Issues with opening web links in Opera?

Opera is my go-to browser, so whenever I double-click an HTML file, it pops right up in Opera without any issues.
But man, it’s driving me absolutely crazy—I've got this huge Word doc filled with all these saved links, and every single time I click one, it forces them open in Internet Explorer instead. It’s such a massive pain.
How do I actually force my computer to just use Opera for those links?

Give this method a shot to reset IE link. It should help clear things up, much like a quick reboot of a home router