How to Share a Link to a Particular Phrase or Highlighted Text

How to Share a Link That Jumps Straight to a Specific Phrase on Any Webpage

Have you ever wanted to share an article with a friend but wished you could send them directly to the one paragraph that actually matters? Or maybe you've pasted a long URL into a message and then had to follow up with "scroll down about halfway and look for the sentence that starts with…"? That frustration is entirely valid — and entirely avoidable. Modern browsers now support a feature that lets you share a link pointing directly to any highlighted text on a page, making your links smarter, faster, and far more useful.

This guide walks you through exactly how the feature works, which browsers support it, and how you can start using it today on desktop and mobile alike.

What Is a Text Fragment Link?

The technology behind this feature is called a text fragment link, sometimes referred to as a "scroll to text fragment." It works by appending a special piece of syntax to the end of a standard URL that tells the browser to automatically scroll to a specific phrase on the page and highlight it when the link is opened.

The syntax looks like this at the end of a URL:

#:~:text=your%20phrase%20here

When someone clicks a link containing that fragment, their browser jumps directly to the matching text and highlights it in a bright color — much like a search result highlight — so it's impossible to miss. No plugins, no extensions, no extra steps for the person receiving the link. They just click and land exactly where you want them.

This feature was introduced as part of the Web Incubator Community Group (WICG) specification and has been widely adopted across major browsers. It's a small but genuinely powerful upgrade to how we share information online.

Which Browsers Support Text Fragment Links?

Browser support for text fragment links is broad and continues to grow. Here's where things currently stand:

• Google Chrome — Full support, including a built-in right-click menu option to copy a link to highlighted text. This is by far the most seamless implementation available.
• Microsoft Edge — Full support, with a similar right-click option to copy a highlighted text link, since Edge is built on the same Chromium engine as Chrome.
• Opera and Brave — Also built on Chromium, so they support the feature as well, though the interface may differ slightly.
• Apple Safari — Support was added in Safari 16.1, meaning iPhone, iPad, and Mac users on reasonably recent software versions can follow text fragment links, though the native creation feature may be less prominent in the UI.
• Mozilla Firefox — Firefox supports following text fragment links, meaning recipients will land on the right spot, but the built-in tool to generate such links is not yet part of the right-click menu by default.

In short, most people receiving your link will have a browser that knows what to do with it. The main variation is in how easy it is to create the link in the first place, depending on which browser you are using.

How to Share a Link to Highlighted Text in Google Chrome

Chrome makes this process as simple as it gets. Here is how to do it on a desktop computer:

• Navigate to the webpage containing the text you want to highlight.
• Use your mouse to click and drag over the specific phrase or sentence you want to share.
• Right-click on the highlighted text to open the context menu.
• Look for the option that reads "Copy link to highlight" and click it.
• The link is now in your clipboard. Paste it anywhere — a chat message, an email, a document, or a social media post.

That's it. Chrome automatically generates the text fragment URL and copies it for you. When the recipient opens it, their browser scrolls directly to your selected phrase and highlights it.

How to Do It on Mobile

The process on mobile is similarly straightforward if you're using Chrome on Android. Press and hold on the first word of the phrase you want to share, then drag the selection handles to cover the full text. Once selected, tap the share icon or look for a "Copy link to highlight" option in the overflow menu. On iOS with Chrome, the experience is comparable, though the exact menu layout may vary slightly by version.

Safari on iPhone does allow users to follow text fragment links, but generating them natively from the browser requires a few more steps or the use of a third-party shortcut. Power users on iOS can set up an Apple Shortcut to automate the URL construction.

How to Create a Text Fragment Link Manually

If you're using Firefox or another browser without a built-in option, you can still create text fragment links by hand. It's easier than it sounds. Take the URL of the page, add #:~:text= to the end, and then type out the phrase you want to link to, replacing any spaces with %20. For example, if you wanted to link to the phrase "modern browsers support" on a page, your URL would end with #:~:text=modern%20browsers%20support.

Alternatively, free online tools exist specifically to help you build these URLs without needing to encode the text yourself. Simply paste the page URL and your target phrase, and the tool outputs a ready-to-share link.

Practical Uses for Text Fragment Links

Once you know this feature exists, you'll find uses for it constantly. Some of the most common and valuable applications include:

• Academic and research sharing — Point colleagues directly to a specific finding, quote, or data point within a long study or article, saving them the trouble of scanning through pages of content.
• Customer support and documentation — Link users to the exact step or warning in a help article that addresses their issue, reducing confusion and support tickets.
• Journalism and fact-checking — Share a direct link to the exact claim or statement you're referencing in a source document, making verification faster and more transparent.
• Team collaboration — When reviewing shared documents or web pages, link teammates directly to the line in question rather than describing its location.
• Social media and content sharing — Drop a link in a discussion thread that takes readers immediately to the relevant sentence, making your point without requiring any scrolling effort on their part.

A Small Feature With a Big Impact

Text fragment links are one of those browser features that seem minor until the moment you actually start using them — and then you wonder how you ever shared links without them. They respect the reader's time, eliminate the guesswork from navigating long pages, and make your communication more precise and professional.

Whether you're a student, a researcher, a content creator, or simply someone who sends a lot of links, learning how to share a link to a specific phrase is a genuinely useful skill. It takes seconds to do, costs nothing, and works across all the major browsers your audience is likely to be using. Give it a try the next time you want to point someone to exactly the right words on a page.