Comments on: Hyperlinks not working in Outlook? How to make links open again

The article explains why hyperlinks may not be working in Outlook and provides several solutions to fix the issue. These methods will let you open links in Outlook again with no problem, no matter which version you use - Outlook 2016, 2013, 2010, 2007 or lower Continue reading →

Comments page 3. Total comments: 126

  1. I guess, the htmlfile works only if you use Explorer. As I am using Chrome, I have replaced (as admin) the Default String from htmlfile to ChromeHTML and it works perfectly since!

  2. Links started to work after changing Registry. The registry was modified by maxthon browser after uninstalling !!

  3. Thanks! That was very helpful & fixed my URL problem :-)

  4. Hi Igor:

    Could you be very specific about how to do this. I have no idea how to get to this area in the registry to change it.

    Darrell

  5. thanks so much!! I did all of these, not sure which step(s) did the trick, but now my excel URL links (which had stopped working for no apparent reason) are working again.

    1 uninstalled Chrome (never used it anyway)
    2 changed default browser to IE from Firefox
    3 changed registry default for .htm .html .shtml to "htmlfile"
    4 Reset IE settings, deleting personal settings.

    Maybe just step 4 would've been enough without the others, I don't know, I was desperate and I'm just so happy it's fixed. Thanks.

  6. I had this problem, WIN 10, Outlook 2013
    Repair ver easy : hange value in registry :
    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.html. Verify that the Default value of this key is htmlfile.
    from Mozilla to htmlfile

    1. Hi Igor:

      Could you be very specific about how to do this. I have no idea how to get to this area in the registry to change it.

      Darrell

  7. For Windows 10 users to follow this: IE 11 must be installed from Control Panel --> Programs and features --> Turn Windows features on or off then select Internet Explorer 11 and click ok and restart the computer

    1. Thank you so much, this worked for me after everything else failed, including the REGEDITs.

  8. THANK YOU! The download worked like a charm and was very easy to follow. For days I have tried to fix my problem without any luck. Thank you so much for providing the solution. Awesome!

  9. NOT helpful for those on Macs!

  10. Why cant Microsoft send out a fix for this. After all this time I still have no working link. I'm using Windows 10 and Outlook

  11. thanks its working after default and regedit setting.

  12. I have Windows 10, MS Outlook 2007 & the Hyperlinks have suddenly stopped working in Outlook. My default web browswer has been Firefox for some years now. The fix that you can download from MS is not for Windows 10, only lower versions. MS advise going through the troubleshooting route which was useless. I have tried changing my default web browser to IE 11, Goggle Chrome, and back to Firefox - several times for each one! Wasted many hours. Suggestions please? PS I am not competant to edit the registry!

  13. I uninstalled Firefox while it was my default browser. Only the manual registry edit worked for me. I replaced references to IE with Firefox in the instructions above and it worked like a charm.

  14. Thanks! Very nice tutorial, easy to follow AND it worked.

  15. Uninstalling and shuffling between default browsers (Chrome, Firefox and MSedge) didn't fix the problem. Only (and eventually) the manual registry edit.

  16. on excel 2010 why hyperlink is not working

  17. i working in an environment where IE is the only supported browser and google chrome was being removed not long ago and i got few users having this issues and none of your above solutions can work. Reinstalling chrome is an no option, what other solutions do we have???

  18. Thank you very much

  19. Every 'solution' here is for everything except Windows 10. Do we have to sit around waiting for Microsoft to offer a definitive solution after yet another time-wasting update (seven hours on this one) ... or get around to correcting the update that caused it!

    I have been on pretty well every site referring to this problem going back, it would seem, around five years. I see only complicated work-arounds of uncertain value to all previous Windows products and nothing useful for Windows 10, the premier product. The registry solutions are dangerously complicated for amateurs and do not seem to apply to Windows 10.

    I just want to be able to link from Outlook to Firefox ... very simple, not ambitious. It should not be rocket science to the point that I am getting very suspicious about the motivation behind all the this. I am wondering whether a dossier might be sent to the competition authorities. Certainly Google and Mozilla should be asking some questions.

