How to Add a Hyperlink in Slack: Paste, Shortcut or Markup

To add a hyperlink in Slack, copy the URL, select the words in your message that should become the link, and paste with Cmd+V on a Mac or Ctrl+V on Windows and Linux. Slack turns the selected words into a link instead of pasting the address. You can also select the words and press Cmd+Shift+U (Ctrl+Shift+U), then paste or type the URL. Both come from Slack's own shortcut list and work in channels, DMs and threads, in the desktop app and in a browser.

If you have turned on markup mode, you can type the link as markdown instead. Bots and webhooks use a third syntax. Each one is below.

We make a free Markdown to Slack converter that turns markdown links from ChatGPT, Notion or a README into links Slack shows correctly.

Ways to turn text into a link in Slack

Paste a link over selected text

• Copy the URL from your browser's address bar.
• In the Slack message field, type your sentence, such as "Here is the launch plan".
• Select "launch plan".
• Press Cmd+V or Ctrl+V.

The words turn blue and link to the page. This is the fastest way, and it is the one Slack's shortcut page mentions: if a link is on your clipboard, pasting over selected text makes a hyperlink.

Use the link shortcut

Select the words and press Cmd+Shift+U on a Mac or Ctrl+Shift+U on Windows and Linux. Slack opens a small box for the link. Paste or type the URL and press Enter. The same shortcut sits next to bold, italic and strikethrough in our Slack keyboard shortcuts guide.

Type a markdown link in markup mode

With Format messages with markup turned on under Preferences, Advanced, Slack's help center says you link text by putting it in square brackets and the URL in parentheses right after it:

[launch plan](https://example.com/launch)

The link appears after you send. Without markup mode, we tested both ways in the Slack web app on 27 October 2026. A typed [a link](https://slack.green/en/tools/markdown-to-slack) stayed in brackets, with only the URL made clickable, until we pressed Cmd+Shift+F (Ctrl+Shift+F). Then the words "a link" became the link, and Slack stored the message text as <https://slack.green/en/tools/markdown-to-slack|a link>. A pasted markdown link became a link straight away, with no shortcut.



Links in Slack bot, webhook and workflow messages

Messages sent through the API, an incoming webhook or Workflow Builder use Slack's mrkdwn syntax, with angle brackets and a pipe between the URL and the text:

{
  "text": "The <https://example.com/launch|launch plan> is ready. Questions? <mailto:team@example.com|Email the team>."
}

Without the pipe and text, the URL itself shows. Escape the characters &, < and > in link text as &, < and >. A plain_text field never makes links. Posting from CI? See how to send a Slack message from GitHub Actions. To check a message before you post it, draft it in our Markdown to Slack converter, where the Link button writes the <url|text> form.

Change or remove link text

To change a link in a message you already sent:

• Hover over the message, click the three dots, and choose Edit message.
• Select the linked words and paste a new URL over them, or press Cmd+Shift+U to change it.
• To remove the link but keep the words, delete the linked words and type them again as plain text.
• Click Save.

To get rid of the preview card under a link, rather than the link, hover over the card and click the x. All the preview options are in how to turn off link previews in Slack.

Hyperlinks on iPhone and Android

Pasting a URL on its own works everywhere; Slack makes it clickable. For linked words on a phone, select the words in your message and look for a link option in the formatting menu, reached with the Aa button. If your app does not show one, paste the URL after the words, or add the link from desktop by editing the message.

Links that do not work in Slack

FAQ

How do I hyperlink text in Slack? Copy the URL, select the words, and paste. Or select the words and press Cmd+Shift+U (Ctrl+Shift+U).

What is the Slack shortcut for a link? Cmd+Shift+U on Mac, Ctrl+Shift+U on Windows and Linux.

Does Slack support markdown links? Yes. A pasted [text](url) becomes a link, and a typed one does after Cmd+Shift+F or with markup mode on. Bots use the angle-bracket syntax with a pipe.

How do I link to a Slack message? Hover over the message, click the three dots, choose Copy link, and paste it anywhere.