Note: These solutions work in all versions of IE and Office. Show A very common question comes up often in the Microsoft forums:
If you use Outlook 2013 or newer, you'll receive following error message instead of the "restrictions in effect error" message.
This is not "an Outlook error" and the solution will fix the error message in all Office applications. It's due to a problem with the default browser configuration, often caused by uninstalling Chrome or Firefox while the browser is set as default. It's most common when another application installs Chrome and sets it as the default browser, then the user uninstalls it before setting Internet Explorer or Edge as their default browser. (Because, honestly, who would even think that would be necessary, right?) Start with Edit Registry, Part 2 if you uninstalled Chrome , Firefox, or another HTML rendering application, such as Maxthon or UltraEdit, and then received the error. If you don't want to edit the registry (or use my reg file), Alan suggests reinstalling Chrome (or the offending program). Set Internet Explorer as default browser before uninstalling Chrome. Edit Registry, Part 2If you received this error after uninstalling any application that takes over the HTML open command (including, but not limited to, Chrome & Firefox browsers) you may need to change the HTM/HTML association in the registry.
Don't want to edit the registry? Download this file (right click and choose Save target as...) Then double click on the file to run and restart Windows. Restart Outlook after trying this. You need to restart Windows for the change to take effect. Wes added this information:"For me on Win10 with Edge Browser, nothing worked except this: In "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes", for .htm and .html, remove everything under these two keys, just leave the Default item, with the data value as MSEdgeHTM" Reset Web SettingsIf the problem is not due to uninstalling Chrome or Firefox, it could be a corrupt registry key in Internet Explorer. The registry key is at Also use these steps if Edit Registry, Part 2 didn't fix your problem.
Note: You need to set Internet Explorer as default and verify the problem is fixed. If you prefer a different browser, you can set it as the default browser later. If this does not resolve the issue, set IE as the default browser following the steps in Set Program Access in Control Panel. If you use a different browser as your default, you need to set IE as the default until you verify the links work in Outlook. Import a Registry KeyWhen resetting the web settings doesn't help, you'll need to replace the corrupt key, using this registry file if you have Windows 10. (Older versions of Windows will use this registry file). Right click on the link and choose Save target as then double click on it to run it. Restart Outlook after updating this registry key. In some cases, you may need to restart Windows. If you prefer to use a key from a computer you have access to, follow these instructions to export the registry key:
Copy the *.reg file to the other computer and double-click on the .reg file. Ok the dialogs to update the registry. These instructions are the same as found in the Microsoft article Hyperlinks are not working in Outlook (MSKB 310049). Restart Outlook after trying this. You may need to restart Windows for the change to take effect. Set Program Access in Control PanelYou can set program defaults through the Control Panel or Settings. If the above methods fail, use this method to set the default browser. In Windows 10, open the Settings app then find Default Apps (or search for Default Apps using Cortana.) Find Web Browser in the list and change it to Edge or Internet Explorer. In Windos 7/8 or Vista, access the Default Programs applet from the Start menu or Control panel. Click on the "Set program access and computer defaults" (last option) then expand Custom. In "Choose a default web browser", check on the "Internet Explorer" option and click the OK button. Users Solutionstgrf makes this suggestion as one possible cause and solution:
I can't vouch for this solution but its painless and easy to try. Links are disabled by default for all users. The restrictions error is typically caused by browser settings. Removed Internet Explorer as an Optional Feature in Windows 10Albert discovered removing Internet Explorer as an Optional Feature in Windows 10 is responsible for this error:
Alan's SolutionAlan has this suggestion:
While I haven't tested Alan's solution, it's logical that it will work. Possibly the most common cause is because users uninstall Firefox or Chrome while either is set as default and setting IE as default before uninstalling would prevent the problem. If Alan's solution doesn't work, make sure Chrome is not running when you set IE as the default browser. From Greg Chapman: "This is IMPORTANT - Close Chrome and make sure it isn't running in Task Manager because even when you close it, it can remain running. Open IE and reset it as default." Other CausesThere are several other causes of this error. In most cases, they do not affect hyperlinks in Outlook. If you found this page searching for the error message, check out the following pages. Note that if you receive this error on a computer at work, you should contact your administrator, they may want access to applications restricted for security reasons. Empty Outlook's Securetemp folderThis solution suggested by Lain should not cause the restriction error message, however, it's not harmful (and can be beneficial for other reasons) so I'm going to include it here. If it works, it doesn't have to make sense to me and if it doesn't work, you cleaned some old files off your hard drive. It's a win-win either way. For Outlook 2007 and newer, type Shell:cache in File Explorer's address bar and press Enter. Outlook uses the folder Content.Outlook. If you don't see the Content.Outlook folder, its because you are not showing hidden files and folders. You can type Content.Outlook at the end of the file path and press Enter or show hidden files and folders. See Outlook SecureTemp Files Folder for more information and steps needed to find the folder. |