What Is The Default Mail Program For Mac

What Is The Default Mail Program For Mac 5,0/5 382 reviews

With a native UI and sleek design, the Postbox app looks more like a Mac app than the Apple Mail itself. For only $10, the app is filled to the brim with usable features, performance oriented software architecture and an intuitive design. Choose your email app from the ”Default email reader” pop-up menu. * You can also set your default email app in the preferences of your third-party email app. Information about products not manufactured by Apple, or independent websites not controlled or tested by Apple, is provided without recommendation or endorsement.

When you choose a file, your Mac tends to open it with a default program, even if you have multiple programs that are designed to work with that type of file. The odds are that your HTML files will open in Safari, your text documents will open in Pages (or if you don’t have Pages installed, it will open in Text Edit) and your pictures will open with Preview. For most of us, that is a good thing, but it may not be for you. Maybe you want to edit your photos with a more advanced tool, instead of just viewing them. That means have to open each photo in the program before you can begin your work. Not exactly what anyone would call a convenient setup.

If you want to fix that, you are going to have to change your default programs. Don’t worry. That may sound really complicated at first, but with Leopard, or Snow Leopard, it is really quite simple. Just follow these steps and you will be up and changing your file associations in no time.
Let’s continue on with your example from above, and figure out how to make your images open in Photoshop instead of in Preview. This process will work for a variety of different programs and file types.

Step One: Find the File (or Files) You Wish to Change

What Is The Default Mail Program For Mac

Open the spotlight window by clicking on the magnifying glass icon on the top right hand side of your Mac desktop. Type in the name of the file that you want to find. If you are not sure of the exact name, type in only a few characters of the title. When spotlight displays your results, select the file from the list. This will automatically open the folder or file in Finder where your target item is. If you wish to change a single image, you may have to back out to the folder it is stored in. Alternatively, if you know where the file is stored, simply navigate to that location.

Step Two: Getting The File Info and Making The Change

Once you have located the file, you can single click on it to highlight it. Once the image is highlighted, go to the menu bar at the top and choose “File -> Get Info”. This will bring up the information bar for this file. Here, you will see a variety of options for your image. Click on the arrow next to the worlds “Open With.”

This will expand your file associations options for this file, but it will also give you access to change the extensions for all files of this type. Here, you will see a drop down box. It will show the name and icon of the current program that you use by default. In most cases for an image, you will see the word “Preview” written there. If you want to use Photoshop, and you have it installed, all you have to do is choose that from the drop down menu.

Changing All The Files

Lets say you want to change all of the file associations. Well, all that you have to do is follow all of the same steps as above, but after you change the drop down box, click on the button that says “Change all”. This will change the association for every file of this type.

That’s it.

If you don’t use the default mail client on your computer, you can easily make the mailto: links in your browser open in your regular email program. Here’s what you need to know.

Any time you click on an email-address-turned-link (also called a mailto: link) on any web page or in any desktop program on your computer, it opens a compose window in the default mail client that came with your operating system. That’s quite annoying when you use a third-party email client or even a webmail service.

Wouldn’t you prefer having mailto: links open up in the email program that you use instead? Well, that’s exactly how things will work ifyou set up your email program to be the default handler for mailto: links. We’ll show you how to do that.

Opening Mailto: Links in Webmail

If you prefer the webmail experience7 Reasons Why You Should Stop Using Desktop Email Clients7 Reasons Why You Should Stop Using Desktop Email ClientsIs a web-based email client preferable to a desktop option? We looked at the different pros and cons and found an answer for you.Read More, depending on the browser and the webmail service that you use, let’s see how you can make those two work in harmony to handle mailto: links.

In Chrome

Sign into Gmail — this works only when you’re signed in — and look for the handler icon, which looks like a pair of grey overlapping diamond shapes, adjacent to the star icon in the address bar. Click on the handler icon and you’ll get a popup dialog where you’ll need to select the Allow option to ensure that Gmail opens all email links in future.

If you want Inbox instead of the old Google Mail to handle email links for you, click on the handler icon when you’re on inbox.google.com to make the change.

Can’t see the handler icon in the address bar? You might have changed its default behavior in Chrome settings. That’s not a problem though. Go to Settings > Show advanced settings… and under Privacy > Content settings… > Handlers, select the radio button next to Allow sites to ask to become default handlers for protocols (recommended) to get back the handler icon.

