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How Do I Set Default Browser for Outlook?

Alex Schenker Updated: December 19, 2017 Web Browser 77 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?

Alex Schenker

Alex bring a series of in-depth articles on search marketing and content management systems as well as troubleshooting tips to We Rock Your Web's collection. He is an avid tennis player, nature enthusiast, and hiker, and enjoys spending time with his wife, friends, and dogs, Bella and Lily.

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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!

anant mitra

I can’t find “URL:HyperText Transfer Protocol” in the above mentioned. There is only “URL:internet shortcut”. I’m using Windows XP servicepack3.

Kimberly Alt (Admin)

Try going to Start/Run and type: REGSVR32 URLMON.DLL

Then open Internet Explorer, Tools menu, Options, Program Tab, and click “Reset Web Settings” button.

Does it appear now for you?

anant mitra

Yes, now it’s appearing and I had successfully changed its default to Firefox, but not through the above mentioned way. Thanks!

Kimberly Alt (Admin)

Glad we found a solution for you Anant! Thank you for letting me know that this way works. I’m sure it will help another Outlook user!

Dave

Thank you so much!!!! I had a couple of bugs from a malware that I deleted and the above fixed my problem of links in Outlook would open putty window instead of IE.
Thanks…

Guest

Am I the only person who has issues with Outlook? I’ve been using computers since I was in high school. I’m in my late 30’s now. (Yes, I was around when the Commodore 64 was a big deal.) In all the time I’ve been using the Internet I’ve never been able to use Outlook. In fact, I don’t even try to any more. I don’t even know what the benefits of using it at all would be. Maybe I can send emails without having to cut and paste the email address into the actual email that I use? I mean, I think the only time this even comes up is when I click on the “contact us” button on someone’s website or maybe Craigslist. Other than that I have no idea what it can do.

Maybe I’m missing out on something. Since there seems to be an issue with using browsers other than Internet Explorer, which I don’t use, I can’t see where this would be of any use for me. I’m not trying to detract from the article though. I love the way you put it in simple terms and easy steps to follow. I guess the program just isn’t for me.

Doktor_O

When I use Outlook on my local machine, it correctly opens links in my default browser, which is Firefox. When I use OWA inside IE (web based outlook), it forces my links to open in IE, even though my default browser is Firefox. I feel that OWA is somehow corrupting my links, effectively taking control of my incoming mail and editing it to Microsoft’s liking. Is that legal?

Paul d'Aoust

That’s proper behaviour, actually — if you used Gmail or Hotmail in Internet Explorer, links within e-mails would open in Internet Explorer as well. It’s just the way web browsers work; if you click on a link, it’ll always use the same web browser as the page the link was on — in this case, the OWA web page, which you’re viewing in IE.

8chbomb

OK, I’ve set my default browser to Chrome, and I’ve associated all file types and protocols with Chrome. Still, no dice!

I’m about to uninstall IE, or throw my machine out the window (both of which are probably bad). Before I go there, does anyone have any suggestions other than the ones listed here?

Thanks in advance for your thoughtful consideration.

Ronny

Look to see what version of IE you have installed. I FireFox for browsing, however, Outlook uses IE for html emails. If you have anything later than IE 9 installed, unistall any IE updates until you are back to IE 9. Hope this fixes your problem.

Kimberly Alt (Admin)

Thanks for helping out a fellow reader Ronny!

Len D'Alberti

… throw Windows out the window

seriously, replace your Windows install with just about any flavor of Linux and you’ll be a happier human being for it; if you can afford it, switch to OSX (Mac).

James

Figuring out how to change the default browser in Outlook from IE to Chrome has been bugging me for quite some time now, your instructions totally did the trick, thank you! (NOTE: I’m using Windows 7). One small piece of advice for anyone having trouble: once you’ve pulled up “Set Default Programs”, click on Google Chrome in the left viewing field, then select “Choose defaults for this program” (instead of “Set this program as default”) at the bottom right. Then click on “Select All” toward the top left of the window which opens, that way ALL of your web defaults related to Outlook (and other programs) are set to Chrome. Thanks again! James

Kimberly Alt (Admin)

James, thank you so much for reading and commenting! I’m so glad the article helped you out and thank you for writing some suggestions in your comment. They will be very helpful to our readers!

-Kimberly

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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