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How to add and use interactive links in your flipbooks

Trigger navigation, contact actions, and overlays from any page element

Overview

To make part of a page clickable, press L in the Design Studio, drag a box over it, then choose an Action such as Go to URL in the Hyperlink panel. Any part of a flipbook page can become a link. Draw one over your design, drop in a link area, or give an element you already have an action. A reader who clicks it goes to a website, jumps to another page, starts an email, opens a gallery, or sees a popup.

💡 Benefits of interactive links
  • Readers go where they want: a table of contents or a button takes them straight to the right page.
  • One click to act: a link can open a site, start an email, or place a call.
  • Nothing is retyped: a link draws over the design you already have.

How to add links in the Design Studio

There are three ways to make part of a page clickable in the Design Studio.

1. Use the Draw link tool

The quickest way to cover something you have already designed.

  • Open your flipbook in the Design Studio.
  • Click the Draw link icon in the left panel, or press L.
  • Drag on the page to draw the clickable area over what you want to link.

2. Add a Link area element

Use this when you want a box you can resize and line up.

  • Click Interactions in the left menu.
  • Select Link area to drop a transparent box on the page.
  • Drag the handles to size it and move it over your design.

3. Use the Action button on an element you already have

Any text box, image, shape or icon can become a link.

  • Select the element on your page.
  • Click Action in the Edit panel at the top right.
  • Pick an action from the list, then fill in its settings.

Caution: A button only offers the Go to URL action. For any other action, place a link area on top of the button or image instead.

Interactive actions explained

Go to URL

Sends readers to a website. Enter the URL, then set Open in to New Tab or Same Tab.

The Hyperlink panel with Go to URL chosen, a URL filled in and Open in set to New Tab

Go to page

Sends readers to another page of the same flipbook. Under Follow page, choose Number and type the target page position, or choose Content.

The Hyperlink panel with Go to page chosen, Follow page set to Number and the target page position set to 5

Content attaches the link to the content itself, so it still works after you reorder your pages. Delete the target page and the link is removed with it.

The Hyperlink panel with Go to page set to Content, with a warning that the link is removed if the target page is deleted

Send email

Opens the reader's mail app with the message started for them. Fill in the Email address and a Subject. A ready-made subject line tells your team which flipbook or product the message came from.

The Hyperlink panel with Send email chosen, showing the Email and Subject fields filled in

Phone number and Text message

Lets a reader on a phone call or text you with one tap. Enter the Phone Number, including the country code. Text message adds a Text Message box for the words the reader sends.

The Hyperlink panel with Phone number chosen and a phone number typed into the Phone Number field

The Hyperlink panel with Text message chosen, showing the Phone Number and Text Message fields filled in

Download PDF

Downloads the PDF of your flipbook. Turn Download PDF on in the Customize menu first, or the link does nothing. Useful for a price list or a manual someone will read away from their screen.

The Hyperlink panel with Download PDF chosen, which has no further settings

Popup frame

Opens another web page inside a popup, such as a map or a form. This action needs the Enterprise plan: on other plans, choosing it opens an upgrade message. Paste the embed code into Popup frame code, write a Tooltip for the hover label, and readers stay in your flipbook. Tick Open popup automatically to show it as soon as the page is reached.

The Hyperlink panel with Popup frame chosen, showing Tooltip, Open popup automatically, and the Popup frame code box

Open an overlay

Opens a popup with your own content in it. Write a Title and a Description, set Open popin on to click or hover, and use Popin positioning to say where on the screen it appears. Hover color and Hover opacity control how the link looks under the reader's cursor.

The Hyperlink panel with Open an overlay chosen, showing Open popin on, Popin positioning, Tooltip, Title, Description, Hover color and Hover opacity

Overlays suit a "More info" button. Specs or legal text show only when a reader asks for them, so your page stays clean.

Spotlight

Opens one image at full resolution in a popup. Click Upload image, then set Image size and choose Fit to frame or Scale to fill. Good for detail a reader needs to see up close, without giving it space on the page.

The Hyperlink panel with Spotlight chosen, showing Tooltip, Open popup automatically and the Upload image button

Photo slideshow

Opens a gallery of images. Click Upload images to build it, drag the rows to set the order, then choose an Image size and Fit to frame or Scale to fill. Autoplay slideshow advances it on its own. Use it to show product variants or a portfolio in the space of one link.

The Hyperlink panel with Photo slideshow chosen, showing Tooltip and the Upload images button

Line, Bar, and Pie charts

Adds a chart readers can hover over to read exact values. Click Google Sheets and connect the sheet your numbers live in, so the chart follows the sheet instead of a copy you retype. General settings holds the Chart size, the Line type and the Axis.

The Hyperlink panel with Line chart chosen, showing Tooltip, the Google Sheets button and a spreadsheet template

👥 Where interactive links are helpful
  • Internal communications: link a table of contents to the right pages, so employees can jump straight to the section of the handbook they need.
  • Marketing materials: put a Go to URL link on your calls to action, so readers land on the campaign page.
  • Sales materials: add phone number and Text message actions to a rep's profile, so a prospect can call or text with one tap.
  • Training materials: use popup frames to show a video or a quiz without sending anyone away from the page.

Customizing link appearance and animation

  • Color and transparency: select the link and click the color circle in the top bar. Fade it with the transparency control in the same bar. A fully transparent link is invisible to a reader and still clickable, and a brand color at low strength shows them where to click.

The top bar of the Design Studio with a link selected, the color circle and the link icon highlighted

  • Animate interactions: links glow softly in the player by default. To stop that, go to Customize > Appearance, turn Animate interactions off, then press Update.

The Appearance tab of Customize with the Animate interactions toggle highlighted

Additional tips / FAQs

  • Group a link with its design: select the Link area and the element under it, right-click and choose Group, so they move together.
  • Put one link on every page: select a navigation button or a logo link, then in the Layers panel footer click the Add on all pages icon.
  • Catalogs with hundreds of items: you can automate multimedia elements instead of adding each one by hand.

Troubleshooting

Links do not work in the published flipbook

  • Check the flipbook is published. Some interactions do not run in a draft.
  • Open the Layers panel and move the link to the top of the list, so no image or text box sits over it.
  • Check the setting the link depends on, such as Download PDF or Shopping list, is turned on in Customize.

Go to page opens the wrong page

  • Check whether the link points at a fixed page number rather than the content.
  • Check the target page still exists and has not moved since you set the link.

FAQs

  • Can I add links with my keyboard? Yes. Press L in the Design Studio to switch on the Draw link tool.
  • Do the links in my PDF carry over? Most of them are detected when you upload. If some are missing, check your PDF was exported as single pages rather than spreads, and that the links worked in the file you exported.

Next steps

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