New Outlook opens two Microsoft Edge tabs whenever hyperlinks are clicked

Question

New Outlook for Windows opens two Microsoft Edge tabs for every hyperlink clicked from an email

Product Information

Application: New Outlook for Windows

Outlook Version: 1.2026.707.300

Client Version: 20260710013.08

WebView2 Version: 150.0.4078.65 (Stable)

Microsoft Edge Version: 150.0.4078.65 (Official Build) (64-bit)

Chromium Version: 150.0.7871.115

Operating System: Windows 11 Version 25H2 (Build 26200.8875)

Summary

Clicking any hyperlink in an email while using New Outlook for Windows launches two Microsoft Edge tabs.

The first tab opens the intended destination website correctly.

A second, unnecessary Microsoft Edge New Tab/MSN page opens in the background every time.

Expected Behavior

Selecting a hyperlink from an email should open only the destination webpage in Microsoft Edge.

Actual Behavior

Selecting a hyperlink opens:

1. The intended webpage.
2. An additional Microsoft Edge New Tab (MSN) page.

This occurs consistently with every hyperlink tested.

Reproduction Steps

1. Open New Outlook for Windows.
2. Open any email containing a hyperlink.
3. Click the hyperlink.
4. Microsoft Edge launches.
5. Observe:
   • Tab 1: Correct webpage.
     • Tab 2: Microsoft Edge New Tab (MSN).

Troubleshooting Performed

The following troubleshooting steps were completed:

• Verified Microsoft Edge is the default browser.
• Tested with Microsoft Edge InPrivate mode.
• Disabled browser extensions.
• Verified Edge startup settings.
• Verified Edge default browser settings.
• Verified Outlook settings (current build no longer includes hyperlink handling settings).
• Verified Edge Sidebar configuration.
• Tested with multiple emails and multiple websites.
• Tested after restarting Edge.
• Confirmed the behavior is consistent.

None of these steps changed the behavior.

Comparison Test

A direct comparison was performed using the same computer, Windows installation, Edge version, user profile, and email account.

New Outlook

• Opens the destination webpage.
• Opens an additional Microsoft Edge New Tab (MSN) page.

Classic Outlook

• Opens only the destination webpage.
• No additional Edge tab is created.

This strongly suggests the issue is specific to New Outlook for Windows rather than Microsoft Edge or Windows itself.

Additional Notes

The issue persists regardless of the destination website.

The additional tab always appears to be Microsoft Edge's default New Tab/MSN page.

No browser extensions are required to reproduce the behavior.

Because Classic Outlook functions correctly under the same environment, this appears to be a regression in the hyperlink launch mechanism used by New Outlook.

Impact

This issue affects productivity by creating an unnecessary browser tab every time a hyperlink is opened from email.

Users who frequently open links throughout the workday must repeatedly close the unwanted tab.

Suggested Engineering Investigation

The issue appears to originate during the handoff from New Outlook (WebView2) to Microsoft Edge.

The comparison with Classic Outlook suggests that New Outlook may be issuing an additional browser launch request or incorrectly invoking the Edge launch protocol.

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Moved from Outlook | Windows | New Outlook for Windows | For home

Answer 1

Hello Carl,

Thank you for your reply and for looking into this.

I tested your hypothesis. The issue occurs whether Microsoft Edge is already open or not.

If Microsoft Edge is already running and I click another hyperlink from an email in New Outlook, the same behavior occurs every time:

• The intended webpage opens correctly.
• A second Microsoft Edge New Tab (MSN) page also opens in the background.

This indicates the extra tab is not only occurring during the initial launch of Edge.

Regarding other browsers, I have not tested them because Microsoft Edge is my default browser and my goal is to resolve the issue using Microsoft's recommended browser. If testing another browser would help isolate the problem, I would be happy to do so.

For reference, I have also completed the following troubleshooting:

• Started New Outlook in Safe Mode — the issue still occurs.
• Hyperlinks opened from other applications do not create the extra Edge tab.
• The behavior appears to be isolated to hyperlinks opened from New Outlook.

My system information is:

• Windows 11 Version 25H2 (Build 26200.8875)
• New Outlook Version: 1.2026.707.300
• Client Version: 20260710013.08
• Microsoft Edge Version: 150.0.4078.65 (Official Build) (64-bit)
• WebView2 Runtime Version: 150.0.4078.65

Based on these results, it appears there may be an interaction between New Outlook and Microsoft Edge rather than an issue caused by launching Edge itself.

If there are any additional diagnostics, logging, or tracing that would help identify the cause, I'd be glad to assist.

Thank you for your time.

Regards,

Answer 2

Hello Marc Hansen,

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum.

While I cannot find any documentation about this in the Microsoft articles, my hypothesis of this issue would be: New Outlook issue a command to the PC to open Edge first (hence the new tab), and then command it to open the destination link (the tab with the correct link).

I'd need some confirmation for this though; may I confirm if the issue only happens when Edge is not active? You can test this by clicking the hyperlink one more time after the first session has already opened. Also, may I know if the same issue happens with other browsers?

I'm waiting for your reply.