Some users are facing a problem that prevents them from opening hyperlinks while using Microsoft Outlook. The error messages you could see are:

The message may vary depending on the Outlook version that you are using, in Outlook 2007 and 2010, you may see this error “This operation has been canceled due to restrictions in effect on this computer. Please contact your system administrator”. However, the solution remains the same.

This problem usually happens when you are not using default browsers. But there are some other reasons for the same, and we are going to troubleshoot them.

Your organization’s policies are preventing us from completing this action for you

To resolve the “Your Organization’s Policies are Preventing Us from Completing this Action for You” error, check out the following solutions.

Make sure that you have not removed Internet Explorer as an Optional Feature
Set Microsoft Edge & Outlook as Default Programs
Reset Internet Zone and IE Settings to default
Reset Edge to default
Set HTML file association using Registry.

Hyperlinks are not working in Outlook

Go through our suggestions first and then see which may apply to you.

1] Make sure that you have not removed Internet Explorer as an Optional Feature

You need to make sure that you have not removed Internet Explorer as an Optional Feature.

Do, this and check if it fixes the issue.

2] Set Edge & Outlook as Default Programs

If you face this issue, you should set Microsoft Edge as your default program to fix the issue
And also you have to set MsOutlook as a default program for all of your email-related services.
The given steps are there for you to follow. This process will be similar in all versions of Windows.

Now set your default Web browser to Microsoft Edge and default Email Client to Outlook Express.

Now restart your Microsoft Outlook and check if the issue exists.

3] Reset Internet Zone and IE Settings to default

To fix the issue, we need to reset Internet Zone and IE Settings to default in order to fix the issue.

To reset Internet Zone, follow the given steps.

Launch Internet Explorer from the Start Menu and click on the Settings icon from the top-right side of the window.
Click Internet Options > Security > Reset all zones to default level.

After resetting the Internet Zone, it’s time to reset your IE settings to default. To do that, follow the given steps.

For that, stay on the Advanced tab and click Reset from the “Reset Internet Explorer settings” section.

Finally, check if the issue persists.

4] Reset Edge to default

You may also backup your browser settings and reset Edge to default and check if fixes the issue.

5] Set HTML file association using Registry

In this solution, we will make some changes in the registry, but we should take back up the registry before making the changes.

Type “Regedit” inside the Start Search box and press Enter.

Inside Registry Editor, navigate to the following location.

ComputerHKEY_CLASSES_ROOT.html

Double click on (Default) and set its Value Data to htmlfile (case-sensitive). Click on OK and restart your Machine.

Now check Outlook if it opens hyperlinks without any issue. This usually helps!

If nothing helps, talk to your system administrator to see if any policies are in place that prevents hyperlinks from opening in Outlook.

Related: This operation has been canceled due to restrictions in effect on this computer.

— Update: 19-03-2023 — us.suanoncolosence.com found an additional article Your Organization’s Policies Are Preventing Outlook? [Fixed] [Partition Manager] from the website www.partitionwizard.com for the keyword your organizations policies are preventing us from completing this action.

According to user reports, the “Your organization’s policies are preventing Outlook” error mainly occurs when trying to open a hyperlink within the program. The error message may vary in different versions of Outlook.

Read more:

For example, you may receive the “This operation has been canceled due to restrictions” error on Outlook 2007 & 2010. However, on the later versions like Outlook 2013 & 2016, you may receive the “Your organization’s policies are preventing Outlook 2016 Windows 10” error.

What causes the hyperlinks not working in Outlook? The issue often occurs when you are not using default browsers to open the hyperlink. In addition, improper IE settings and some other factors can trigger the problem as well.

Fix 1. Set Internet Explorer as a Windows Feature

To fix the “Outlook your organization’s policies are preventing” issue, make sure that the Internet Explorer is set as a Windows feature. Here’s how to do that:

Step 1. Type control in the Windows Search box and select Control Panel from the top result.

Step 2. Change the View by type to Large icons and select Programs and Features.

Step 3. Click on Turn Windows features on or off from the left pane.

Step 4. In the pop-up window, make sure you tick the checkbox for Internet Explorer 11 and click on OK.

Once done, restart your computer and check if the “Outlook your organization’s policies are preventing us from completing this action for you” error persists.

Fix 2. Set Internet Explorer/Microsoft Edge and Outlook as Default Programs

As mentioned above, the “hyperlinks not working in Outlook” problem can happen when you’re not using the default browsers. To fix it, you can try setting IE/Microsoft Edge and Outlook as default programs.

Step 1. Open Control Panel again like Step 1 in Fix 1, and then select Default Programs and click on Set your default programs.

Step 2. Go to the Web browser section, and select Microsoft Edge/Internet Explorer as the default browser.

Step 3. Go to the Email section and select Outlook as the default program.

Now, reboot your computer and see if the “Your organization’s policies are preventing Outlook” error disappears.

Fix 3. Reset IE Settings and Internet Zone to Default

Some other users reported that the “Your organization’s policies are preventing Outlook 2016 Windows 10” problem can be resolved by resetting the Internet Zone and IE settings. Let’s have a try.

Step 1. Launch Internet Explorer from the Windows Start menu, and then click the Settings (Geared-shape) icon from the top right corner and select Internet Options.

