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Does Microsoft have a URL shortener?

Microsoft Office doesn't include a URL shortener, but you rarely need one inside a document. In Word, Outlook and PowerPoint, put the long address behind a few readable words with Insert → Link; in Excel, use the HYPERLINK function.

Short linksUpdated 3 min read

Hide a long link in Word, Outlook or PowerPoint

Microsoft's steps are the same in all three:

  1. Select the words or the picture you want people to click.
  2. On the Insert tab, select Link. Or right-click the selection and choose Link.
  3. In the Insert Hyperlink box, paste the long address in Address. If you can't see the box, select Existing File or Web Page under Link to.
  4. Change Text to display if you want different words.
  5. Click OK.

The reader sees "Book a call" or "Read the report"; the long address stays out of sight. Descriptive link text also tells people where the link goes before they click, which a bare address often doesn't.

To change the link later, right-click it and open the link options again.

Shorten a hyperlink in Excel

Excel's HYPERLINK function shows any text you like in the cell and opens the address when someone clicks it:

=HYPERLINK("https://example.com/a/very/long/address?with=parameters", "Order form")

The first part is where the link goes. The second, optional part is the text shown in the cell. Leave it out and the cell shows the whole address.

This keeps a column narrow and readable, and the address is still there in the formula bar for anyone who needs it.

When you need a genuinely short address

Hiding a link behind text only works on a screen. A real short link helps when the address leaves the document:

  • Print. A handout, poster or business card can't hide a link behind words. People have to type it.
  • Speech. In a Teams call or a presentation, "liite.co/x/survey" is easy to say. A SharePoint or Forms address isn't.
  • Character limits. Text messages and some social profiles cut long links off.
  • Links that change. If the file moves to a new library or the form closes, you can re-point a short link without telling anyone a new address.

With Liite, paste the long address as the destination and choose an alias, such as liite.co/x/survey. Every short link has a QR code for slides and print, and counts clicks by day and device without cookies. Free accounts have 10 short links.

Check that the link opens for everyone

A short link only passes people on. If the address behind it is a SharePoint or OneDrive file, people outside your organisation may be asked to sign in, depending on how it was shared and on your organisation's settings. Open the long link in a private browser window before you shorten it.

To see where any short link really leads before you click it, paste it into our redirect checker. It lists every hop with its status code, and the final address.

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Questions

Does Microsoft have a URL shortener?

Not one that Word, Outlook or Excel offer you. The aka.ms links you see in Microsoft's own documents are made by Microsoft for its own pages. In Office, show short text in place of the address, or use a separate short link service.

How do I shorten a URL in Microsoft Word?

Select the words you want people to click, choose Insert → Link, paste the long address in the Address box and click OK. The words become the link, and the long address no longer shows in the document.

Does SharePoint have a URL shortener?

SharePoint and OneDrive give you a sharing link when you choose Copy link, and how long it is depends on the file and your organisation's settings. There's no setting to pick your own short address. Point a short link at the sharing link if you need one.

Is Google's URL shortener dead?

For new links, yes. Google stopped making goo.gl links in 2018, and in 2025 it switched off old ones that nobody had used. Links that were still in use, and those made by Google apps such as Maps, keep working.