Home » Outlook » Hyperlinks Not Working in Outlook? Here are the Easy Fixes

Outlook is undoubtedly a feature-rich application. But don’t think that it is entirely free of technical issues. You can encounter certain situations while using the application, which may render you clueless about how to fix them. One of the common concerns is regarding hyperlinks not working in Outlook. When opening links from within the application, you will find messages that say that your organization’s policies are coming in between completing the action for you. This problem arises when your default internet browser isn’t correctly registered in the operating system. Usually, you will find hyperlinks not working after uninstalling Chrome or modifying the default browser. In this article, you’ll find some effective troubleshooting to resolve the problem.

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Symptoms of Hyperlinks Not Working in Outlook

Let’s suppose that you consider Internet Explorer as the default browser in Windows. When hyperlinks are not working in the MS Outlook application, you’ll get either of the following error messages as per the version of your Outlook. 

• The first will inform you that the operation is canceled because of a restriction on the system. You must contact your system administrator.
• The other error message says that the policies of your organization are obstructing the task of finishing the action for you. It will prompt you to contact the help desk.

Related Post:- How To Open Outlook in Safe Mode

 

Troubleshooting Hyperlinks Not Working in Outlook

Apart from changing the default browser, you will find hyperlinks in Outlook not working because of the error of the general failure system that cannot locate the specified URL. Here are the resolutions you should try.

 

1. Modify the Registry Key

It is one of the most straightforward measures you can try. Follow these steps to edit Registry Key. 

• In the Windows 10 Search Box, input ‘CMD.’
• Then, right-tap on it and ‘Run as Administrator.’
• Next, run the commands below one at a time in Command prompt window. 

1. 1. REG ADD HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.htm /ve /d htmlfile /f
   2. REG ADD HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.html /ve /d htmlfile /f
   3. REG ADD HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.shtml /ve /d htmlfile /f
   4. REG ADD HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.xht /ve /d htmlfile /f
   5. REG ADD HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.xhtml /ve /d htmlfile /f

• Exit the Command Prompt window and launch Outlook again. 

 

2. Make Internet Explorer Your Default Browser

Many users have found that making Internet Explorer the default browser when hyperlinks are not working in Outlook on Windows 10 resolves their problem. Go through these steps to set the default browser to Internet Explorer. 

• In Windows 10 Search Box, look for default apps. 
• Next, tap on your default browser and switch it to Internet Explorer. 
• In the window of ‘Default Apps,’ go to the web browser and change it to Internet Explorer. 

 

3. Reset the Internet Explorer Configuration

It is another effective technique to use when you find the hyperlinks are not working in Outlook Windows 10. To reset the settings of Internet Explorer, open it and follow these points.

• Choose ‘Tools’ in the Internet Explorer followed by ‘Internet Options.’
• Select ‘Advanced’ in the popup, followed by ‘Reset.’
• In the window of ‘Reset Internet Explorer Settings, ’ choose ‘Delete personal settings.’
• Tap ‘Reset’ and select ‘Close.’
• Restart your Internet Explorer.

 

4. Reconfigure the Default Programs

If resetting the Internet Explorer settings did not make the hyperlinks work, try resetting the default programs. Follow these points to reset them.

• Choose ‘Tools’ in the Internet Explorer followed by ‘Internet Options.’
• Opt for ‘Programs’ followed by ‘Set Programs.’
• Now choose ‘Set your default programs.’
• Choose ‘Microsoft Outlook’ followed by ‘Set this program as default.’
• Go to the top of the list of default programs and highlight Internet Explorer. Now choose ‘Set this program as default.’
• Choose ‘OK’ and exit the ‘Default Programs’ dialog box.
• Restart your computer.

 

5. Fix Microsoft Office

You can also repair the entire Microsoft Office package when hyperlinks are not working in Outlook. Go through these steps to repair Office. 

• Launch the Control Panel.
• Navigate to ‘Programs and Features.’ You’ll see a list of all installed programs. 
• Right-tap on the Microsoft Office package and choose ‘Change.’
• Then choose ‘Repair’ followed by ‘Continue.’
• Go through the entire repair procedure. 
• Once finished, start your device again. 

 

6. Run the System File Checker 

This utility scans all protected system files to see if any of them are corrupted. It then tries to repair it by copying every corrupted file’s cached copy from the %WinDir%\system32\dllcache folder. You can run it by following these steps. 

• Launch the Start menu, and input ‘CMD’ on the search.
• Choose ‘Command Prompt’ from the results. 
• Right-tap it and choose ‘Run as Administrator.’
• When the command prompt appears, input the ‘sfc /scannow’ command and hit Enter. 
• You will see ‘Beginning system scan’ written. The process will take some time. 

 

7. Scrape Away the MS Office Client and Reinstall It

Often, a simple repair doesn’t yield results. In that case, you must scrape off MS Office from your computer. After doing that, reinstall it. You must download the scrape tool before you use this method.

• For downloading the scrape tool, visit this link and follow option number 2.
• After downloading the tool, run it on your system. It will remove all Microsoft Office components from your computer.
• Now reinstall MS Office. You can reinstall it online or from the disk. Use the same key for it. Now the issue of hyperlinks not working in Outlook will not bother you.

 

8. Inspect Problems with Your Mail Server

Do you find that the hyperlink isn’t working even after checking another mail and changing your browser? Well, the problem may be with your email server. Although you can trust common email services like Hotmail and Gmail, there are many other email services that don’t give the feature to open hyperlinks. If you are using one of them, you cannot do anything but change your email service. 

 

Final Thoughts

Finding hyperlinks not working in Outlook can feel like a nuisance, especially if you need to urgently visit the link’s source. But you can refer to this article and get the issue resolved. There are so many ways to make the hyperlinks work. Still, if the issue persists or you cannot understand a specific technique, contact the expert Outlook support services. The professionals will fix the underlying problem that’s preventing hyperlinks from functioning.