Contact Help

The mailto: link protocol is used to open a user's email client with a pre-filled email template. By default, mailto: links often open desktop email clients like Microsoft Outlook or Apple Mail. However, many users prefer to use web-based email services like Gmail. Here's how to configure different web browsers to open Gmail for mailto: links:

1. Google Chrome:

1. Open Gmail in Chrome.
2. Look for the Protocol Handler icon. This looks like two overlapped diamonds and can be found in the browser's address bar, on the right side.
3. Click on the Protocol Handler icon. A small pop-up will appear asking if you'd like to "Allow Gmail (mail.google.com) to open all email links?"
4. Select "Allow" and then click "Done."
5. If you don't see the Protocol Handler icon, you can manually set it by navigating to chrome://settings/handlers and setting Gmail as the default for mailto links.

2. Mozilla Firefox:

1. Open Firefox and click on the menu button (three horizontal lines in the top right corner).
2. Choose "Options" (or "Preferences" on macOS).
3. Navigate to the "Applications" tab.
4. In the search bar, type "mailto". This will filter the list to show the action associated with mailto: links.
5. Change the action for mailto: to "Use Gmail."

3. Microsoft Edge:

1. Open Microsoft Edge and click on the three dots (located in the top right corner) to open the menu.
2. Select "Settings."
3. Scroll down to the "Privacy and services" section.
4. Click on "Site Permissions" and then "Handlers."
5. Turn on the toggle for "Allow sites to handle protocols."
6. Open Gmail in Edge. You should see a request to allow Gmail to open email links. Click "Allow".

4. Safari (macOS):

Configuring Gmail for mailto: links in Safari requires a bit more effort since Safari doesn't natively support this. However, there's a workaround:

1. Ensure Mail.app is set as the default email client: Open Apple Mail, then go to "Mail" in the top menu and choose "Preferences." Under the "General" tab, make sure "Default email reader" is set to "Mail."
2. Set up Mail.app to use Gmail: If you haven't added your Gmail account to Mail.app, you'll need to do so. Once added, make sure you can send and receive Gmail from Mail.app.
3. Use a third-party app or script: There are various third-party apps and scripts that allow you to redirect mailto: links in Safari to Gmail. One popular option is "Mailto: for Gmail". After installing such an app or script, mailto: links in Safari should open in Gmail.

5. Opera:

1. Open Gmail in Opera.
2. Right-click on the Gmail tab and choose "Add site to sidebar."
3. Now, when you click on mailto: links, they should open in the Gmail sidebar.

Other Browsers:

For other browsers not listed here, the general approach is:

1. Check the browser's settings or preferences for options related to "Handlers," "Applications," or "Protocols."
2. Look for the mailto: protocol and choose Gmail as the default handler.

Remember, after making these changes, when you click on a mailto: link, it should open a new email in Gmail, pre-filled with the email address and any other information provided by the link.

Video Tutorial: