# Links in Outlook email don't work



## plnelson (Aug 4, 2004)

I recently started using Outlook 2003 and I'm pretty happy with it except that when I get email with embedded links they don't work. When I click on them *nothing happens*. But if I look in the HTML and extract the href and paste it into my browser they go right to the site.

My default browser is Firefox, and before someone says, "Outlook only works with IE", please *note*: Oulook's Help is also links and when I click on them they come up just fine - *in Firefox!*. So this problem only seems to apply to email messages.

Thanks in advance!

PS - I do have IE8 installed because I develop websites and I need it for testing, but I don't want it to be my default browser.


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## azmak (Jun 19, 2008)

have you tried to uninstall IE8 and revert back to IE7 and checked.


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## plnelson (Aug 4, 2004)

azmak said:


> have you tried to uninstall IE8 and revert back to IE7 and checked.


No I haven't. Why do you suggest that?

1. Firefox (not IE8) is my default browser so I don't see what IE has to do with it.

2. I have IE8 installed because I use it for testing (as I mentioned in the OP)

Does anyone have any ideas here - this is driving me nuts!


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## Dragoen (Apr 10, 2009)

Hi plnelson,

I have seen this happen if the email is in your junk folder, the links won't work until you move the email to a regular inbox folder or change the (what i believe are) common default settings. Go to: Tools/Options/Preferences Tab/Junk Email button/Options Tab and review which settings you have selected. The bottom one turns off links in messages. 

I agree with you that the default browser has nothing to do with this. I don't know of any other Outlook setting that affects links though. The security settings section addresses scripting and active-x but you may want to look through those settings also.

Hope that helps,


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## plnelson (Aug 4, 2004)

Dragoen said:


> Hi plnelson,
> 
> I have seen this happen if the email is in your junk folder, the links won't work until you move the email to a regular inbox folder or change the (what i believe are) common default settings.
> . . .
> ...


*BINGO! * Thank you!

You know this is a fascinating example of psychology and observer bias on my part!

Because of the way my spam filters work the emails I get with lots of links end up in "Junk" and the regular emails from friends, which don't have embedded links in them, end up in my Inbox. 

Buts lots of stuff that ends up in Junk really is stuff I'm interested in - for example articles in sw engineering websites I subscribe to, or notifications from Facebook - so those are the things I click on. So it never dawned on me that this problem is unique to Junk. But it is.

Thank you again! :grin::grin::grin:

(whew!!)


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