This article explains the procedure to set your browser to use Gmail as its default email client and contains the following topics:
Note: Mailto links are hyperlinks that allow you to compose a new email.
Chrome - How to make Gmail the Default Email Client
- Open Gmail while in Chrome. Click the Protocol Handler icon located in your browser’s address bar.
Note: If you don’t see the Protocol Handler icon, skip to step 3. - When prompted to Allow Gmail to open all email links? Select Use Gmail and then click Done.
If this works, you’re finished! Otherwise, continue to step 3. - Click the Chrome menu icon located in the top right-hand corner of your browser, then choose Settings.
- Scroll down to the Privacy and Security section, then click the arrow to the right of Site Settings.
- Scroll down to the Permission section, then click the arrow to the right of Additional Permissions.
- Scroll down to the Handlers section, then click the arrow to the right.
- Choose to 'Allow sites to ask to become default handlers for protocols (recommended)' and then click More (three dots) to set Gmail as default.
Note: Alternate option - Install the Google Mailto Extension to your browser.
Firefox - How to make Gmail the Default Email Client
- Click the Firefox menu button in the top right-hand corner of the Firefox browser and then select Settings.
- From the General tab, scroll down to the Applications section, select mailto in the Content-Type column, and then select Use Gmail in the Action column.
Microsoft Edge (formerly Internet Explorer) - How to make Gmail the Default Email Client
- Open Gmail while in Edge. Next, click the Protocol Handler icon located in your browser’s address bar.
Note: If you don’t see the Protocol Handler icon, skip to step 3. - When prompted to Allow Gmail to open all email links? Select Use Gmail and then click Done.
If this works, you’re finished! Otherwise, continue to step 3. - Click the 3 dots in the top right-hand corner of the screen and then click Settings.
- On the Settings page, click Cookies and site permissions, then click the arrow to the right of Handlers.
- Choose to 'Allow sites to ask to become default handlers for protocols (recommended)' and then click More (three dots) to set Gmail as default.
Safari - How to make Gmail the Default Email Client
- Download and install the Google Mailto Extension for Safari.
Note: This will open a Download Attachment page. Click the link to download and install the extension for Safari. - Select Gmail from the list of options and then restart the browser.