If links open in Microsoft Edge when you want another browser, identify where the link was clicked first. Set the preferred browser in Windows for system-wide behavior, then check Outlook or Teams if the problem is limited to those apps. Windows defaults and application-specific link settings are separate controls.
Find out which setting is controlling the link
A link can be launched by Windows itself, an individual file or protocol association, Outlook, Teams, or another application. Changing the Windows default browser fixes system-wide links, but an app can have its own preference for hyperlinks. Start by testing the scope instead of changing several settings at once.
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Run two quick tests
- Open a web link from a general location, such as a document, a search result, or another app that is not Outlook or Teams. Note which browser opens.
- Open a link in the app where you noticed the problem. Compare the result with the first test.
- Every test opens Edge: start with Windows Default apps and then inspect the association for the particular link type.
- Only Outlook links open Edge: change Outlook’s hyperlink preference.
- Only Teams links open Edge: change Teams’ link-open preference.
- Outlook and Teams both behave differently: check the shared Outlook/Teams preference and the individual app menus.
This separation matters because Microsoft’s documentation states that the Outlook and Teams behavior does not replace the Windows default browser setting. The Windows control and the app control can therefore produce different results. See Microsoft’s Outlook and Teams hyperlink guidance.
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Set your preferred browser as Windows’ default
Choose the section for your Windows version. You can use any installed browser that appears in Default apps; the exact browser name is not important to the procedure.
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Windows 11
- Open Settings.
- Select Apps, then Default apps.
- Use the search box to find your preferred browser and select it.
- Review the browser’s listed defaults and set it for web link types that still point to Microsoft Edge.
Windows 11 also lets you search Default apps by an individual file extension or link protocol. If ordinary web links use your preferred browser but one category still opens Edge, search for that specific association rather than changing every default again. Microsoft’s instructions for application, file-type, and protocol defaults are on its Change default apps in Windows page.
Windows 10
- Open Start and select Settings.
- Choose Apps, then Default apps.
- Under Web browser, select the browser you want Windows to use.
- If Windows asks you to confirm a change for a link type, accept the choice for the browser you selected.
The documented Windows 10 route is Start > Settings > Apps > Default apps > Web browser. The Windows 11 interface presents the same decision through the selected browser’s Default apps page, so labels and layout differ even though the purpose is the same. Microsoft’s Edge support documentation describes both routes at Update to the new Microsoft Edge.
Understand file and link-type associations
“The default browser” is a group of associations, not always one switch. Windows can assign a program to a file extension or to a protocol. A particular link may therefore continue to launch Edge even after you selected another browser for the general Web browser entry.
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- Normal HTTP or HTTPS links open in your chosen browser, but links from one application still open Edge.
- Only a particular kind of link, such as a custom application link, behaves differently.
- An app opens a web page through a protocol that is not the ordinary browser association.
Check the individual association in Windows 11
- Go to Settings > Apps > Default apps.
- Search for the extension or protocol named by the link type, or search for the browser and inspect its assigned entries.
- Select the entry that still lists Microsoft Edge.
- Choose your preferred browser and confirm the change.
Microsoft documents searching Default apps by file type or link type, rather than assuming that the browser-level choice covers every association. If you cannot identify the protocol, test a normal HTTPS link and then the problem link; the difference tells you whether the issue is a special association or an app preference.
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Stop Outlook links opening in Edge
Outlook has its own hyperlink choice. Use the path that matches the Outlook edition installed on your Windows computer. New Outlook and classic Outlook do not put the control in the same menu.
New Outlook for Windows
- Open Outlook.
- Select Settings.
- Open General, then Files and links.
- Find Open hyperlinks from Outlook in.
- Select your preferred browser and close the settings pane.
This setting controls hyperlinks opened from new Outlook for Windows. If Windows links outside Outlook still launch Edge, set the Windows default separately; the Outlook choice is not a replacement for that system setting.
Classic Outlook for Windows
- Open classic Outlook.
- Select File, then Options.
- Open Advanced.
- Scroll to File and browser preferences.
- Choose the browser Outlook should use for hyperlinks and save the change.
Classic Outlook’s path is different from new Outlook’s path because the two products use different settings layouts. If you do not see Files and links, you may be using classic Outlook; if you do not see File and browser preferences, you may be using new Outlook.
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What the Outlook choice affects
Microsoft says the documented Outlook/Teams link preference applies to web links from the Windows Outlook and Teams apps and can affect both applications. It still does not alter Windows’ default browser association. If Outlook uses your preferred browser but Teams does not, open Teams’ own setting next.
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Stop Teams links opening in Edge
- Open Teams.
- Open Settings.
- Select Files and links.
- Under Link open preferences, select the browser you want Teams to use.
The Teams control is intended for web links opened from the Windows Teams app. It is separate from Windows’ Default apps page, so a change here does not make the selected browser the Windows-wide default. Microsoft’s support article lists the Teams path and explains the boundary between the app preference and Windows defaults: Web links from Outlook emails and Teams chats open in Microsoft Edge.
If the Teams menu is missing
- Confirm that you are using the Windows Teams application, not a browser tab.
- Look for the current labels Files and links and Link open preferences; Microsoft can move labels as Teams updates.
- Use Windows Default apps for links launched elsewhere, because the Teams preference only covers links opened from the documented Windows app context.
