Windows 10: Regarding protocol handler for executing IE browser

Hi,

We have certain links in our organisation that only work in IE.

I see that there is a protocol handler for opening EDGE browser. eg.(microsoft-edge:https:www.google.com).

Why isnt similar protocol available for IE browser.

I have a custom protocol handler coded for opening IE browser, but i cant ask thousands of people to make registry changes just for using my web application.

Wanted to know if there some suitable solution.

:)

 

Add a program to Default Programs or Protocol Handlers Lists


Hi guys,

Does anyone have a Tutorial, link, or tested ideas on:

1. How to manually add a program to Default Programs List in Win 10, if it doesn't show up for a current user? I don't want to create a new user account for that even if its possible that way.

2. How to add a new protocol handler app for a listed in Win 10 protocol, if that desktop app isn't shown in its handlers list?

Win 10 Set Associations feature doesn't offer "Look for another app on this PC" option for Protocol Handlers, its only available for File Extension Handlers. This method doesn't seem to work anymore, possibly due to added app hash requirements in "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Associations\URLAssociations\*​protocol*\UserCho ice" key.

3. How to add a new protocol manually in Win 10? For that question, MS seems to give a direct answer for programmers, not sure if relevant to Win 10 though. But if a certain program failed to add its protocol correctly at install, how a user can fix that - any tools, apart from checking mentioned Registry keys manually? More links are given here.

 

protocol handler conundrum

this is giving me a headache and i cant seem to find suitable fix for it.

Windows10x64 Pro, 10.0.10586
Google Chrome 51.0.2704.106 m (64-bit)
uTorrent 3.4.7 build 42330 (or any other 3.xx version)

TL;DR is chrome wont open magnet links in utorrent, or do anything else with them (like it doesnt even recogonize it as a link). utorrent is the default handler for torrent files, which chrome will send to utorrent just fine. windows reports that there is no handler installed for magnet links, and wont let me select an executable to handle them (like you would for file extensions). firefox on the otherhand, has its own setup for handling protocols and filetypes, and has no issues with magnet links (chrome apparently gets its handler settings from windows, from what i can tell)



long version-
some time in the past, chrome used to be able to handle magnet:?xt=urn:btih: links, and send them to utorrent (my preferred torrent client), but no longer does. i suspect qbittorrent may have played a part in that, but it's long since been uninstalled.
utorrent's set as the default for torrent files, and checks association on client startup. utorrent also used to have a settings button to associate itself with magnet links, but that seems to no longer be an option in current or recent versions.

regedit entries in HKCR, HKCU, HKLM, for Magnet all point correctly to the utorrent executable
http://i.imgur.com/UoOrQFD.jpg

windows claims that there's nothing installed to handled magnet links. if i go thru pc settings, it'll try to search the app store (lol,no.), going through the control panel doesnt' even give that option.
https://i.imgur.com/Xibjwk4.jpg https://i.imgur.com/wbZktZZ.jpg

for its part, chrome doesnt have any user-serviceable method for dealing with protocol handlers. https://i.imgur.com/eVvZTiU.jpg

however- using a fresh chrome install on a windows7 virtual machine, the first magnet link clicked did produce a prompt asking if chrome should handle magnet links. https://i.imgur.com/JVh0yFI.png
i wasnt able to reproduce that after a clean reinstall of chrome on windows10, and ive not found any other method of getting that prompt to reappear.


attemping to google up solutions to the issue typically returns one of two results--
1) chrome just doesnt handle magnet links, with no reason given for that behavior (even though chrome does, has, and will, in other envrionments)
2) directions to edit the "Local State" file in %localappdata%\Google\Chrome\User Data, "protocol_handler":{"excluded_schemes":" setting either "magnet":false (assuming it was previously True) or removing the "magnet":false line entirely.
for my case, "magnet": was already false, nor did removing that line, or deleting the whole Local State file cause chrome to change its lack of behavior of magnet links


chrome's been fully uninstalled and reinstalled.
utorrent's been reinstalled several times, including older versions (trying to track down that "associate with magnet" option
registry entries have been checked against another chrome+win10 pc, and a chrome+win7 virtual machine

obvious workarounds are to either continue using chrome and just download .torrent files instead of magnet links, or go back to firefox and let it send magnets to utorrent, or use a totally different torrent client. that's all well and good, but doesnt really solve the issue.

 

When trying to set Protocol Handler in Chrome, (for Bitcoin, Gmail, Etc) Windows gives me a dialog box that states "To change your default apps, go to Settings > System > Default Apps"

Vanessa,

I can not determine if this is an issue in Edge or IE because I do not use those browsers, however Chrome is acting as it should and adding the protocols to it's "Handlers" section. It is Windows 10 that is getting in the way, and when I try to save
the settings I get a Windows toast message preventing it. I went into
Settings > System > Default Apps > Choose default apps by protocol and was able to switch my 'mailto' handler to Chrome and Windows stepped out of the way and allowed Chrome to save that setting... Now I need to set my Bitcoin protocol.

How do I add a new protocol 'URL:Bitcoin' to that list so I can set it to Chrome?