How to Handle Linebreak in URL with BibTeX and Hyperref Package (LaTeX Guide)

If you’ve ever written a LaTeX document with long URLs in your bibliography, you might have encountered formatting issues, especially when using the BibTeX bibliography manager along with the hyperref package. Long URLs can cause lines to overflow the margins or disrupt your document’s layout. In this post, we’ll show you how to properly insert a linebreak in URL with BibTeX and hyperref package—the right way.

Why URLs Cause Problems in LaTeX

LaTeX is a typesetting system that prioritizes aesthetic layout. By default, it doesn’t know how to break long URLs across lines unless told explicitly. When using the hyperref package, this can lead to overfull lines in your bibliography section, especially if your BibTeX entries contain lengthy links.

The Role of the hyperref Package

The hyperref package turns references, citations, and URLs into clickable links. It also provides tools to manage URL formatting and line-breaking. But to make it behave well with BibTeX, we need to adjust a few things.

Solution: Linebreak in URL with BibTeX and Hyperref Package

Here’s a step-by-step approach:

✅ Step 1: Load Required Packages

In the preamble of your .tex document, load the following packages:

\usepackage{hyperref}
\usepackage{url}  % Often loaded automatically by hyperref, but good to be explicit

The url package allows for intelligent line-breaking in URLs. hyperref builds upon it to make links clickable.

✅ Step 2: Configure hyperref for Better Line Breaking

Add this configuration to your preamble:

\hypersetup{
  breaklinks=true,
  colorlinks=true,
  urlcolor=blue
}

This tells LaTeX to allow links (including URLs) to break across lines when necessary.

✅ Step 3: Format URLs Properly in Your BibTeX File

In your .bib file, make sure you use the \url{} command inside the url field:

@online{example2025,
  author = {John Doe},
  title = {Handling Long URLs in LaTeX},
  year = {2025},
  url = {\url{https://www.example.com/very/long/url/that/needs/to/break}},
  note = {Accessed: 2025-05-04}
}

The \url{} command ensures that LaTeX treats the contents as a URL, applying intelligent line-breaking behavior.

✅ Step 4: Optional Tweaks for Better Results

If you still see layout issues, try adding:

\sloppy

just before your bibliography. This gives LaTeX more flexibility in adjusting line breaks, especially with long, unbreakable strings like URLs.

Streamline Your Reference Management with CiteDrive

Managing BibTeX files by hand can be error-prone—especially when dealing with long URLs or collaborative projects. CiteDrive makes it easy to create, organize, and maintain your BibTeX libraries entirely online. You can connect your CiteDrive project directly to Overleaf and have your bibliography update automatically as you work.

CiteDrive handles complex references—including those with long URLs—while keeping your .bib file clean, synced, and versioned. It’s designed specifically for LaTeX users who want to spend less time fixing citation issues and more time writing.

Summary

Adding a linebreak in URL with BibTeX and hyperref package is simple once you know the right tools. To recap:

• Use \url{} in your BibTeX entries.
• Load hyperref and configure it to break links.
• Use \sloppy if needed to avoid overfull boxes.
• Let tools like CiteDrive manage your BibTeX entries with less hassle.