Microsoft forcing Outlook and Teams links to open in Edge

3 years ago 3

ARTICLE AD BOX

Microsoft 365 IT administrators have been informed that links in the Outlook and Teams apps will all open in the Edge browser in future, regardless of users’ default browser selection.

Reddit users first posted about the change late last week, citing communication in the Microsoft 365 Message Centre.

“Web links from Azure Active Directory (AAD) accounts and Microsoft (MSA) accounts in the Outlook for Windows app will open in Microsoft Edge in a single view showing the opened link side-by-side with the email it came from,” Microsoft said.

The same change applies to links posted in chats on Teams.

Microsoft said the change was intended to “increase productivity” as it would allow for opening the link in a side-by-side view with its source.

“The web link will open in Microsoft Edge as a new tab, and the email will open next to it in the Edge sidebar, so users can easily reference the opened link and email side-by-side without switching back and forth between apps,” the company stated.

Microsoft stated that the change would not affect a user’s default browser setting for Windows.

However, this is a curious claim, given that it is simply ignoring the setting for two of its apps.

Links opened in Windows Widgets and Search are already routed through Edge.

Microsoft 365 Enterprise IT administrators can change the policy to have the links revert to the system default, but those on the Microsoft 365 for business product will need to amend it on individual machines.

The latest change comes after Microsoft rolled out a Windows update last month that broke a single-click default browser switch button in Chrome.

The update also caused immense frustration for Enterprise Windows users.

If Chrome is set as the default browser, clicking on any web link directs them to the Default Browser settings page.