We're seeing complaints from users with 32-bit versions of Office 2010, plus Outlook 2007, and Outlook 2003 installed on Windows 10 that hyperlinks in email won't open after they've set Internet Explorer as the default browser.
For solutions to the "This operation has been cancelled due to restrictions in effect..." or "Your organization's policies are preventing..." messages, see "This operation has been cancelled due to restrictions". If you removed Internet Explorer as an Optional Feature, see Albert's discovery. (You'll need to reinstall IE.)
The user will see a dialog that asks what program you want to use to open the link. Clicking the Always use this app box does not save the changes - the next time you click a link, the dialog comes up again.
Some users will see the Locate Link Browser window, while one Outlook 2003 user reported that Internet Explorer opened to the site's home page.
Only Internet Explorer has a problem opening links, they work fine in Edge or Chrome, just not in Internet Explorer.
To fix it, add this value to the registry:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\​htmlfile\​shell\​opennew\​command
Default value: "C:\​Program Files\​Internet Explorer\​IEXPLORE.EXE" %1
The Default value above will open the link in a new browser window. If you want to use a new tab in an open browser, use cmd /c START "C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe" "%1" instead.
Links containing an & should open properly in new tabs using the command line above. The original CMD version offered by Microsoft did not work with & signs in the URL. The registry file was updated with the new command line.
You'll need to create both the opennew and command keys then add the url to the default value. (It's the same value found in the open\command key)
Do It For Me
If you don't want to edit the registry yourself, you can run this prepared .reg file:
opennew-win10 (opens New Window)
opennew-win10-cmd (opens New Tab)
To remove the OpenNew key (and Command subkey), use this reg file:
opennew-win10-remove.reg
Double click on the link to run it. If it opens as a text file in a new browser window, you'll need to right click on the link and choose 'Save target as' (or 'Save link as' in Chrome). You may need to change the file extension from txt to reg then double click to run it.
Iv figured out the issue with part of these instructions. first of all, YOU DO NOT NEED TO REINSTALL INTERNET EXPLORER. A lot of people and businesses are removing the depricated browser for security reasons and so should you and keep it off.
So, in keepin it simple, All you have to do (and in Windows 10, by default, Edge is going to be a 32 bit application unless you install the 64 bit version) is simply change that registry entry to Microsoft Edge's path instead of Internet Explorer, and it works. I imagine you can do this for Chrome as well.
Open Regedit, go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\​htmlfile\​shell\​opennew\​command
and double click on Default, and change it to: "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\Edge\Application\msedge.exe" %1 for default MS Edge. Restart outlook, and that's it. You're done.
I hope this helps.
Hi
When I tried to open malto hyperlink in Outlook 2016 it keeps on asking "always use this app" selected Outlook and tick always use this app but after I logged off from VDI its not saving. We are using DEM to capture changes HKCU. I'm looking on registry key this might fall.
Hope to hear some answers. Thank you.
I have been using Chrome as my default browser for some time. Links opened using Chrome within Outlook 2007 until I upgraded to Windows 10. Now I get the restricted message. I was running Windows 7 Pro, so assume it upgraded to Win 10 Pro. Someone else wrote that other browsers work, but Chrome isn't working for me. Thoughts?
Diane, outlook worked fine until October 24, 2019—KB4522355 (OS Build 18362.449) was applied. Now I get the "restricted message" when opening a link. I'm an SE and tried every setting I could think of, even attempted to remove the update (which failed) also tried installing ie11 which fails (missing module). running 10 pro. Also having issues certain executables (addLEDs is one) where it executes but no video presents, and with VM box w10 trying to access an HP printer (can't find it).
My browser is Brave (Chromium based) not Explorer. I'm on Windows 10 Pro.
Recently, a hardware failure during a botched RAM upgrade corrupted my OS and I had to restore the last good image (where links worked inside Outlook 2003). But I'm finding that when I click on a link in Outlook, nothing happens at all. This worked at the time I backed up the image of my system on July 1. But the restored image doesn't work properly.
These keys are missing from the registry. But I don't want Explorer. I want Brave to open. Is there a way to default to Brave?
After trying multiple fixes this one worked. Thank you so much.
I use Chrome and have it set as my default everything yet each time a restart is done I get the "How to you want to open" thing on my desktop after the initial log in without opening anything at all.
Diane,
I suggest that a better title for this article would be "Outlook hyperlinks - prompts to specify browser every time"