFPage”.
  4. Click “Create” button

  5. and the “Microsoft Visual Basic” window will open
  6. You should write in this window the source code that is given above. At the end the window should look like the one below: Then you can save and close this window.
  7. Finally, you should see a macro named “GoToPDFPage in the “Macros” window.

Now every time you want to activate a hyperlink to a specific PDF page you should have the cursor inside the link text and then you should execute the GoToPDFPage macro either by clicking the “Run” button in Macros window or by assigning a keyboard shortcut to this macro following the steps below:

  1. Click the Microsoft Office Button , and then click Word Options.
  2. Click Customize.
  3. Next to Keyboard shortcuts, click Customize.
  4. In the Categories list, click Macros.
  5. In the Macros list, click the macro that you want to be assigned a shortcut
  6. In the Press new shortcut key box, type the key combination that you want (e.g. Alt + l)

    7. .

  7. Check the “Currently assigned to” to make sure that you aren’t assigning a key combination that you already use to perform a different task.
  8. Click assign. Important: in order to make your macro available in all documents, be sure to click Normal.dotm. Source: How can I assign or change keyboard shortcuts to existing macros?)

If you just click on the hyperlink, the PDF file will open in the first page and not in the page that you have specified after the “page=” string.

Finally, with the following AutoHotkey script you can get the path of a selected PDF file in Windows explorer automatically. This script is executed using the Ctrl+Alt+C shortcut and the result is sent to the clipboard (e.g. “file:///C:\Grammar.pdf#page=”). Afterwards you should only add the specific PDF page at the end of the string.

In summary the use case for creating the hyperlink is:

  1. In Word, select text and use Insert > Hyperlink or Ctrl+K
  2. Insert the PDF path to the “Address” field either manually or by selecting in Windows Explores the PDF file for which you would like to create a link and clicking Ctrl+Alt+C
  3. Insert the PDF page number

In summary the use case for activating the hyperlink is:

  1. Put the cursor inside the text of the link
  2. Execute the macro by clicking “Run” in the Macros window or Alt+l.

 

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19
May 2012
AUTHOR John Sidiropoulos
CATEGORY

Adobe Acrobat Pro, all my posts, hyperlink, PDF, updated, Windows, Word

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