LaTeX hyperref package for hyperlinks, cross-references, bookmarks, and PDF metadata. Use when helping users add clickable links, configure PDF properties, or manage cross-references.
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LaTeX hyperref package for hyperlinks, cross-references, bookmarks, and PDF metadata. Use when helping users add clickable links, configure PDF properties, or manage cross-references.
hyperref — Hyperlinks, Cross-References & PDF Metadata
% LOAD HYPERREF LAST (or near last) — it redefines many commands
\usepackage[
colorlinks=true,
linkcolor=blue,
citecolor=green!50!black,
urlcolor=blue!70!black,
pdftitle={My Document Title},
pdfauthor={Author Name},
]{hyperref}
% If using cleveref, load it AFTER hyperref:
\usepackage{cleveref}
Common Setup Options
Option
Default
Description
colorlinks
false
Color link text (vs boxes)
linkcolor
red
Internal links (refs, TOC)
citecolor
green
Citation links
urlcolor
magenta
URL links
filecolor
cyan
File links
allcolors
—
Set all link colors at once
hidelinks
—
No color, no boxes (for print)
bookmarks
true
Generate PDF bookmarks
bookmarksnumbered
false
Include section numbers in bookmarks
bookmarksopen
false
Expand bookmarks by default
pdfborder
{0 0 1}
Link border (set {0 0 0} to remove)
breaklinks
true
Allow links to break across lines
unicode
true (modern)
Unicode in bookmarks
PDF Metadata Options
Option
Description
pdftitle
Document title
pdfauthor
Author name(s)
pdfsubject
Subject
pdfkeywords
Keywords (comma-separated)
pdfcreator
Creating application
pdfproducer
PDF producer
% Or set after loading:
\hypersetup{
pdftitle={My Paper},
pdfauthor={Jane Doe},
pdfsubject={LaTeX Tutorial},
pdfkeywords={LaTeX, hyperref, tutorial},
}
Link Commands
% External URL
\href{https://example.com}{Click here}
\href{mailto:user@example.com}{Email me}
\href{file:./report.pdf}{Local file}
% URL (typewriter, breakable)
\url{https://example.com/path?query=value}
% Internal reference with custom text
\hyperref[sec:intro]{see the introduction}
% Standard cross-references (auto-linked by hyperref)
\ref{fig:plot} % "3"
\pageref{tab:data} % "12"
\eqref{eq:main} % "(1)" — from amsmath
% Auto-named references
\autoref{fig:plot} % "Figure 3"
\autoref{tab:data} % "Table 2"
\autoref{sec:intro} % "section 1"
\autoref{eq:main} % "equation 1"
% Name reference (prints the title/caption)
\nameref{sec:intro} % "Introduction"
\usepackage[backref=page]{hyperref}
% Adds "Cited on page(s) X, Y" to bibliography entries
Common Pitfalls
Problem
Cause
Fix
Broken cross-references
hyperref loaded too early
Load hyperref last (before cleveref)
\autoref says "section" lowercase
Default names
\renewcommand{\sectionautorefname}{Section}
Bookmark errors with math
Math in section titles
\texorpdfstring{$E=mc^2$}{E=mc2}
"Token not allowed"
Special chars in PDF strings
Use \texorpdfstring{LaTeX}{LaTeX}
Links in headers/footers
Fragile commands
Use \protect or \texorpdfstring
cleveref not working
Loaded before hyperref
Load order: hyperref → cleveref
Link boxes overlap text
Default border style
Use colorlinks=true or hidelinks
\url breaks wrong
Long URLs
hyperref handles this; check breaklinks=true
Conflicts with other packages
Package redefines same commands
Load hyperref after most packages
Load Order Guide
% Safe order (most common packages):
\usepackage{amsmath}
\usepackage{graphicx}
\usepackage{booktabs}
\usepackage{...} % other packages
\usepackage[options]{hyperref} % near last
\usepackage{cleveref} % very last
Tips
Always use colorlinks for screen PDFs; hidelinks for print
\texorpdfstring{LaTeX version}{plain text} for anything fancy in section titles
\phantomsection before \addcontentsline for correct hyperlinks in unnumbered sections
\hypersetup{} can be called multiple times to change settings mid-document
Use \nohyperpage in index entries to prevent hyperref page linking
