Setting up a Default Email Client

Learn how to set your preferred email client as the default one for mailto links on your Windows or MacOS computer, as well as configure your web browser to use Gmail when handling email links, with step-by-step instructions provided for Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Firefox.

By default your computer will typically open mail to links / email addresses with it's built-in email client. This article describes how to change that to use your preferred client.

This Article Covers:

• Step 1 - Setting your default application

  • Change your default email client - Windows

  • Change your default email client - MacOS

• Step 2 - Configure your web browser to use GMail

  • Google Chrome & Microsoft Edge

  • Firefox

Set your default email client on a Windows computer

1. Open your Start Menu and search for "Default apps". Open the System settings search result for it.
   

2. Click on the icon underneath the "Email" heading. It will usually be set to the Mail app.
   

3. Select your preferred web browser that you normally access Gmail from.

   1. Alternatively, if you are using Outlook select that instead.

4. Now that your web browser is set as the default application you need to configure it to handle mailto links. See the sections below for specific instructions.

Set your default email client on a MacOS computer

1. Open the "Mail" app from your dock or from Launchpad.
   

2. Click on the "Mail" dropdown menu in the top-left, then choose "Settings".
   

3. Click the dropdown menu to the right of "Default email reader" and choose the "Select" option.
   

4. You will see a list of applications installed on your Mac. Choose your preferred web browser and click Select. You can now close the Mail app.
   

5. Now that your web browser is set as the default application you need to configure it to handle mailto links. See the sections below for specific instructions.

Configure your web browser to handle email links

Google Chrome & Microsoft Edge

1. Log into gmail.com.

2. On the right side of the address bar click on the icon of two overlapping diamonds (See below for alternate instructions if you don't see the diamonds).
   

3. Select the "Allow" option then click Done.
   

4. When you click on a mailto link Gmail will now open in Chrome.

If you don't see the diamond icon in Gmail:

1. Click on the 3 dots in the top-right of the Chrome window, then choose "Settings".
   

2. Click on the "Privacy and security" tab on the left. Then click on the "Site settings" option.
   

3. Under the Permissions section click on "Additional permissions" to expand that section. Then choose the "Protocol handlers" option.
   

4. Under the Default behavior section make sure "Sites can ask to handle protocols" is selected.

   1. If you needed to change the default behavior setting: go back to Gmail and reload your inbox. You should now see the double diamond icon.

   2. If you see mail.google.com under the list of protocols: click on the 3 dots to the right of it then click "Set as default".
      

Firefox

1. In Firefox, click on the hamburger menu (3 horizontal lines) in the top-right of the window, then choose "Settings".
   

2. In the settings menu scroll down until you see the "Applications" section. Currently this is below the Download settings.
   

3. Click on the dropdown menu on the right side of the "mailto" row. By default it will say "Use Mail".

4. From the dropdown menu select "Use Gmail".
   

5. Firefox will now open mailto links with Gmail.