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Make Gmail Your Default Email Client

This answer tells you how to make Gmail your default email client. When you click on email links, they will automatically take you to Gmail to send an email with the appropriate recipient already entered.

Choose Your Browser

Google Chrome

Open Settings

  1. Open the Chrome browser and click on the settings icon in the upper right hand corner.
  2. Click Settings

Under Privacy and Security, click Site Settings.

Scroll down and click Handlers.

Turn on Allow sites to ask to become default handlers for protocols (recommended).

Visibile Protocol Handler

Open Gmail in Chrome and click the Protocol Handler icon in your browser's address bar. If you don't see this icon, skip ahead to step 3.

Click the Gmail Protocol Handler icon in the URL address bar.

Allow Gmail

A dialogue box will appear.
  1. Select Use Gmail
  2. Click Done
Protocol Handler Icon not Visible

Settings Icon

If you were unable to see the Protocol Handler button in your search bar, Click the Chrome menu icon in the top right corner of your screen.

Settings

A dialogue box will appear.

Click Settings

Advanced Settings

Click the "Show Advanced Settings" link at the bottom of the screen.

Click Show advanced settings... at the bottom of the page.

Content Settings

Under the "Privacy" header, click the "Content Settings" button.

Under the Privacy section, click Content settings

Manage Handlers

In the pop-up menu window, scroll down to the "Handlers" section and click "Manage Handlers."

Under the Handlers section, click Manage Handlers

Choose mail.google.com

Select Gmail from the "mailto" drop-down menu. Then click done.
  1. Under mailto, click the drop-down menu and select mail.google.com
  2. Click Done

Success!

You have successfully made Gmail your default email client using Google Chrome.

Firefox

Firefox Options

In the top left corner of your Firefox browser, click the Firefox menu button. Then choose options.
  1. Click the Firefox tab in the top left corner
  2. Click Options
  3. Click Options

Configure Email Client

Click the "Applications" tab, type "mailto" into the search bar, and click the drop-down arrow next to the "Action" column.
  1. Click Applications
  2. Type 'mailto'
  3. Click Use Google Chrome to open the drop down menu
  4. Click Use Gmail
  5. Click Ok

Success!

You have successfully made Gmail your default email client using Firefox.

Internet Explorer

Install the Google Toolbar for Internet Explorer

If you have not installed the toolbar, please see our instructions on how to Install Internet Explorer Google Toolbar.

Google Toolbar Settings

Click the wrench icon at the top right corner of your Internet Explorer browser to open the Toolbar Options Window.

Click on the wrench icon in the top right corner of your screen

Web Browsing Tools

Scroll down to the "Web-browsing tools" section.

Under Web-browsing Tools, select Use Gmail for 'Mail To' links

Save Changes

Select "Use Gmail for 'Mail To' links," and click "Save."

Click the Save button in the bottom right corner.

Success!

You have successfully made Gmail your default email client using Internet Explorer.

Safari

Download Google's Mailto Extension for Safari

If you have not downloaded the extension for Safari, please visit the Google Chrome Mailto Extension for Safari webpage.

Safari Downloads

Click on the arrow icon in the top right hand corner.
  1. Click the Downloads icon in the top right corner of your browser.
  2. Double-click the mailto.safariextz download.

Install

Click "Install"

Click Install

Setting Gmail as Default Client

Click "Gmail"
  1. Click Gmail
  2. Restart Safari

Success!

You have successfully made Gmail your default email client using Safari.

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