    If it is not conspiracy, it is incompetence - either way, it has to stop! Can we have a simple definitive solution for Windows 10 and Outlook 2013 that allows simple linking to Firefox, please, and can we have it now instead of waiting another five years.

  20. THANK YOU!!!!!!!

  21. The article stops at Windows 8, an assumes you changed FROM Internet Explorer. I am running Windows 10, and changed TO Internet Explorer. I hate Edge. It is too much like Chrome. It is for lay people who do not know much about computers and takes away tools I am used to using. I NEED my Internet Explorer. How do I get my Outlook 2016 email links to work in Windows 10 and KEEP Internet Explorer?

  22. thank you!!!

  23. I have both IE and Firefox installed. To fix this issue all I did was make Firefox the default browser and then close it. Then open IE and make it the default browser and .... shezam, hyper links now work. MS WTF

  24. Thanks a lot!! Microsoft's solution (the first two steps listed here) did not fix it. However, the registry solution did fix it. In fact, the registry values were partly not set at all and partly set to OperaStable. No idea how the user managed to mess that up but it's working now (didn't even require a reboot).

  25. THANK YOU ! ! !

  26. 1) When clicking on a hyperlink in an e-mail, I get this Message: "This operation has been cancelled due to restrictions in effect on this computer. Please contact your system administrator."
    2) We tried by changing default program settings and set program access & computer defaults. But it doesn’t solve the issue.
    3) We tried by resetting IE browser and setting Default Web browser in IE but it doesn’t work.
    4) So we found that Google Chrome was installed earlier in system.
    5) This issue we found after uninstalling Google Chrome from computer.
    6) Whenever we open hyperlink (URL’s) in outlook it was trying to open through google chrome bcz it was selected as default browser in computer.
    7) Solution: This issue resolved by re-installing Google Chrome, and selecting IE as a default web browser.

  27. HI

    Thanks for the information.

  28. Fucking idiots!
    Re-install Chrome - none of you know what the fucking problem is!
    Just admit that your solution to everything is re-install.

    Does your car have a problem - just install a completely new engine!!
    No engineers present!!

  29. We are having the same issue*** Your organization's policies are preventing us from completing this action for you. For more info, please contact your help desk****
    We are using RDS environment and we are currently using a workaround (changing the reg key for effected user) but this problem is keep coming back. There were some session hosts with Chrome installed. We uninstalled chrome 3 weeks ago but don't know why this is happening again and again. Any permanent solution/suggestion ?

  30. The whole office 365 is riddled with bugs, it can't spell check, can't open hyperlinks, installs 16 bit by default, outlook is slow to pick up mail and sometimes needs a restart to get mail. The upgrades break things, for a leage company such as Microsoft they really need to get their act together.

    I am thinking about going back to open office, at least it works.

  31. Why would anyone set IE as their default browser? That's piling huge usability issues on top of an inconvenient problem.

  32. Brilliant! Your help is much appreciated.

  33. Thank you so much for the step by step guide on how to fix this problem. With your clear guidance, I have been able to fix it!

  34. Try this....

    1. Exit Outlook completely.

    2. Set a different default browser.
    Default Programs -> Set program access and computer defaults -> Custom -> Choose a default web browser -> Mozilla Firefox (or ie) -> OK

    3. Set Chrome again.
    Default Programs -> Set program access and computer defaults -> Custom -> Choose a default web browser -> Google Chrome -> OK

    4. Open outlook, enjoy your links.

    You may have to reboot (to make sure outlook refreshes).

    https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-performance/your-organizations-policies-are-preventing-us/94986167-d289-477b-ba57-238472079b32?page=5

    1. toasterg,

      Your post did not work for me as it, but I let me to something that did work (none of the other things worked (reset Internet Option Default, regedit)). I did

      Default Programs -> Set program access and computer defaults -> Microsoft.

      That made it work for IE. Then did

      Default Programs -> Set your default programs -> Firefox

      Now it works for Firefox.

  35. I have tried EVERYTHING in your article without any resolution to Hyperlinks not working. When I left click the link the address bar shows "about blank" and the destination window is empty.
    When I go to any website a pop up says do I want to make IE default I click yes.
    Internet (11) is not listed in the default selection window but in the program association list it is linked to htm, html, shmtl.
    Any alternatives for this problem?

