diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/preview/Manager.test.ts b/apps/desktop/src/preview/Manager.test.ts
index f19079e46bce4..ccea2e2bd92e7 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/preview/Manager.test.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/preview/Manager.test.ts
@@ -86,6 +86,12 @@ describe("previewWindowOpenAction", () => {
     ).toBe("popup");
   });
 
+  it("opens HTTP links in preview tabs", () => {
+    for (const disposition of ["foreground-tab", "background-tab"] as const) {
+      expect(PreviewManager.previewWindowOpenAction(details({ disposition }))).toBe("new-tab");
+    }
+  });
+
   it("keeps a form POST with a body on the in-place path", () => {
     const postBody = { data: [], contentType: "application/x-www-form-urlencoded" };
     expect(
@@ -98,15 +104,32 @@ describe("previewWindowOpenAction", () => {
 
   it("does not hand a window to schemes that cannot be hardened", () => {
     for (const url of [
-      "javascript:alert(1)",
-      "file:///etc/passwd",
       "vscode://vscode-remote/ssh-remote+box/tmp",
-      "not a url",
+      "blob:https://example.com/0b6c6a5e-55d4-4b4c-9d47-8f1b0c1d2e3f",
     ]) {
       expect(PreviewManager.previewWindowOpenAction(details({ url }))).toBe("navigate");
     }
   });
 
+  it("denies local and inline schemes that no page could open in place itself", () => {
+    for (const url of [
+      "data:text/html,<h1>hi</h1>",
+      "DaTa:text/html,<h1>hi</h1>",
+      "file:///etc/passwd",
+      "javascript:alert(1)",
+      "view-source:https://example.com",
+      "chrome://gpu",
+      "about:srcdoc",
+      "devtools://devtools/bundled/inspector.html",
+      "filesystem:https://example.com/temporary/page.html",
+      "not a url",
+    ]) {
+      for (const disposition of ["new-window", "foreground-tab", "background-tab"] as const) {
+        expect(PreviewManager.previewWindowOpenAction(details({ url, disposition }))).toBe("deny");
+      }
+    }
+  });
+
   it("denies a blank window instead of blanking the opener", () => {
     for (const url of ["about:blank", ""]) {
       for (const disposition of ["new-window", "foreground-tab"] as const) {
diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/preview/Manager.ts b/apps/desktop/src/preview/Manager.ts
index d0221e9be0e6e..9e794c29d9433 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/preview/Manager.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/preview/Manager.ts
@@ -424,13 +424,17 @@ type OpenLinkListener = (event: DesktopPreviewOpenLinkEvent) => Effect.Effect<vo
 // about:blank inherits relaxed guest preferences; external editor schemes must reach the OS handler.
 const POPUP_PROTOCOLS = new Set(["http:", "https:"]);
 
-const isPopupUrl = (rawUrl: string): boolean => {
-  try {
-    return POPUP_PROTOCOLS.has(new URL(rawUrl).protocol);
-  } catch {
-    return false;
-  }
-};
+// Main-process loadURL bypasses Chromium's renderer-side restrictions on local and inline URLs.
+const IN_PLACE_DENIED_PROTOCOLS = new Set([
+  "about:",
+  "chrome:",
+  "data:",
+  "devtools:",
+  "file:",
+  "filesystem:",
+  "javascript:",
+  "view-source:",
+]);
 
 /** Popups bypass will-attach-webview hardening and would inherit the picker's contextIsolation:false. */
 const POPUP_WINDOW_OPTIONS = {
@@ -441,15 +445,19 @@ const POPUP_WINDOW_OPTIONS = {
   },
 } satisfies Electron.BrowserWindowConstructorOptions;
 
-/** OAuth needs a surviving popup opener; unhardenable schemes and form POSTs must stay in place. */
+/**
+ * OAuth needs a surviving popup opener. `blob:`, app links (behind the session's `openExternal`
+ * prompt) and form POSTs stay in place.
+ */
 export const previewWindowOpenAction = (details: {
   readonly url: string;
   readonly disposition: Electron.HandlerDetails["disposition"];
   readonly postBody?: Electron.PostBody;
 }): "popup" | "new-tab" | "navigate" | "deny" => {
+  const protocol = URL.parse(details.url)?.protocol;
   // MSAL redirects on a denied blank popup; navigating the tab would destroy that fallback.
-  if (details.url === "" || details.url === "about:blank") return "deny";
-  if (!isPopupUrl(details.url)) return "navigate";
+  if (protocol === undefined || IN_PLACE_DENIED_PROTOCOLS.has(protocol)) return "deny";
+  if (!POPUP_PROTOCOLS.has(protocol)) return "navigate";
   if (details.disposition === "new-window") return "popup";
   return !details.postBody &&
     (details.disposition === "foreground-tab" || details.disposition === "background-tab")