How to Use Hyperlinks (Links) in Blackboard
What are hyperlinks?
Hyperlinks, or just links, to other webpages are found everywhere on the Internet. Links are text and are often formatted so that readers can recognize them as links. For example, you may be reading a paragraph of black text on a white background, but notice that a string of words has a blue font and is underlined. This is a common way of signaling that this text is a hyperlink. Clicking on this linked text will take the reader to the target page. Sometimes that page launches in a new browser tab or window. Sometimes it replaces the content in the active browser window.
When to use hyperlinks?
Text links can be used for virtually every situation. Some content is better linked to with a hyperlink than embedded in a lesson page (see below). Here are a few situations where links come in handy.
- Usage rights. First and foremost, if you want to use content that is on the Internet that you do not have permission to publish or reproduce, link to the content: Do not copy the content and place it in your lesson. An example of this might be an editorial in an online newspaper. While it is perfectly permissible to create a link to the editorial, you would need to acquire written permission to reproduce the contents of the editorial within your lesson content, in most cases.
- Supplemental vs primary content. If you want to point students toward supplemental content, use links. Links take up less space in your lesson and do not interrupt the flow of your lesson.
- Numerous resources. Likewise, if you have a series of resources -- even ones that are primary -- you may not want to try to work all of that content into your lesson page. So a series of links is a way of tying all of that content to your lesson without "bloating" your own lesson page.
How to format your links
Links can be grouped into lists or they can occur "inline."
- Link lists are great for when you have a number of required resources. It helps students stay organized and keep track of what they have read.
- Inline links occur in the midst of ongoing text. This can be a few words in a sentence in the middle of a paragraph, for example. Inline links are fitting when you are discussing a concept about which you want to offer more information (typically supplemental content) without interrupting the flow of your lesson.
When to open in new window
When creating a hyperlink you can choose the target content opens in the same area as your own lesson page or whether it launches in a new browser window. Open in a new window for certain content, such as these:
- External websites
- PDF documents
- Other documents if they are cloud-based (e.g. located on One Drive, such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
Do not open PowerPoints or MS Word files that are stored in your Blackboard course in a new window. These files need to be downloaded to be opened, so opening the new window will just create a blank window.
Link to an External Site
This process is used when creating a text hyperlink to any web page or site outside of Blackboard. In Blackboard, navigate to your course and ensure Edit Mode is On. Then open the page you wish to edit in the online editor.
- Expand the editor toolbar if it is collapsed
- Place your cursor in the page where you want the link to appear. Type the text you will use for your hyperlink.
- Highlight the hyperlink text with your cursor.
- Click the Link icon in the editor toolbar.

- In the Insert/edit link window that pops up...
- Paste or type the URL (the web address) you want to link to
- Confirm that the "Text to display" is the correct wording for your hyperlink. Edit if necessary.
- Change "Open link in..." to the "New window" option.
- Click Save.
Link to a Page Inside Blackboard
This process is used when you want to link to an html page located inside of Blackboard. In Blackboard, navigate to your course and ensure Edit Mode is On. Then open the page you wish to edit in the online editor.
- Expand the editor toolbar if it is collapsed
- Place your cursor where you want to add the link (no need to create or highlight hyperlink text first)
- Click the Add Content icon

- The Add Content pop-up page will open. Click Insert Course Files.

- Browse your course files to find the page you want to link to. Click the checkbox to the left of the file you choose.
- Click Submit at bottom right to insert the link in your page. Continue to steps below.
Edit Hyperlink Text
The hyperlink will reflect the name of the file you linked. To edit the link text,
- put your cursor on the link,
- click the link icon.
- The Insert/Edit Link window will open.
- Edit "Text to display" to reflect what your hyperlink should say.
- You can also set the link to "open in a new window" here.
Formatting: Fix Line Breaks
- Creating a link this way adds line breaks before and after the link. To remove those,
- place your cursor at the start of the link and
- press the backspace key until the break is removed.
- You may need to press the space bar afterwards to space out the text and the link.
- Repeat the process for both line breaks.
Formatting: Fix Line Breaks in HTML Code
- Alternately, if you are comfortable editing HTML code, you can remove the line breaks by opening the code view and deleting the "<br />" tags before and after the hyperlink. There may be two in each location.
- Again, you will need to add a space between any text before or after the link.
How to Link to Kaltura Videos in your Online Course
- Log in to Blackboard, then click the Kaltura Media link in the upper right area of the screen.
- From your My Media list, click on the name of the media you want to share.
- When the media page loads, there will be a large video preview at the top. Find the share icon at the top right of the media preview.
- Clicking the share icon will open a layer with several options. The link option is indicated.
- Copy the link.
- Navigate to the course page where you want to link to your media and open the page in the editor.
- Type the text for your hyperlink. Remember not to simply paste a link into your online course content. Read more about ADA requirements for text links.
- Highlight the text you wrote for the hyperlink, then click the Insert/edit link button in the toolbar
- Paste the link you copied in the URL field.
- Be sure to set the link to open in a new window.