3 Ways to Fix Unable to Open Links in Outlook

Fix 1: Change the Default Browser

Outlook may be unable to open links due to a browser-related issue. To fix this, the first thing to do is change the default browser on your Windows PC.

Step 1: Press the Windows key + I to open the Settings app and head to Apps > Default apps.

Step 2: Select the browser you want to set as default.

Step 3: Click the Set default button.

Fix 2: Repair Microsoft Office

Like any other app, Office apps like Outlook are bound to encounter problems occasionally. Thankfully, Microsoft offers a dedicated repair tool that can easily fix such issues. Here’s how to run it.

Step 1: Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box. Type appwiz.cpl in the box and hit Enter.

Step 2: Locate and select Microsoft Office suite on the list. Click on Change at the top.

Step 3: Select Online Repair and hit Repair. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process.

Fix 3: Fix HTML File Associations

If Outlook still cannot open links, try altering the HTML file association on Windows by modifying registry files. Here’s how to do it.

Step 1: Right-click the Start icon and select Terminal (Admin) from the list.

Step 2: In the console, copy and paste the commands one by one, also press Enter after each command.

REG ADD HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.htm /ve /d htmlfile /f

REG ADD HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.html /ve /d htmlfile /f

REG ADD HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.shtml /ve /d htmlfile /f

REG ADD HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.xht /ve /d htmlfile /f

REG ADD HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.xhtml /ve /d htmlfile /f

Restart your PC after running the above commands and check if the issue persists.