If you cannot open hyperlinks in Outlook email on Windows 11/10, these solutions are for you. As there could be many reasons, we have consolidated some of the most common reasons along with the solutions to get it fixed.
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. In this case, resetting Internet 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 a 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 that 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 11/10. If that is 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 it’s the default browser, but it’s 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 repair 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: This 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 that you were able to open the hyperlinks in Outlook mail on Windows 11/10.
Read: How to securely sign in to Outlook.com
Why can’t I open hyperlinks in Outlook Windows?
If you use a text-based browser as the default browser, you cannot open all hyperlinks. For that, you need to change the browser settings for Outlook. In that case, open the Outlook Options wizard and go to the Advanced tab. Then, head to the Open hyperlinks from Outlook in section and choose Microsoft Edge.
How do I allow hyperlinks in Outlook?
To allow hyperlinks in Outlook, you need to choose a browser for opening them. For that, click on File > Options > Advanced. Then, find the Open hyperlinks from Outlook in the drop-down menu and choose the Default browser option. Click the OK button to save the change.
