diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index f048c88d2..c33d195d7 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -876,6 +876,12 @@ version = "0.1.2"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "d8b14ccef22fc6f5a8f4d7d768562a182c04ce9a3b3157b91390b52ddfdf1a76"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "dunce"
+version = "1.0.5"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "92773504d58c093f6de2459af4af33faa518c13451eb8f2b5698ed3d36e7c813"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "either"
 version = "1.19.0"
@@ -1398,6 +1404,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "log",
  "miniz_oxide 0.8.9",
  "naga",
+ "open",
  "png",
  "pollster",
  "rustix 1.1.5",
@@ -1877,6 +1884,25 @@ dependencies = [
  "windows-sys 0.61.2",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "is-docker"
+version = "0.2.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "928bae27f42bc99b60d9ac7334e3a21d10ad8f1835a4e12ec3ec0464765ed1b3"
+dependencies = [
+ "once_cell",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "is-wsl"
+version = "0.4.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "173609498df190136aa7dea1a91db051746d339e18476eed5ca40521f02d7aa5"
+dependencies = [
+ "is-docker",
+ "once_cell",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "itertools"
 version = "0.14.0"
@@ -2691,6 +2717,17 @@ version = "0.3.1"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "c08d65885ee38876c4f86fa503fb49d7b507c2b62552df7c70b2fce627e06381"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "open"
+version = "5.4.5"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "8d8c8b8e725ad26404d6896eb2f064294a0a7b4f1d9120210d85544684c4ca95"
+dependencies = [
+ "dunce",
+ "is-wsl",
+ "libc",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "orbclient"
 version = "0.3.55"
diff --git a/crates/horizon-client/Cargo.toml b/crates/horizon-client/Cargo.toml
index 74c593bc6..66ca987dc 100644
--- a/crates/horizon-client/Cargo.toml
+++ b/crates/horizon-client/Cargo.toml
@@ -70,6 +70,8 @@ unicode-bidi = "0.3.18"
 rustix = { version = "1", default-features = false, features = ["std", "time"] }
 
 [target.'cfg(windows)'.dependencies]
+# Use the registered URI handler without routing links through Explorer/cmd.
+open = { version = "5.4.5", features = ["shellexecute-on-windows"] }
 # DirectX 12, where Vulkan has no adapter or device, or by choice (`graphicsApi`, graphics.rs).
 # Shaders compile with FXC (d3dcompiler_47.dll, part of Windows), or DXC when dxcompiler.dll is
 # on the PATH.
diff --git a/crates/horizon-client/src/game/packs.rs b/crates/horizon-client/src/game/packs.rs
index 013b94de2..2096e8c0e 100644
--- a/crates/horizon-client/src/game/packs.rs
+++ b/crates/horizon-client/src/game/packs.rs
@@ -45,6 +45,14 @@ pub fn open_folder(dir: &Path) {
 }
 /// `Util.getPlatform().openUri`: the system browser on the link.
 pub fn open_uri(uri: &str) {
+    // URLs need Windows' registered protocol handler, not Explorer's path
+    // handling. ShellExecute also preserves the URL as one Unicode value,
+    // without interpolating its query string into a command interpreter.
+    #[cfg(windows)]
+    if let Err(error) = open::that_detached(uri) {
+        log::warn!("Horizon: could not open URI {uri}: {error}");
+    }
+    #[cfg(not(windows))]
     open_folder(Path::new(uri));
 }
 /// The resource root to load from, given the vanilla root, the selection and