This guide will show you how to change Outlook settings so that you can open Office files in the Office desktop app by default instead of using Office web applications (in the browser). For example, when someone shares a file with you, and you receive an email in your Outlook with a link to the file. By default, those files will open in the browser, however, this can be changed to open in the Office desktop application instead.
This setting only works for links to Word, Excel and PowerPoint files that are stored in OneDrive or SharePoint.
Follow the steps below:
- Open Outlook desktop app.
- Click on ‘File’ at the top-left corner of the Outlook App.
- Click on ‘Options’ at the bottom-left corner of the Outlook App.
- A window will open with the title ‘Outlook Options’.
- From that window click on ‘Advanced’.
- Then find the section called ‘File and browser preferences’ and tick the option called ‘Open supported hyperlinks to Office files in Office desktop apps’, then click ‘Ok’ to save your changes.
