Set Google Mail as your Browser's Default Email Client for Mailto Links


Table of Contents

Chrome

  1. Open Chrome and log into your Google Mail account.
  2. In the upper right corner of the Source field (address bar), click on the Service Handler icon (double-diamond).
  3. A pop-up window will open asking if you want to give google.com permission to open all email links. Click on the radio button Allow.
  4. You may get a notice asking of Google can make a change to your computer. Click Yes.
  5. NOTE: The double-diamond icon will remove once you have selected this choice. 

    Allow mail.google.com to open all email links

No double-diamond in Source field (address bar)

If you do not see the double-diamond in your Source field, follow the steps below.

  1. Open Chrome and log into your Google Mail account.
  2. On your Chrome toolbar, click the 3 elliptical dots (Mac) and 3 vertical lines (Windows) then select Settings.
  3. The Settings window will open. Scroll to Privacy and click on Content settings.
    Content settings
  4. The Content settings window will open, scroll down to Handlers and select Manage handlers.
    Manage Handlers
  5. The Protocol handlers window will open. Click the down arrow beside mailto and select mail.google.com, then Done.
    mailto: mail.google.com
  6. Click Done until you return to the mail settings window.

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Firefox

  1. Open Firefox and log into your Google Mail account.
  2. Click the Firefox menu button, then Preferences.
    Preferences
  3. The General window will open, click Applications on the left navigational bar, then scroll down to select mailto.
    Application window mailto link gmail
  4. A drop down menu will show in the Action column. Click the down arrow to select Use Gmail.
    mailto link select gmail
  5. Click out of the tab.

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Internet Explorer

  1. Open Internet Explorer (IE) and log into your Google Mail account.
  2. Click to install the Google Toolbar for Internet Explorer.
  3. Once completed, sign into Gmail account then click the wench  click wrench
  4. The Toolbar Options window will open, select the General tab. Under Web-browsing tools, click to select Use Gmail for Mailto Links.
    mailto link click gmail

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