Internet Explorer Won't Open When You Click a Link

Internet Explorer Won't Open When You Click a Link

Sometimes, when you click a URL on a website Internet Explorer doesn't open the link, especially if the web browser is already open. There are many reasons this can happen:
  • The setting for the default web browser gets corrupted.
  • Installing other software sometimes changes important internet settings.
  • Add-ons can interfere with your browser fully launching.
  • Malicious software may have changed or corrupted important IE registry keys.

Whatever the reason, there are a few things you can do to fix it.

CHECK YOUR DEFAULT BROWSER

Make sure your default browser for opening web links is still set to Internet Explorer.
  • Select the Start menu, and type Internet Options. Select the Internet Options utility.
  • Select the Programs tab. Under the Opening Internet Explorer section, select Make Internet Explorer the default browser.
  • This opens the default apps utility. Scroll down to the Web browser section. If Internet Explorer isn't already set as default, select the web browser that is.
  • In the pop-up window that lists all of your installed browsers, select Internet Explorer.
  • Once you set the default browser to Internet Explorer, restart your computer and try opening Internet Explorer again. All links should start in IE now.

SET WEB FILE ASSOCIATIONS TO INTERNET EXPLORER

If the above solution fix didn't solve your problem, your default app for opening HTML or web files may not be Internet Explorer. Here's how to fix that:
  • Follow the steps above to get to the Default apps utility. Scroll down and select Choose default apps by file type.
  • Scroll down to the web files (.htm and .html), and select the current default web browser. Then, select Internet Explorer from the list.
  • This sets HTM and HTML files with Internet Explorer as the default app. Restart Internet Explorer and all web links should now open in Internet Explorer by default.

INTERNET EXPLORER WON'T OPEN DUE TO ADD-ONS

If the Internet Explorer app won't open at all, it could be related to an add-on you've installed. Some add-ons are known to interfere with the web browser's normal operation or even corrupt system files.
You can verify if this is the problem by running the Internet Explorer with add-ons disabled.
  • Select the Start menu and type CMD. Select the Command Prompt Desktop app.
  • Type cd/ and press Enter. Then type "c:\program files\internet explorer\iexplore.exe" -extoff and press Enter.
  • The command to open Internet Explorer without add-ons
  • This opens Internet Explorer without any add-ons enabled. If IE opens in this mode, then you know that one of the add-ons you've installed is likely causing the issue.

ENABLE SELECT INTERNET EXPLORER ADD-ONS

If add-ons are the problem, you can use the Add-On Manager to turn them all off and then only enable the ones you really need one at a time.
  • To enable add-ons one at a time:
  • Open Internet Explorer with add-ons disabled using the steps above. Then select the gear icon at the upper right and select Manage add-ons.
  • In the Add-On Manager, right-click each add-on one at a time and select Enable.
  • Only enable the add-ons you absolutely need. If you notice any of those cause the same problem again, disable the add-on and remove it from Internet Explorer.

Internet Explorer Won't Open Because of Corrupt Files

Another cause of problems for Internet Explorer is malicious software that's corrupted system files. To see if this is causing your issue, restart your computer in safe mode. This ensures that none of the malicious apps start when your computer does.
To start your computer in safe mode, restart your computer and hold down the Shift key while it reboots. After the computer restarts, select Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Startup Settings > Restart. After the computer restarts again, follow the on-screen instructions to start in safe mode.
Once your computer launches in safe mode, try starting Internet Explorer. If it launches correctly, then you know the issue you were having before restarting your computer in safe mode may have been malicious software. If malicious software modified your Internet Explorer settings, you have a couple of options to set things back to normal. You can reset your Internet Explorer settings or reinstall Internet Explorer.

RESET INTERNET EXPLORER SETTINGS

  • Open your computer's Control Panel and select Internet Options.
  • Select the Advanced tab. Under the Reset Internet Explorer settings section, select Reset.
  • Enable Delete personal settings. Select Reset to finish the IE reset process.
  • Once Internet Explorer resets, restart your computer and try opening it again. If it works, then you've resolved the issue.

UPDATE INTERNET EXPLORER

If resetting Internet Explorer doesn't work, you may need to update it. You can repair your installation by visiting the Microsoft website and downloading the latest update. Once you install the latest update, restart your computer. This should replace any Internet Explorer DLL files that might have been corrupted by malicious software.
Even if resetting or updating Internet Explorer settings fixes the issue, you may still have malicious software on your computer. It's a good idea to run a full antivirus scan.

REINSTALL INTERNET EXPLORER

Finally, if none of the above options worked and you still can't get Internet Explorer to open, you need to fully reinstall Internet Explorer.
Since the web browser is included as a Windows feature, you can't uninstall it and reinstall it like a normal app. Instead, you need to disable and then reenable it as a Windows feature. To do that:
  • Go into the Control Panel and select Programs and Features.
  • Then select Turn Windows features on or off.
  • In the Windows Features window, you'll see Internet Explorer enabled. Disable it, and select OK.
  • Reboot the computer to finalize the uninstall. Once your computer reboots, repeat the above steps and reenable Internet Explorer. You'll need to restart your computer one more time to finish the reinstallation.

Internet Explorer Not Opening

If you've gotten this far in this article, you should find that Internet Explorer is working fine again.
To avoid the issue from happening again, make sure to install good antivirus and anti-malware scanning software. Also, ensure that Internet Explorer is still working after you run Windows updates. If it isn't, you can use the steps listed above to fix it again.