Outlook Opening Links in Edge Instead of Chrome? How to Fix It

Outlook opens links in Microsoft Edge because Microsoft changed Outlook for Windows to send web links to Edge, ignoring your Windows default browser unless you tell Outlook otherwise. To fix it, open Outlook’s own browser setting (File > Options > Advanced > Open hyperlinks from Outlook in in classic Outlook, or Settings > General > Files and links in new Outlook) and choose Default Browser or Chrome.

The rest of this guide covers why this happens, the exact steps for each version of Outlook and Teams, what to check if the option is missing, and what IT admins can set for a whole organization. Menu names below are accurate as of October 2026, but Microsoft does move these settings around, so details may change.

Why Outlook ignores your default browser

Microsoft announced in 2023 that web links clicked in Outlook and Teams on Windows would open in Microsoft Edge, as Redmond Magazine reported at the time. Microsoft’s support article describes the idea: when a link opens in Edge, the original Outlook email or Teams chat also opens in Edge’s sidebar so you can see both side by side.

A few points about scope:

• Windows only. Microsoft says the behavior applies to the Outlook for Windows apps and the Teams desktop app for Windows. University IT pages such as Pitt’s describe it on Windows 10 and Windows 11. Mac users aren’t affected.
• Outlook overrides Windows. Changing your Windows default to Chrome isn’t enough on its own. Outlook’s own setting wins, so you need to change it inside Outlook.
• Who sees it. Sources describe the rollout differently. Some point to Microsoft 365 Personal and Family subscriptions, while others describe it as affecting Outlook for Windows generally, including work accounts. If you see links opening in Edge, the fix below applies either way.

How to make Outlook open links in Chrome

First, figure out which Outlook you have. Classic Outlook has a File tab in the top-left corner. New Outlook doesn’t have a File tab; it has a gear icon for Settings in the top-right.

Classic Outlook for Windows

1. Open Outlook and select File, then Options.
2. Select Advanced in the left pane.
3. Find the File and browser preferences section.
4. In the Open hyperlinks from Outlook in dropdown, select Default Browser (or pick Chrome directly if it’s listed).
5. Select OK and click a link in an email to test it.

Picking Default Browser is usually the better choice. Outlook will then follow whatever browser Windows uses, so if you ever switch from Chrome to another browser, you only change it in one place.

New Outlook for Windows

1. Select the gear icon (Settings) in the top-right corner.
2. Go to General, then Files and links.
3. Under Open hyperlinks from Outlook in, choose Default Browser or Chrome.
4. Save, close Settings, and test a link.

Sources don’t fully agree here. Microsoft’s support article and a Microsoft Q&A answer both point to Settings > General > Files and links, but some third-party guides say certain builds of new Outlook have no browser setting at all and simply use the system default. If you don’t see the option, skip to the Windows default browser steps below, then see the section on missing options.

Microsoft Teams (desktop app for Windows)

Teams links follow the same Microsoft change, and Microsoft documents a separate setting for them:

1. Open Teams and go to Settings.
2. Go to Files and links.
3. Under Link open preferences, choose your default browser instead of Microsoft Edge.

Some IT help pages say the Outlook and Teams preferences are linked, so changing one changes the other. Microsoft documents them as separate settings, so check both.

Make sure Chrome is the Windows default browser

If Outlook is set to Default Browser but links still open in Edge, Windows itself may still have Edge as the handler for web links.

1. Open Windows Settings, then Apps, then Default apps.
2. Select Google Chrome in the list.
3. Check that the HTTP and HTTPS link types are assigned to Chrome; if either still shows Edge, select it and choose Chrome.
4. Restart Outlook and test a link again.

If the option is missing or greyed out

At work or school, a greyed-out or missing browser option usually means your IT department manages it. A Microsoft Q&A answer about new Outlook notes that if the choice isn’t available, the behavior is likely controlled by an organization-wide policy. In that case, there’s nothing you can safely change yourself. Ask your IT team whether they can set the policy to use the system default browser.

Also note that links to Word, Excel or PowerPoint files stored in OneDrive or SharePoint can be governed by a separate setting about how Outlook opens Office files. That’s different from the browser used for ordinary website links, so a file link might open in an Office app or Edge even after you’ve fixed regular links.

For IT admins: the “Choose which browser opens web links” policy

Microsoft’s admin documentation describes a policy called Choose which browser opens web links for managing this across an organization:

• Where to set it: the Cloud Policy service for Microsoft 365 (formerly the Office Cloud Policy Service), in the Microsoft 365 Apps admin center, or the Administrative Templates for Microsoft 365 Apps if you use Group Policy.
• Options: when enabled, you can choose System default browser or Microsoft Edge.
• If you don’t configure it: links open in Edge, and each user can pick their preferred browser in the app’s settings.
• If you do configure it: users can no longer change the browser from Outlook’s or Teams’ settings menus.

Licensing is the unclear part. Microsoft’s support article has said that on Microsoft 365 for business plans the policy can manage Teams but not Outlook, while other Microsoft documentation says Teams has no subscription restriction and Outlook support depends on your subscription. Check Microsoft’s current documentation for your plan before you rely on the policy for Outlook.

Quick troubleshooting checklist

1. Confirm whether you’re in classic or new Outlook, and use the matching steps above.
2. Set Open hyperlinks from Outlook in to Default Browser.
3. Set Chrome as the Windows default, including HTTP and HTTPS.
4. Fix Teams separately under Link open preferences.
5. Fully restart Outlook (and Teams) after changing settings.
6. If the option is locked, contact your IT team, since the policy overrides user settings.

Once Outlook’s setting and the Windows default agree, links should open in Chrome.