Step 2. In the pop-up window, go to the Security tab and click on Reset all zones to default level.

Step 3. Go to the Advanced tab and click on Reset.

Step 4. Tick the checkbox for Delete Personal Settings and click on Reset. After that, you can restart the Internet Explorer and check if the “hyperlinks not working in Outlook” issue gets fixed.

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Fix 4. Reset Microsoft Edge to Default

If you encounter the “Your organization’s policies are preventing Outlook 2016 Windows 10” issue when using Microsoft Edge, you may try resetting the browser to default. For that:

Step 1. Press the Win + I keys to open Windows Settings and go to Apps.

Step 2. In Apps & features, select Microsoft Edge and click Advanced options below it.

Step 3. Scroll down to find the Reset section and click on Reset.

Once done, relaunch the browser and see if the “Outlook your organization’s policies are preventing” error persists.

Fix 5. Check the HTML File Association via Registry Editor

If none of the above methods work for the issue, you can try making some changes to the Windows registry. Before you do, make sure that you create a system restore point or back up your registry in case anything goes wrong.

Step 1. Press the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box, and then type regedit in it and hit Enter.

Step 2. In the Registry Editor window, go to the following path via the left navigation bar.

ComputerHKEY_CLASSES_ROOT.html

Step 3. Double click the Default DWORD key and set its Value data to htmlfile (case-sensitive), and click on OK to save the change. After that, restart your computer and check if the “hyperlinks not working in Outlook” problem is resolved.

— Update: 23-03-2023 — us.suanoncolosence.com found an additional article Outlook Error “Your Organization’s Policies are Preventing” from the website appuals.com for the keyword your organizations policies are preventing us from completing this action.

You may have come across an error that restricts you from opening hyperlinks while using Microsoft Outlook. Depending upon your version of Outlook, this error varies but the actual problem is the same. This issue has been addressed several times on Microsoft website because a lot of Windows users started receiving this problem whenever they tried to open a hyperlink from within their Outlook program.

On versions 2007 & 2010 of Outlook, you may come across a different error i.e. “This operation has been cancelled due to restrictions in effect on this computer. Please contact your system administrator”.

Your Organization’s Policies are Preventing Fix

But if you tend to use later versions of Outlook i.e. Outlook 2013 & 2016, you might be presented with an error stating “Your organization’s policies are preventing us from completing this action for you. For more info, please contact your help desk”.

Why Hyperlinks don’t open from within Microsoft Outlook?

There might be several reasons why Outlook stopped opening hyperlinks from within. One of them corresponds to your default internet browser that you might have set to other third party browsers like Google Chrome/ Firefox installed on your computer. If you haven’t done it yourself, then it might have happened unnoticeably due to different add-ins that change the default browser to another one.

So, How to Fix Hyperlinks not Opening from With Outlook?

In order to fix this problem, you can follow the under-mentioned solutions and check if it works for you.

Solution # 1: Setting Internet Explorer & Outlook as Default Programs

To cope up with this issue, you need to set Internet Explorer as your default program for opening links. On the other hand, you are also required to set MS Outlook as a default program for all of your email related services. To do so, just follow these steps. This process is almost the same on all versions of Windows.

Open Control Panel > Default Programs and click on Set your default programs.
On the next window, set your default web browser to Internet Explorer and default Email client to Outlook.
Afterwards, restart your MS Outlook and check if it opens hyperlink. If it doesn’t, move to the next solution.

Solution # 2: Resetting Internet Explorer Settings

If the problem with Outlook still persists after following above mentioned solution, then you need to reset settings of Internet Explorer.

Open Internet Options from Control Panel. You can also click on the gear icon located at the top right corner of the Internet Explorer and select Internet Options.
Inside Internet Options/ Internet Properties window, go to Advanced tab and click on Reset and OK buttons as illustrated in the image below.
On Reset Internet Explorer Settings window, tick the Delete Personal Settings checkbox and hit Reset After the process is completed, set Internet Explorer and Outlook default programs as depicted above and restart Internet Explorer. Check Outlook to see if the problem has been resolved.

Solution # 3: Checking for Registry Key inside Registry Editor

Registry Editor is a graphical tool that allows the users to make changes to Windows registry.

Note: Before following this step, make sure that you create a system restore point. We have a comprehensive guide covering all the ways to create a system restore point.

Open the registry editor by typing regedit inside the search box in Windows 8 and 10. If you are using Windows 7, you can do so by clicking on Start > Run and typing regedit followed by the Enter key.
Inside registry editor, find .html key inside HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT location, click over it and on the right pane, check for (Default) If it is blank or has no data, then it might definitely be a loophole.
Double click on (Default) and set its Value Data to htmlfile (case-sensitive). Click on OK and restart your PC. Check for Outlook if it opens hyperlinks without any problem.

Solution # 4: Using Microsoft Easy Fix Tool (Windows 7 & earlier Versions only)

This solution is for those who are using Windows 7or earlier versions. Download the Easy Fix Tool from this link. Click on I Agree check and Next button multiple times. It would automatically fix the problem. Check for the Outlook again. Hopefully, it might have been resolved.

Source: https://www.thewindowsclub.com/your-organizations-policies-are-preventing-us-from-completing-this-action-for-you