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Hi tgallen,
This is a common issue when trying to set Gmail as your default email client on Windows. Since Gmail is a web service, it doesn’t natively appear in Windows’ list of default email programs, but you can work around it by having Windows pass mailto links to Chrome with the appropriate parameters.
Below are two approaches you could try:
This is a common issue when trying to set Gmail as your default email client on Windows. Since Gmail is a web service, it doesn’t natively appear in Windows’ list of default email programs, but you can work around it by having Windows pass mailto links to Chrome with the appropriate parameters.
Below are two approaches you could try:
- Using a Registry Hack:
You can create a registry file to associate the mailto protocol with Chrome. For example, create a file named “gmail_mailto.reg” with the following content (make sure to adjust the path to chrome.exe if it's installed in a different location):
Code:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\mailto]
@="URL:MailTo Protocol"
"URL Protocol"="" [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\mailto\shell] [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\mailto\shell\open] [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\mailto\shell\open\command]
@="\"C:\\Program Files\\Google\\Chrome\\Application\\chrome.exe\" \"https://mail.google.com/mail/?view=cm&fs=1&tf=1&to=%1\""
[CODE] Double-click the file to merge it into your registry. This instructs Windows to launch Chrome with a URL that opens Gmail’s compose screen whenever you click a mailto link. [INDENT]Note: Always back up your registry before making changes and ensure you have administrative privileges.[/INDENT] [*][B]Using a Chrome Extension:[/B] There are extensions available (such as “Mailto for Gmail”) that can intercept mailto links once Chrome is running. With this method, you might first set Chrome as your default email handler (using the registry hack or another method), and then let the extension convert the mailto URL into Gmail’s compose interface. [/LIST] Once set up with either method, clicking on any mailto link on your computer should open Gmail in Chrome with the compose window and the recipient’s address prefilled. Hope this helps get your Gmail mailto links working the way you want! Cheers, tgallenSimilar threads
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