Choose the right control for the symptom
| Where the link was clicked | Control to change | Windows 11 path | Windows 10 or app path | Scope |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Most applications and ordinary web links | Windows default browser | Settings > Apps > Default apps; search for the browser | Start > Settings > Apps > Default apps > Web browser | System-wide browser association |
| One specific link type or protocol | Windows file/link association | Settings > Apps > Default apps; search the extension or protocol | Use the available Default apps association controls | Only that extension or protocol |
| New Outlook for Windows | Outlook hyperlink preference | Settings > General > Files and links | Same new Outlook path | Hyperlinks opened from new Outlook; Microsoft says the related Outlook/Teams behavior can affect both apps |
| Classic Outlook for Windows | Outlook file and browser preference | File > Options > Advanced > File and browser preferences | Same classic Outlook path | Hyperlinks opened from classic Outlook |
| Teams for Windows | Teams link-open preference | Settings > Files and links > Link open preferences | Same Teams path | Web links opened from the Windows Teams app |
Use the narrowest control that matches the symptom. For example, if only Outlook is affected, changing every Windows association is unnecessary; if every app is affected, changing only Outlook will not solve the system-wide problem.
Why Edge can still open after you changed the default
The link came from Outlook or Teams
Outlook and Teams can retain an app-level browser preference. Check the relevant menu in addition to Windows Default apps. Their preference can be different from the browser Windows uses for other applications.
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Windows 11 supports separate defaults for link types and protocols. Revisit Settings > Apps > Default apps and search for the association that behaves differently. Do not infer from one successful HTTPS test that every protocol has changed.
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You changed the wrong Outlook edition
New Outlook uses Settings > General > Files and links; classic Outlook uses File > Options > Advanced > File and browser preferences. A setting changed in one edition does not prove that the other edition uses the same menu or preference.
The link is being handled by another application
Some third-party applications provide their own browser setting, while others simply call Windows. The Microsoft guidance cited here does not document one universal override for every Windows component or every third-party program. Test the link in its originating app and look for that app’s browser or link preference before making further system changes.
The interface changed after an update
Menu names can shift with Windows, Outlook, and Teams updates. Match the current labels to the paths above rather than relying on the exact screen position. The functional categories remain: Windows Default apps, a file or protocol association, Outlook’s hyperlink preference, or Teams’ link-open preference.
A complete troubleshooting sequence
Follow this order when the first change does not solve the problem. It prevents an app-specific setting from being mistaken for a Windows failure.
- Record the source: note the exact application and whether the link is an ordinary web address or a special link type.
- Test outside that app: open a normal web link from a different location. This establishes whether Windows itself is using Edge.
- Set the Windows default: use the Windows 10 or Windows 11 path above and select the preferred browser.
- Check the link association: if only one category still opens Edge, inspect the extension or protocol in Windows 11 Default apps.
- Set the originating app: use the new Outlook, classic Outlook, or Teams path that matches the source.
- Test both scopes again: open one ordinary link and one link from the original app. Record whether the behavior changed in one scope or both.
- Stop when the scope is correct: do not change unrelated associations if the remaining behavior belongs to a different application preference.
Practical examples
Every link in Windows opens Edge
Open Windows Default apps and select your preferred browser. If an ordinary HTTP or HTTPS link still opens Edge, inspect the browser’s listed associations and the specific HTTP/HTTPS entries. This is a Windows-level case, not an Outlook-only case.
Only email links open Edge
Test a link from another application first. If it opens in your preferred browser, open the correct Outlook edition and change its hyperlink setting. Leave the Windows default unchanged if it already produces the behavior you want elsewhere.
Outlook is fixed but Teams is not
Open Teams’ Settings > Files and links > Link open preferences and choose the same browser. The two apps can expose separate menus even though Microsoft’s documentation describes a related Outlook/Teams preference.
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One Teams message link still opens Edge
Compare that link with a normal HTTPS link. If only the special link differs, inspect its Windows protocol association. If all Teams web links differ, return to Teams’ link-open preference.
What these settings do—and do not do
- Windows Default apps: chooses the browser Windows associates with supported web links and lets Windows 11 manage individual file or protocol types.
- Outlook preference: chooses the browser for hyperlinks opened from the applicable Windows Outlook app.
- Teams preference: chooses the browser for web links opened from the Windows Teams app.
- None of these is a universal guarantee for every program: another application may provide its own preference or use a specialized protocol.
Keeping these scopes separate is the reliable way to stop unwanted Edge launches without breaking a link type that another application requires.
Version and availability notes
The procedures here cover Windows 10 and Windows 11, plus the Windows versions of Outlook and Teams described by Microsoft. New and classic Outlook have different navigation, and product updates can rename or reposition menu items. If a label is not visible, identify the app edition first, then look for the corresponding category—Files and links, Link open preferences, or File and browser preferences—rather than assuming the Windows browser setting is missing.
For the authoritative Windows instructions, consult Change default apps in Windows. For the Outlook and Teams-specific behavior and paths, consult Web links from Outlook emails and Teams chats open in Microsoft Edge. Microsoft’s Edge documentation covering the Windows 10 and Windows 11 default-browser routes is available at Update to the new Microsoft Edge.
Quick Recap
Final checklist
- Tested a link outside the problem application.
- Set the preferred browser under Windows Default apps.
- Checked the individual protocol or link type when only one category was affected.
- Used the new Outlook path if using new Outlook.
- Used the classic Outlook path if using classic Outlook.
- Checked Teams’ Link open preferences for Teams-only behavior.
- Retested both a general link and a link from the original app.
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