  36. We've noticed this at work as well. After working with Microsoft, we saw that Outlook was being denied access to the HKCR\htmlfile\shell\opennew\command key. Before it looks at that key though, it checks the HKCU hive for the same setting. We found that if you copy the HKCR\htmlfile branch into HKCU\Software\Classes, links open without a problem. We still don't know the root cause, but this workaround may work for you.

    This powershell script will accomplish that task. It maps a powershell drive to HKCR, checks if the HTML branch exists for the current user, and if not, copies HKCR\HTMLFILE to the appropriate location in HKCU. It then deletes the HKCR drive.

    Our environment is locked down, but it does allow a normal user to make this change.

    NOTE: I am not a powershell expert, so use at your own risk:
    =======================
    New-PSDrive -PSProvider registry -Root HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT -Name HKCR
    If (!(Test-Path hkcu:\software\classes\htmlfile))
    {
    Copy-Item HKCR:\htmlfile HKCU:\Software\Classes\htmlfile -recurse
    }

    Remove-PSDrive HKCR
    =============================

  37. I've struggled with this for 2.5 days now. Even ran the MS Fixit which did not correct the problem. By logging on the machine as another user and learning it was working that sent me down the path of HKey Current user. Some of the stuff I had read also pointed there, but I got mine resolved by comparing the key hkcu\software\classes\http with a working computer. I ended up having to create two keys where one was Reg_DWord "editflags" (set to 2) and the other REG_SZ "source filter" set to: {E436EBB6-524F-11CE-9F53-0020AF0BA770}
    This did resolve it for me and I never found this information online so if you have tried everything short of reloading the OS, give this a try.
    Robert

    Also note: It was noted the HTTPS key was not the same, but I did not change that one and suspect for secure links its needed.

  38. is work about setting hyperlink, i'm check program bidu have block enable hyperlink, so remove out and edit new.

    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.html. Verify that the Default value of this key is htmlfile.

    thank you work.

  39. is work about setting hyperlink, i'm check program bidu have block enable hyperlink, so remove out and edit new.
    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.html. Verify that the Default value of this key is htmlfile.
    thank you work.

  40. Wonderful post! Thanks for sharing. Also, thanks for your comment on my recent blog post.
    Apprieciated!

  41. Good Day ,,

    Thank you very much for your provided solution .
    The "Edit the registry manually" fixed my problem.

    Thnx again. :)

  42. If the hyperlink comes up with {[......]}...on outlook 2013.

    Resolution: click on new e-mail.....
    Press "alt + F9" solved.

  43. After the installation of Windows 10, I can no longer use hyperlinks from Outlook 2010 to access internet - Using Google Chrome.

    1. It seems to work again if you change the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.html key to htmlfile as suggested above AND enable internet explorer in windows 10 programs and features. Google Chrome then fires up if u have it set as the default browser when u click the hyperlinks. What a pain.

  44. outlook seems to remove hyperlinks from recurring tasks (after the first completion of a task hyperlinks become inactive)
    does anyone know how to fix it?

  45. I have used REGEDIT, and set HKEY classes Root to HTMLfile

  46. Outlook is piece of ... HTML rendering engine from year 1980, nothing works properly, links do not work when you click... people are really stupid to pay for this piece of...

  47. I have an issue that is only affected if Chrome is set to default for hyperlinks.
    If Firefox or IE are set as defaults, hyperlinks work as expected, if set to Chrome I get a 'Server Execution Failure' error message.
    This happened after I uninstalled and reinstalled Google Chrome to correct an issue with Chrome in the past. i do not wish to uninstall and reinstall my Office 2007 product as it was a gift from MS for attending a tech show and uncertain if I still have the loader to reinstall it... Reg settings appear correct for Office, uncertain what to look for in Chrome.

  48. Changing defaults for mail and internet worked for me. Thank you for your help!

  49. An excellent article, cheers.

  50. Does the same thing work when they hyperlink that's broken is an email address embedded in an email?

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