How to Change Which Browser Opens Links in Outlook

To choose which browser opens links in classic Outlook for Windows, go to File > Options > Advanced, find File and browser preferences, and set Open hyperlinks from Outlook in to Default Browser. Links then open in whatever browser Windows uses as its default, so set Chrome, Firefox, or another browser as the Windows default too.

These steps cover classic Outlook for Windows (Outlook for Microsoft 365), the new Outlook for Windows, Outlook on a Mac, and the Outlook app for iPhone and Android. On Windows, recent versions of Outlook open links in Microsoft Edge by default even when you’ve picked another browser in Windows, which is why most people end up looking for this setting.

Why Outlook Opens Links in Edge

Outlook doesn’t have a list of browsers to pick from. It has two choices: Microsoft Edge or Default Browser, meaning the browser Windows is set to use for web links.

Microsoft changed the starting choice to Edge for Outlook and Teams on Windows 10 and Windows 11, beginning with Outlook build 16.0.16227.20280. When Edge opens a link this way, it can show the email in a pane on the side of the browser window so you can read both at once. Microsoft explains the change on its Outlook and Teams links in Edge support page.

Two things follow from that:

• Changing your Windows default browser alone may not be enough. If Outlook is set to Microsoft Edge, it ignores the Windows default.
• Outlook and Teams share the setting. If you change it in Outlook, the Teams desktop app follows, and the other way around.

The first time you click a link after the change, you may see a banner with Try Edge and Manage my settings buttons. Choosing Manage my settings switches you back to your default browser.

Change the Link Setting in Classic Outlook

Classic Outlook is the version with the File tab at the top left and the Ribbon of large buttons. If you don’t see a File tab, skip to the new Outlook section.

1. Open Outlook and click the File tab in the upper-left corner. The Account Information screen opens.
2. Click Options at the bottom of the left column. The Outlook Options window opens.
3. Click Advanced in the left column.
4. Scroll down to the File and browser preferences section.
5. Click the drop-down menu next to Open hyperlinks from Outlook in and choose Default Browser. Choose Microsoft Edge instead if you want links in Edge no matter what your Windows default is.

6. Click OK to close the Options window.

Click a link in any email to test it. If Edge still opens, close Outlook completely and open it again, then check that Windows is set to the browser you want (next sections).

Change the Link Setting in the New Outlook

The new Outlook for Windows has a simpler toolbar, no File tab, and a gear icon in the upper-right corner.

1. Click the Settings gear icon at the top right of the Outlook window. The Settings window opens.
2. Select General in the left column.
3. Select Files and links.
4. Find Open hyperlinks from Outlook in and choose Default browser from the drop-down menu.

5. Close the Settings window. The change applies right away.

Because the new Outlook and classic Outlook share this preference with Teams, you only need to change it in one place.

Not every setting is shared that way. The new email sound is set separately in each version, so read how to turn off the new email sound in Outlook.

Set Your Default Browser in Windows 11

Once Outlook is set to use the default browser, Windows decides which browser that is. Install the browser you want first if you haven’t already.

1. Right-click the Start button and select Settings.
2. Select Apps in the left column, then Default apps.
3. Under Set defaults for applications, scroll down or search for your browser, such as Google Chrome or Firefox, and click it.
4. At the top of the page, next to Make [browser name] your default browser, click Set default.

After you click Set default, the list below should show your browser next to .htm, .html, HTTP, and HTTPS. HTTP and HTTPS are the two link types that web addresses in email use, so those two rows are the ones that matter for Outlook. If either still shows Microsoft Edge, click it and pick your browser.

On Windows 11 version 25H2, a window can also pop up the first time you open a link or web file after installing a new browser, asking which app to use. Pick your browser and click Always. If you click Just once, your default doesn’t change and Windows asks again next time.

On Windows 10, go to Settings > Apps > Default apps, click the browser listed under Web browser, and choose a new one. Windows 10 stopped receiving regular support in October 2025, so the screens may not match newer guides.

For more detail on each screen, read how to change the default browser in Windows 11 and making Google Chrome the default browser in Windows 11.

Stop Edge From Opening the Outlook Side Pane

If you decide to keep links opening in Edge but don’t want the email to pop open next to the page, type edge://settings/sidebar in the Edge address bar and press Enter. Under App and notification settings, find the Outlook option and turn off Automatically open Outlook email context in the side pane.

Outlook on a Mac, the Web, iPhone, and Android

Outlook for Mac doesn’t have its own browser setting. It always uses the Mac’s default browser. On macOS Ventura or later, open the Apple menu > System Settings > Desktop & Dock, scroll down, and pick a browser from the Default web browser menu. On older versions it’s under System Preferences > General. Both paths are on Apple’s default browser support page.

Outlook on the web and Outlook.com open links in a new tab of whatever browser you’re reading your email in. To use a different browser, sign in to Outlook.com in that browser.

The Outlook app on iPhone and Android can open links in Edge or in the phone’s default browser:

1. Tap your profile picture or account icon in the upper-left corner.
2. Tap the Settings gear icon.
3. Scroll down and tap Open Links With.
4. Choose your default browser or the browser you want instead of Edge.

If you don’t see Open Links With, your organization may have hidden it. Work accounts managed by an IT department can lock this choice.

On an iPhone, the default browser is set by iOS, not by Outlook. To change it, read about making Chrome the default browser on an iPhone.

If Links Still Open in the Wrong Browser

• Outlook is still set to Microsoft Edge. Go back to File > Options > Advanced (classic) or Settings > General > Files and links (new Outlook) and confirm it says Default Browser.
• Windows is still set to Edge for HTTP or HTTPS. Open Settings > Apps > Default apps, type HTTPS in the search box at the top, and make sure your browser is listed. Do the same for HTTP.
• The option is grayed out. If you use Outlook through work or school, an administrator can lock this setting with the Choose which browser opens web links policy. Ask your IT department to change it.
• The setting changed back. Outlook and Teams share this preference, so changing it in Teams changes it in Outlook too. Check both apps.
• Links in an attachment open somewhere else. This setting covers web links in the body of emails. Links inside a Word or PDF attachment open through the app that shows the attachment.
• Links to Office files open in Word, Excel, or PowerPoint. Links to documents stored in OneDrive or SharePoint can open in the desktop app instead of a browser. That choice is a separate Office setting, and the browser setting doesn’t override it.

Frequently Asked Questions