A link is text or an image on a webpage that takes you to another page when you click it
A link is the connection between one webpage and another. When you see underlined text or a clickable button on a website, that is usually a link. Click it, and your browser loads a different page — either on the same website or somewhere else entirely on the internet.
Links are how the web actually works. Without them, websites would be isolated islands with no way to move between them. Every time you navigate from one page to another by clicking, you are following a link.
The page you start on is called the source. The page the link takes you to is called the destination. The person who created the webpage decides which links to put there and where they point.
Key Takeaways
- A link is clickable text or an image that takes you to another webpage when you click it.
- Links are usually underlined and colored differently from regular text, so you can tell them apart.
- You can see where a link goes before you click it by hovering your mouse over it or right-clicking to inspect it.
- Links can point to pages on the same website or to pages on completely different websites anywhere on the internet.
- A broken link is one that points to a page that no longer exists, and it will show an error when you click it.
How to recognize a link on a webpage
Most links look different from the rest of the text on a page so you know they are clickable. The most common sign is underlined text in a different color — usually blue. But links can also appear as buttons, images, or even plain text if the website designer chose to style them that way.
When you move your mouse over a link, your cursor usually changes from an arrow to a pointing hand. This is the browser's way of telling you "this thing is clickable." If you do not see the hand cursor, it is probably not a link.
Some links are obvious — a button that says "Click here" or "Learn more." Others are hidden inside sentences, and you have to read carefully to spot them. A good website makes links stand out so you do not miss them or click them by accident.
What happens when you click a link
When you click a link, your browser sends a request to load the webpage that the link points to. This usually takes a second or two, depending on your internet speed and how large the page is. While the page is loading, you might see a spinning circle or a progress bar.
Once the page loads, it replaces what you were looking at before. If you want to go back to the previous page, you can click the back button in your browser — usually an arrow pointing left in the top left corner.
Some links open in a new tab or window instead of replacing the current page. This happens when the website designer added a special instruction to the link, or when you right-click and choose "open in new tab." This is useful when you want to keep the original page open while you look at something else.
Different types of links and where they point
An external link points to a page on a different website. For example, a news article might link to a government agency's official page. When you click an external link, you leave the current website and go somewhere else.
An internal link points to another page on the same website. A website's navigation menu is full of internal links — they keep you moving around within that one site. Internal links usually do not change the web address as much as external links do.
An anchor link points to a specific section of a webpage rather than the top of the page. These are common on long pages with a table of contents. Click the link, and the page jumps down to that section instead of loading a new page.
A mailto link opens your email program and starts a new message to a specific email address. These usually appear as text that says "Email us" or shows an email address directly. Clicking one does not take you to a webpage — it opens your email instead.
How to check where a link goes before you click it
Before you click a link, you can see where it points without actually going there. On a computer, move your mouse over the link and look at the bottom left corner of your browser window. You should see the web address (called a URL) that the link points to.
This is useful for spotting suspicious links. If the text says "Click here to claim your prize" but the address at the bottom shows something like "malware-site.com," that is a red flag. Scammers often hide the real destination behind text that sounds trustworthy.
On a phone or tablet, you usually cannot see the destination address this way. Instead, press and hold the link for a second or two. A menu will pop up showing you the web address and giving you options like "open in new tab" or "copy link."
What a broken link is and why it happens
A broken link is a link that points to a page that no longer exists. When you click it, you get an error message — usually something that says "404 Not Found" or "This page does not exist."
Broken links happen for several reasons. A website might delete or move a page and forget to update the links pointing to it. A website might shut down entirely. Or the person who created the link might have typed the web address wrong in the first place.
Broken links are frustrating, but they are not dangerous. They just mean you cannot reach the page you were trying to get to. If you find a broken link on a website, you can usually report it to the website's owner by finding a "Contact us" page.
How links are created and what makes them work
Behind the scenes, links are created using HTML, which is the code that makes webpages. A link in HTML looks like this: <a href="https://example.com">Click here</a>. The part that says "href" tells the browser where the link points to. The text between the brackets is what you see on the page.
You do not need to know how to write HTML to use links. Web designers and content creators write the code, and your browser reads it and turns it into a clickable link. All you need to do is recognize a link when you see one and click it.
The web address that a link points to is called a URL (Uniform Resource Locator). A URL always starts with "http://" or "https://" followed by the website's name and the path to the specific page. When you click a link, your browser uses this URL to find and load the page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a link give my computer a virus?
A link itself cannot give you a virus — it is just a connection to another page. However, the page that the link points to could contain malware or try to trick you into downloading something harmful. Be cautious with links from unknown sources, and never click a link that looks suspicious or comes from an unexpected email.
What does it mean when a link is underlined?
An underline is a visual signal that text is clickable. Most websites underline links to make them stand out from regular text. Some websites style their links differently — with color alone, or as buttons — but underlined text is the most common and recognizable way to show a link.
Why do some links open in a new tab?
The website designer chose to make that link open in a new tab so you can keep the original page open while you look at the destination. This is useful when the link is supplementary information or goes to a different website. You can also right-click any link and choose "open in new tab" yourself.
How do I copy a link to send to someone else?
Right-click the link and choose "copy link" or "copy link address." This puts the web address in your clipboard. You can then paste it into an email, text message, or chat. On a phone, press and hold the link until a menu appears, then choose "copy link."
What is the difference between a link and a bookmark?
A link is something on a webpage that takes you somewhere when you click it. A bookmark is something you save in your browser so you can return to a page later without typing the address. You can bookmark any page, whether or not it was linked from somewhere else.