Links Not Opening From Emails/Shortcuts

Owned by Kimberly Lyons
Jun 24, 2021
2 min read

A recent Windows update has caused intermittent problems with links being opened from emails or desktop shortcuts. The most common error includes the following, which occurs when a link is clicked in Outlook (such as a Zoom meeting invite):

Solution

  1. Search the computer for Default apps and set the default Web browser to the preferred browser:

  2. Double-click a shortcut on their desktop (such as Colleague). This should cause a ‘How do you want to open this file?’ prompt to appear. Ensure that "Internet Browser" is selected:

  3. Close Outlook completely and reopen it. Try opening a link again.

  4. If it still throws the above error, go back to Default apps, click on Choose default apps by file type, and make sure .htm and .html are both set to the preferred web browser.

  5. Repeat step 3.