Outlook is increasingly becoming the mail app of choice for businesses and individuals in the Microsoft ecosystem. If you use OneNote, Teams, and other Microsoft apps, Outlook integrates seamlessly with them, making it a no-brainer.

While several new features in Outlook improve the user experience, you may not be too pleased with the fact that when you click on a link in an email, it now opens in a Microsoft Edge window inside Outlook. If you prefer to use Chrome or Firefox, don’t worry. Here’s a simple way to change the default browser in Outlook so that your links open in the browser of your choice.

👁 ThinkPad X1 Laptop near window running Outlook 365
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How to change the internal browser in Outlook

Microsoft has cleverly tucked away the option to change the default browser. It’s buried in the Advanced Settings section, making accessing it slightly less straightforward. Here’s how you can get to it.

This method to change the default browser in Outlook is only applicable to the Windows version of the app. The macOS app will automatically open links in your Mac’s default browser. It’s also worth noting that the method only works on the Classic version of Outlook.

  1. Open the Outlook app on your PC.
  2. Click on File in the top-left corner and select Options.
  3. Make your way to the Advanced tab using the pane on the left.
  4. Under File and browser preferences, you’ll find an option that says Open hyperlinks from Outlook in. Choose the Default Browser as your preference.
  5. Click on OK to apply the change.

Restart Outlook for the changes to take effect. When you reopen Outlook, try clicking on a link within an email to see if it opens in the browser of your choice. If it doesn't, you might want to check the default browser on your PC.

Ensure you’ve customized the default browser on your PC

Now that all internal links within Outlook are set to open in your computer’s default browser, it’s important to make sure you’ve set the right browser as the default one. Otherwise, Microsoft will leave no stone unturned to convince you to switch to Edge. Here’s how to check this and choose your default browser.

  1. Click on the Start button on your computer. Look for the Settings app and launch it.
  2. Navigate to the Apps section using the pane on the left. Then, click on Default apps.
  3. Scroll through the list of apps to find the preferred browser of your choice. We’re using Google Chrome as an example here.
  4. Once you click on the browser app of your choice, select the Set default button.

Make sure you change all the relevant file types such as .htm, .html, etc. to also open in the browser of your choice using the toggles on the same page.

Switch away from Edge

While Microsoft’s attempts to push you to their first-party browser are never-ending, you can, thankfully, change to your favorite browser with just a few clicks. You can now open links from Outlook in any browser of your choice without having to deal with Edge.