Weekly Computer Tip # 391
17 March 2013


Turn words, pictures or cells in a document into a hyperlink to a full-screen YouTube video
(Office 2000-2007)

Four years or so ago (tip_260.php), I told you how to automatically add a URL in the Insert Hyperlink dialog box, which is still one of my favourite tricks (although I've just noticed it doesn't seem to work with Firefox; probably just Internet Explorer - but I digress). What to do if you want to link to a YouTube video, but don't want to display all the distracting bits and comments on the page? Or, like some of this week's PowerPoint course participants wanted to do, add a link on a slide that automatically opens the video, as if it was an integral part of your presentation?

Here's how:

  1. Right-click the YouTube video you want to link to and select Copy video URL.
  2. In your document or presentation right-click the text, picture or cell you want to turn into the link and select Hyperlink.
  3. In the Insert Hyperlink dialog box, paste the video's URL you copied in step 1. (CTRL+V anyone?)
  4. Replace the watch? part of the URL by watch_popup.
  5. Click OK.

For example,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=k0q-_gWOYjY
becomes
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?feature=player_embedded&v=k0q-_gWOYjY

or

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0q-_gWOYjY
becomes
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=k0q-_gWOYjY

Happy St Patrick's Day!

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