When you click on a hyperlink in Windows Mail or Windows Live Mail, you may see the Application not found error message. This happens if the default browser is not set, or the http protocol association is incorrect. The same error may occur when double-clicking an Internet Shortcut (.URL) file in the system.

To resolve the problem, use the Default Programs feature in Windows Vista to reset the default Web browser preference.

Reset the default web browser

Step 1

1. Click Start, Default Programs

2. Click Set your default programs

3. Select your web browser from the list

4. Click Set this program as default

5. Click OK.

Then follow these steps:

Step 2

1. Click Set program access and computer defaults

2. Click Continue if you see the User Account Control prompt.

3. Click Custom

4. Select your web browser from the list

5. Click OK.

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17 Responses to “Fix for Application Not Found Error When Opening an URL” Subscribe to comments!

  1. Mary
    said this on Monday, May 4th 2009 7:26 am

    This was the perfect fix to my frustrations after installing Google Chrome. After uninstalling Chrome,and trying all methods of trying to resolve the issue I was ready to cry. Thankfully I found your help page and the problem is solved.

  2. Debe
    said this on Wednesday, April 29th 2009 3:47 am

    OMG – I have been working on this for one week – since I installed that stupid Chrome program – FTLOG – Thank you so very much!

  3. Deanne Oehlert
    said this on Wednesday, February 18th 2009 10:43 am

    OMG OMG OMG….thank you thank you thank you….this has been going on for a year now. I am not computer savy and this just saved me!

  4. MM
    said this on Sunday, January 18th 2009 11:46 pm

    I had a similar problem after I installed Chrome, which was set as my default browser and did not even see Google Chrome in the list of programs. All I had to do was go to IE, set it as default from within IE options menu. Then go back to Google Chrome and set it back as default from within the Chrome Options menu, and voila!

  5. said this on Thursday, January 15th 2009 8:58 am

    I got this error only after I installed Google Chrome. For some reason the Google Chrome install doesn’t handle changing the default program correctly. I like the browser, but I need to be able to click on links in my e-mails.

  6. Jill
    said this on Thursday, December 4th 2008 9:47 am

    WOW – your advice worked! I quickly hung up on HP tech support, but let me ask you (Ramesh) I noticed in the directions that you wanted to have us use “custom” instead of the microsoft choices and you were suggesting google chrome browser – do you work for google chrome? I have to be honest, if you do, then here’s my feedback, I didn’t get this problem application-not-found until I installed google chrome the other day (I uninstalled immediately when this problem arose). So, was chrome the reason I got the error problem, I still thank you for the solution, but you need to know that. Thanks for your future input.

  7. Stephanie
    said this on Tuesday, November 25th 2008 9:36 pm

    OMG ! Thanks soooo much , that worked.
    This is excellent advice, i’m so glad that these problems can be solved on the net.
    Thank again

  8. tracey
    said this on Friday, November 14th 2008 9:29 pm

    thank you also solved my problem in mins after i had a long wait with my helpline who could not solve the problem and will ring me back

  9. Alison
    said this on Tuesday, November 11th 2008 3:42 am

    After trying to fix the problem for an hour came across your webpages and managed to clear the error in seconds. Thank you so much.

  10. said this on Monday, November 3rd 2008 7:31 pm

    This fix dfid nto work for me – when I send an email with hyperlinks in it, noone can open the links – get page not found errors etc. How can I fix this? USed to work perfectly in OUtlook Express.

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