Google Chrome:
Step 1: Launch the Google Chrome web browser on your computer
Step 2: Navigate to Chrome settings
Step 3: In the right area of the browser screen, there are three gray dots showing the "Settings" menu that appear.
Step 4: Click on these three dots and click on the word "Settings" to show the Chrome settings menu on the screen.
Step 5: Launch privacy and security menu
Step 6: Navigate to the "Site settings" option and a gray arrow appears on the right side of the menu option.
Step 7: Click on it, locate the words "Additional permissions" and click on the gray downward-facing arrow that appears to the right area of that menu option
Step 8: Set default settings
Step 9: In the "Additional permissions" menu: Scroll until you see the "Protocol handlers" menu option.
Step 10: Click on the gray right-facing arrow to expand the menu, and select the "Protocol handlers" menu option.
Step 11: In the "Protocol handler" menu, under the words "Default behavior," there are two options. Select the "Sites can ask to handle protocols" option.
Step 12: Allow Gmail to open all links
Step 13: Finally, open up your Gmail email account in a new tab on your computer. On the right side of the URL's address bar, there is an icon with two intertwined diamonds that will appear:
Step 14: Click on the icon to get a pop-up menu that asks, "Allow mail.google.com to open all links?"
Step 15: Select the "Allow" menu option so that the next time an email opens, it will automatically open in Gmail.
Apple Safari:
Step 1: Launch the Safari web browser on your computer.
Step 2: Begin downloading the Google Mailto Extension from Google.
Step 3: While the Google Mailto Extension is downloading, navigate to the right area of the browser and locate the "Downloads" icon, which is represented by a downward facing arrow and click on it.
Step 4: From the menu of extensions that appear, click on the Google Mailto Extension twice to install it on the browser.
Step 5: A new menu will appear and you can navigate to the "Options" menu option.
Step 6: From the menu options, select the default email client you'd like to use, and this selection automatically saves your preferences.
Step 7: You can close out the browser and then reopen it to confirm it saved your settings.
Mozilla Firefox:
Step 1: Launch the Mozilla Firefox web browser on your computer
Step 2: Navigate to the Firefox menu that is in the left corner of the browser on the screen and click on it for it to open.
Step 3: In the menu that appears, select either the "Options" (PC) menu option or the "Preferences" (Mac) menu option depending on the type of computer you're using.
Step 4: In the following menu, find the word "Application" and click on it.
Step 5: A search bar then appears, and you can type in the word "Mailto."
Step 6: Results generate and appear on the screen, and you can navigate to the "Action" column that appears.
Step 7: In this column, you can then select which default email client you'd like the browser to open emails in.
Microsoft Edge:
Step 1: Launch the Microsoft Edge web browser on your computer
Step 2: Open your email account on your browser.
Step 3: On the right side of the URL's address bar, click on the icon depicting two intertwined diamonds, which show the handler menu.
Step 4: In the pop-up menu, select the option that reads, "Allow mail.google.com to open all links." From that point forward, all emails open in the browser of your choice.
Articles and Additional Resource Links:
- https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/set-gmail-as-browser-default-email-client-ht
- https://ncsu.service-now.com/kb_view.do?sysparm_article=KB0018235
- Includes step by step screenshots for reference
- https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/how-to-get-email-links-to-open-in-chrome
- https://support.google.com/mail/answer/10079967?hl=en