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How Do I Set Default Browser for Outlook?

Alex Schenker Updated: December 19, 2017 Web Browser 82 Comments

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Recently I was trying to figure out how do I set a default for my Outlook browser if I want it to be different from the auto-programmed Internet Explorer. Are you also wondering how to change default browser in Outlook and would like these links to open in your favorite browser, Firefox for example? Here are a few ways to make this change.

How Do I Set Default Browser for Outlook on Windows 7

Type “default programs” in the Start menu (bottom left of your screen) search box. This should bring up a screen that will let you select program defaults as well as default file types. You’ll want to set your favorite web browser as the default, which should force it to open your email links. If that still doesn’t work, select “Associate a file type or protocol with a program” and associate “”URL:HyperText Transfer Protocol” with your web browser of choice. Repeat for file types “HyperText Transfer Protocol with Privacy” and FTP.

How Do I Set Default Browser for Outlook on Windows XP

Open Explorer (any folder in Windows XP)
Select Tools -> Folder Options -> File Types
Click on an entry and type “URL” to jump down to the file type “URL:HyperText Transfer Protocol” (Extensions: None)
Click Advanced -> Edit File Type -> Open -> Edit
Clear the check (no check) for DDE and click OK

Repeat the above steps for file types “HyperText Transfer Protocol with Privacy” and FTP.

How Do I Set Default Browser for Outlook on Firefox 5+

Browse to Firefox (orange button in top left corner) > Options > Advanced > General tab > check “Always check to see if Firefox is the default browser on startup” (under the “System Defaults” section). You can also click the “Check Now” button to perform an immediate check. Finally, you can also visit Options > Applications to set application defaults for individual programs.

How Do I Set Default Browser for Outlook on Firefox 3.5+

As one of our readers pointed out, a simpler method to set Firefox as your default browser is to open Firefox, then browse to Tools -> Options -> “Main” tab. At the bottom, you’ll see an area labeled “System Defaults.” Click on the “Check Now” button. This will perform a check to see if Firefox is set to be your default browser. If it’s not, you’ll be given the option to make it the default.

Troubleshooting

If you still can’t get any of this to work to change default browser in Outlook, please comment below and we’ll do our best to help! Have other issues? Check out our other troubleshooting articles.

Do you use Outlook for your email?

About The Author: Alex Schenker

Alex has been involved on the business side of the internet since the early 2000's. He holds both a Management Science degree from the University of California at San Diego as well as a Computer Science degree from NJIT.

We Rock Your Web had its roots back in 2004 as the tech blog for a web design and development company Alex founded that has grown and evolved into the parent company of We Rock Your Web.

While his foundation is rooted in web development, his expertise today lies in content and digital marketing, SEO, organic and paid search, analytics, and publishing. Alex is an avid tennis player, nature enthusiast, and hiker, and enjoys spending time with his wife, friends, and dogs.

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Jeff

Thanks, it worked.

Paulos

great!! thanks a lot

Roger David

Does it work today in 2019 also? I’m going to try this in 2019. Let’s see if it works or not and I’ll post the update about if it worked or not. I’ll post here only.

Melinda Wells

I looked at the list provided for “Associate a file type or protocol with a program” and “URL:HyperText Transfer Protocol” was not included in the listing. I have Windows 7.

Diana Still

Thanks so much for “How Do I Set Default Browser for Outlook on Windows XP”. I’ve been trying to change this via the normal route with no success, but now it’s fixed!

doug

I am running Win10 with Outlook 2010. I did the Edge install months ago, and recently uninstalled IE11 since I was not using it, and did not like how sometimes it was getting launched on embedded links. I also figured why have two web browsers installed from the same author. Sort of like having both 32 and 64 bit versions of Firefox installed. Anyways back to the issue, ever since doing that I am unable to open web links in emails inside Outlook 2010. I get that stupid error “This operation has been cancelled due to restrictions in effect on this computer. Please contact your system administrator.” This is my home computer, I am retired, and living alone. This all means that I am my “system administrator”. Contacting myself did nothing to alleviate the issue. I know what caused it, I just need to know how to tell Outlook 2010 to use a different web browser for embedded URLs. All the online fixes seem to require IE to be installed. I have Edge installed, why do I need IE11 as well? I can’t be the only person that has done this, for the same reason, I am simply not that unique. Other than reinstalling IE11 and putting up with it opening web links in my emails using IE11 instead of Edge, how can I get one Microsoft app to talk to another Microsoft app, without an outdated Microsoft app installed as well?

Robert

Strugling bad, trying to get away from chrome becouse it’s no longer supported on this lg smart tv and I keep geting alerts and warnings how chome is out of date and when I try to change things out I run into A wall.

changingdefaultbrowser

worked like a charm for firefox, thanks!

