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Wake Forest University

Set WFU Gmail as default mail client in Chrome

Modified on: Wed, Oct 12, 2022 3:15 PM


Windows


Sometimes when you click a mailto link in a web browser (on a website or in applications like Banner and Workday), it will attempt to open in the default mail client such as Outlook or Mail. Follow these steps to change your default mail client to Gmail in Chrome. Safari no longer supports the mailto function without a paid third-party extension.

1. Log in to your WFU email by visiting google.wfu.edu in Chrome. 

a. If you see an icon that looks like two overlapping diamonds in the address bar of your WFU Gmail window, continue with the next step (2.A). If not, skip to the next section (2.B)

screenshot of double diamonds in the URL bar.

2.A. Select "Allow mail.google.com to open all email links."

screenshot of selecting "allow" when asked "Allow mail.google.com to open all email links?:

2.B. Open a Chrome tab and visit chrome://settings/handlers.

3. Make sure "Sites can ask to handle protocols" is selected. 

screenshot of selecting Sites can as to handle protocols.

4. Log into your WFU email by visiting google.wfu.edu in Chrome. 

5. Select the icon that looks like 2 overlapping diamonds in the address bar of your WFU Gmail window. 

screenshot of double diamonds in the URL bar.

6. Select "Allow mail.google.com to open all email links."

screenshot of selecting "allow" when asked "Allow mail.google.com to open all email links?:

You may need to Modify your Windows Default App Settings as well.

  • Go to Windows Start and search for and run "Default Apps"
  • Search apps for "Mail" and open "Mail"


search for mail and open mail in default apps setting 


  • Go to the "MAILTO" setting and click the expand link Go link icon.  You may receive a message about staying with Microsoft's recommendations, but switch anyways.
  • Choose Google Chrome as the application and select OK.

When prompted "How do you want to open this", select Google Chrome and then OK to make the selection.


You should now be able to open Gmail when selecting a mailto link in a web browser. 


Mac OS


  • Open Mail
  • Go to the "Mail tab" on the upper left corner (next to the Apple icon)
  • Select Preferences
  • Under the "General" tab of the preferences, go the the "Default email reader" option and toggle the option to Google Chrome.  If you do not see Google Chrome as an option, choose "Select..." and find Google Chrome in your Applications folder.


picture shows how to navigate to setting.  Open mail, select mail tab, select preferences, under general tab, choose to modify "default email reader" option to Google Chrome.



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