When using a product like Microsoft Outlook, when you click on a hyperlink, it will try to open in the default browser which is the Edge browser. At times it fails to open any link on any Microsoft product in Windows 11/10. It usually happens when the default association to open a link in a browser is broken. In this post, we will share what to do if you cannot open hyperlinks in Outlook email in Windows 11/10.
You may see error messages like:
- This operation has been canceled due to restrictions
- Your organization’s policies are preventing us from completing this action for you.
This particularly happens if you are using an older version of Outlook and you removed Internet Explorer. In this case, re-enabling IE and resetting IE options to default can help.
Cannot open Hyperlinks in Outlook email
Microsoft tries to open everything in Edge or Internet Explorer. If you cannot open hyperlinks in Outlook email, follow these methods to resolve the problem.
- Restore File Association defaults for Outlook and Edge.
- Export and import the Registry key from another computer
- Reset Edge settings
- Repair Office.
Windows honors the default browser association, but when settings are not configured, or there is corruption, it creates the problem.
1] Restore File Association defaults for Outlook and Edge
- Close your default browser if it is open.
- Go to Settings > Apps > Default Programs in Windows Settings
- Under Web browser, click on whatever is the default, and then select Microsoft Edge as your default browser
- Switch to Outlook, and click on any link to make sure it opens in Edge. Close Edge browser.
- Open the default browser again, and change the default browser again from the browser option.
Now when you open any link, it will open in the default browser of your choice.
The point of this exercise is to fix something which is broken by changing the settings. Usually, there is a registry entry for it, and when we do all these steps, it will fix the problem with the registry.
2] Export & import the registry key from another computer
Check on another computer if the links can open Hyperlinks in Outlook email on Windows 10. If thats the case, then we suggest importing particular registry settings from that computer to this computer.
On the other computer, open Registry Editor
Navigate to:
Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\htmlfile\shell\open\command
Right-click on Command folder, and select Export.
Save the file with a name you can remember on the computer.
Next copy the Registry file into your computer
Double-click on it, and it will merge the entry into your computer Registry.
Alternatively, you can go to the same location on your computer, and check if the value is the same as:
"C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\IEXPLORE.EXE" %1
Now try to open a link in Outlook and see if you are still not able to open hyperlinks in Outlook mail.
3] Reset Edge settings
The last option is to reset Edge settings. Windows may be requesting Edge to open a link, if its the default browser, but its not working.
- Open Edge
- Go to edge://settings/reset
- Click on the Restore settings to their default values
- It will open a pop-up window where you can confirm the action.
When you reset, you will lose startup page, new tab page, search engine, pinned tabs, etc. It will also disable all extensions and clear temporary data like cookies. Your favorites, history, and password will not be cleared.
Similarly, you can reset Chrome and Firefox.
4] Repair Office
You may need to repeair Microsoft Outlook or the Office installation.
- Right-click the Start button, and select Apps and Features on the pop-up menu
- Select the Microsoft Office product you want to repair, and select Modify.
- It will open the Office Repair options
- Quick Repair: Fixes most issues quickly without the need for an internet connection
- Online Repair: Fixes all issues but takes a little longer and requires an internet connection throughout.
You can try repairing only Outlook. Try opening a link and see if it works as expected.
We hope these tips were easy to follow, and you were able to open the hyperlinks in Outlook mail in Windows 11/10.