Mike

I want to change the “default browser” for Outlook (2010). Chrome is already my default browser and links in emails open in Chrome. But if I open an email itself, it opens in IE. (Move group of the ribbon on a message, More Move Actions –> View in Browser.. The tooltip claims that this will open in my default browser but opens in IE.)

And obviously, I don’t want to associate the .msg file type with Chrome…

Patricia

Can you please tell me where to find what you’re telling me to select. Please be detailed as I am not all that computer savvy.: select “Associate a file type or protocol with a program” and associate “”URL:HyperText Transfer Protocol” with your web browser of choice. Repeat for file types

Lil

To launch links sent to your email with Google Chrome, try this. Click on Start at the bottom left corner of your monitor screen. Select Control Panel (right side of popup). Look for Default programs. Click on Associate a file type or protocol with a program. In the box, under Protocols, scroll down and look for HTTP. Click on it and select Google Chrome. Click Ok. Now select HTTPS, Click and select Google Chrome followed by Ok. Hope that works out for you.

Omer

Thanks! work’s great for win7

Kimberly Alt (Admin)

Happy we could help!

harcar2001

I don’t want to change my default browser on the whole, just for the links I click on in emails. Any way to do that? Thanks 🙂

Nixon Virtual Strategies

Thank you! Same here. I’m not a tech newbie and for the life of me, I hate that when I click a link in email it goes to IE. I don’t use IE ever unless I’m checking views of sites in different browsers. I’m using Win 10.

Paul Stafford

Me too, but I have one browser configured for a proxy, and one without. I want the browser WITHOUT the proxy to be opened whenever I click a link in Outlook, and the browser WITH the proxy to be the default any other time.

DeAnna

Thanks, I got it to work for being the most non-computer person around!

rememberSCSI?

In Win7, the Control Panel “Default Programs” is where you want to go. For me, however, “Set your default programs” was a bust because the programs listed there did not include most of the many non-MS programs I have installed, including Firefox.

Going into “Associate a file type…” I was able to associate .htm and .html to FF. In the same window, I scrolled down to Protocols, but could not change the association for FTP or HTTP because the Change Program dialog only displayed IE and did not have a button to browse for other programs. Anyone know a hack for this?

eddyj

Thanks, that’s a brilliant tip.

vetiarvi

Awesome. In Win 7 just click the top link in “Default programs” and then go to “Chrome” and click on the “Set this program as default”

kaydeel

I changed my defaults all to Chrome, but was still getting IE opening when clicking on a link from Office Depot. It was a mhtml file and it will not open in Chrome, as the file type is saved from IE. I changed it over to Chrome default for .mhtml and .mht but the page would not open at all. I had to switch it back to IE.

Just be careful when you are changing the default programs under “Associate a file type or protocol with a specific program” because some file types are specific to the browser. the .mhtml and .mht are the only ones I’ve found so far, but I’m sure there are more.

Linda Fair

What about Windows 10?

Jenny Down The Block

Thanks for the help with this! You solved a challenge in 2 minutes that I couldn’t solve in 3 days. 🙂

Ashley

Any idea how to change it from opening in Microsoft Edge and have it open in Internet Explorer in Windows 10? Thanks!

Jocelyn

THANK YOU!!!!!!! I was sick of clicking on links in my Outlook inbox and it opening automatically in Internet Explorer—finally through your help got it to open ONLY in Chrome!!!

Kimberly Alt (Admin)

Yay! So happy to hear it worked for you Jocelyn!

Cher Paganelli

I used the recommend fix for Windows 7. I did have to use the second part of the fix and find: the “Associate a file type or protocol with a program”, it’s there and it worked great. Thanks.

Kimberly Alt (Admin)

Glad it worked for you!

VerySmartGIrl

I’m not sure which Windows 7 you are using… but there’s no such place as:

If that still doesn’t work, select “Associate a file type or protocol with a program” and associate “URL:HyperText Transfer Protocol” with your web browser of choice. Repeat for file types “HyperText Transfer Protocol with Privacy” and FTP.

Arivazhagan A

Change the way it opens under:

Control Panel-> All Control Panel Items ->Default Programs

Set program access and computer defaults

custom -> choose default web browser and click your favorite one. For example, Chrome, IE, Firefox etc.

Ebone

This worked! Thank you so much 🙂

Alex Hamer

This worked for me, thanks! (I was using Chrome as Default, but links in Outlook were opening in Firefox, very annoying! They now open in Chrome!)

Kimberly Alt (Admin)

Glad this worked for you Alex! Thank you for posting about your success!

How Do I Set Default Browser for Outlook?

How Do I Set Default Browser for Outlook on Windows 7

How Do I Set Default Browser for Outlook on Windows XP

How Do I Set Default Browser for Outlook on Firefox 5+

How Do I Set Default Browser for Outlook on Firefox 3.5+

Troubleshooting

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