When you open templates or files using a hyperlink button or from Outlook's Shortcut navigation pane, you'll receive an unsafe hyperlink warning. You can disable the warning by editing the registry.
You may also receive the file open or save dialog when using a hyperlink button or shortcut. To disable this dialog when the "Always ask" field is grayed out, run Outlook as administrator. The "always ask" checkbox should be clickable. If not, you'll need to edit the registry for each file type. See Disable "Always ask before opening" dialog for more information.
The solution
The solution applies to all Office applications, not just Outlook.
Add a registry value to disable the warning dialog.
Open the registry editor and browse to the following registry subkey for
Office / Outlook 2016:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Common\Security
DWORD: DisableHyperlinkWarning
Value: 1 (disable the warning), 0 (enable the warning)
Office / Outlook 2013:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\15.0\Common\Security
DWORD: DisableHyperlinkWarning
Value: 1 (disable the warning), 0 (enable the warning)
Office / Outlook 2010:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\14.0\Common\Security
DWORD: DisableHyperlinkWarning
Value: 1 (disable the warning), 0 (enable the warning)
Office / Outlook 2007:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\12.0\Common\Security
DWORD: DisableHyperlinkWarning
Value: 1 (disable the warning), 0 (enable the warning)
Note: If the Security key does not exist in your registry, you'll need to create it too.
Right click on Security key and choose New, DWORD.
Type (or paste) DisableHyperlinkWarning as the Value name then double click on it.
Enter 1 as the Value data to disable the warning. Delete the key or use a value of 0 to enable the warning.
Do It For Me
If you don't want to edit the registry yourself, you can download and run the following registry key for your version of Outlook. These files set the key in the User path.
Outlook 2016 Outlook 2013 Outlook 2010 Outlook 2007
Group Policies Registry Edit
Administrators will add the DisableHyperlinkWarning DWORD to the Policies key instead:
Outlook 2016:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Common\Security
DWORD: DisableHyperlinkWarning
Value: 1 (disable the warning), 0 (enable the warning)
Outlook 2013:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Office\15.0\Common\Security
DWORD: DisableHyperlinkWarning
Value: 1 (disable the warning), 0 (enable the warning)
Outlook 2010:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Office\14.0\Common\Security
Outlook 2007:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Office\12.0\Common\Security
Do It For Me
If you don't want to edit the registry yourself, you can download and run the following registry key for your version of Outlook. These files update the Policies path.
Outlook 2016 (Policies path) Outlook 2013 (Policies path)
Outlook 2010 (Policies path) Outlook 2007 (Policies path)
Recently installed Office 2016 and i also had this very annoying warning with hyperlinks in an Excel sheet... This method works, though i had no 16.0 folder under Office in my registry... it went up to 15.0... so i created 16.0/Common/Security, with the Dword in it (32-bit, i'm running a 64-bit version) and voila, IT WORKED !! No more stupid warnings when opening hyperlinks from my own HD.
you didn't have this path at all - HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0 ? Is this a new computer with a preinstalled version of Office? (That delivery method the OEMs use uses a virtual registry but reads most keys added to the traditional path).
I am using Microsoft Access 2016 (Office365) . I have tried everything suggested by everyone to no avail. My database has internal hyperlinks (all within my computer). I can't get rid if that damn warning. HELP if you can.
Are you using 32 or 64 bit office? Which suite is it - consumer subscription, business/E subscription, or retail?
Did you use the policies key or the one under the normal office path? Try the other one.
Not working on Windows 10 with Office 2016 (Office 365)
did you use the 'do it for me' for outlook 2016?
Hello! I found this page the usual (painful) way, having got really cross about MS' attempts to stop me opening valid pdf files (from Excel hyperlinks). I know I have set the DisableHyperLinksWarning value in the past, but today it would not work. This is Office 2010 on W10. I tried all the Trust Centre settings, allowing everything I could find to run, to no avail. Then I saw a suggestion on another page by FrankFromGermany (2 years ago !), but with no mention of whether it had worked for anyone who read it - I was so desperate I had to try it. I first ran Sysinternals' 'ProcMon' to confirm that Excel was trying to open a key in HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTSumatraPDF (my pdf reader of choice) called EditFlags key (and failing, of course), but (as I had closed the page with Frank's suggestion), had to simply try values close to my recollection until one worked - the magic value is Hex 10000. I have turned off all the Trust Centre settings I can think of (including the added trusted folder where the pdfs reside), and it still works. To my mind it is absurd that MS has allowed this situation… Read more »
Hi Diane. I have Office 2016 and Windows 10. I used your "Do it for me" file and it I keep getting a warning for this "C:\Users\Skip\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates\Skips Outlook Templates". The registry file has been changed because I checked it. Will you please help me?
Add the template folder as a trusted location in file, options, trust center.
What about Office 2016? I added the key under
HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwarePoliciesMicrosoftOffice16.0CommonSecurity but still get the pop-up warning when hyperlinking to a PDF stored on my local drive.....
Thx!
I'll check it - it should work. Did you restart Outlook? When using policy keys, you need to restart outlook.
It's working here - i'll update it with a ready-to-use reg file.
Thanks so much for this post!
I have been annoyed by these warning for over two years.
What about outlook 2013?
It's the same, but version is 15. I updated the "do it for me" and the registry keys for Outlook 2013. Thanks for bringing it to my attention that it needed updated.
I got the same problem with excel, versions 2010 and 2016. When i try to open a hyperlink, that warning msg pops up. I've tryed setting regedit, both files 12 and 14, and i also have checked the options in the trust center, without success.
I've realised that, if the hyperlink points to an image file, it's open without popping up the warning msg, but when I try to open an pdf (with Nitro PDF), its appears.
Any idea?
excel 2016 is 16.0... also, have you seen https://www.slipstick.com/problems/disable-always-ask-before-opening-dialog/?
I've already fixed it, i found the solution and made a tutorial (in spanish) explaining how to fix it. You can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJoKyvpGXGo
Im going to undo what i did to fix it and try what you told me, and lets see if that works.
Thanks!
Looks like you set the EditFlag for the pdf application you use... that is what i suspected was the problem.
I've try what you shared me, but it didn't worked to me.