For other popular webmail clients that are not Gmail, the Chrome extension Mailto: offers the quickest way to set them as default handlers for mailto: links. It supports Outlook, Yahoo! Mail, FastMail, Zoho Mail, and AOL Mail right out of the box. If you use an email service that’s not part of this set, you can still configure that service using the add another service option.

In Firefox

Go to Firefox Options/Preferences > Applications and look for the mailto option under Content Type. The dropdown menu next to it is where you can specify which email program you want to use. It could be Gmail, Yahoo! Mail, or any other desktop email program such as Thunderbird or Microsoft Outlook.

For linking to a desktop client, you’ll have to use the Use Other… option in the dropdown menu and navigate to your email program via Explorer (or via Finder, if you’re on a Mac).

The mailto dropdown menu has a couple of other useful options:

Set Default Email Account In Windows 10

  • Always Ask – To specify an email program a mailto: link on a case by case basis.
  • Use Chrome – To have mailto: links from Firefox open in Chrome. Of course, you’ll just get a blank new tab in Chrome if you haven’t configured Chrome first to open mailto:links.

Can’t find your webmail service listed in the mailto dropdown menu? You need the MailtoWebmails [No Longer Available] add-on. It allows you to choose from various popular webmail services and configure any of them as the default handler for mailto: links in Firefox. If you can’t find the webmail you use in that list either, don’t worry. The add-on gives you the option to add it yourself.

In Safari and Opera

No matter which webmail service you use, if you’re on Safari or Opera, you’ll have to fall back on the Mailto extension that we discussed in the In Chrome section above. Here are the links to the extension’s Safari version and Opera version.

In Internet Explorer

Tweaking mailto: associations is not all smooth sailing in some cases, especially if you use a service that’s not Gmail.

On Internet Explorer, for example, you can use Gmail for mailto: links only if you have installed Google Toolbar. If you have, go to Toolbar Options > General > Web-browsing tools and check the box next to Use Gmail for “Mail To” Links to set up the mailto: association for Gmail.

Opening Mailto: Links in a Desktop Email Client

If you have ditched webmail for a desktop email clientYou Should Ditch Webmail for a Desktop Email Client If..You Should Ditch Webmail for a Desktop Email Client If..A few years ago, webmail was all the rave. Wonder whether it's time to switch back to a desktop email client? Look no further. We show you the merits of a local mail service.Read More, it makes sense to use the latter as the default handler for email links that appear in any program or on any web page.

There’s nothing you need to configure if you have decided to stick with the mail client that came bundled with your operating system. But if you use a third-party email client like Thunderbird, you can set that as the systemwide default for everything to do with email. Here’s how you can do that on the top three desktop operating systems.

On Windows 7 through 10, first go to Control Panel > Programs > Default Programs > Set Associations and click on Associate a file type or protocol with a program. Now scroll down to the Protocols section, look for the MAILTO row, and double-click on it.

You’ll then be able to select an email client of your choice (provided you have already installed it on your computer) from the popup that appears. You’ll also find an option to get an email app from the Windows Store and immediately associate it with mailto: links from the popup.

On OS X, open the Mail app and under Preferences > General, pick the email program that you want to set as the default using the Default email reader popup. Yes, you have to start with Mail even if you want to configure a different email application as the defaultThe Search for the Perfect Mac Desktop Gmail ClientThe Search for the Perfect Mac Desktop Gmail ClientNeed a desktop client for Gmail on your Mac? Here are the best we could find.Read More.

On Linux, you’ll need to ensure that your email programEmail on Linux: 4 of the Best Email Clients AvailableEmail on Linux: 4 of the Best Email Clients AvailableLinux email clients still lag behind Windows and Mac, but the gap is closing. Here are some of the better ones I've found.Read More is set as the default application for handling email. The location of the default applications setting might vary based on the distro that you use. On Ubuntu, you’ll most likely find it under System Settings > Details > Default Applications. Look for the Mail dropdown menu and select your email program within it.

Opening Mailto: Links on Android

How To Associate Email Program

When you click on a mailto: link in your browser on Android, you’ll get the Complete action using popup in which you’ll be able to select any installed email client of your choice as the default handler for mailto: links. Once you select it, tap on the Always button to finalize the change.

If the mailto: link takes you to an email app that’s already been configured as the defaultHow To Remove, Change, Or Set Default Apps In AndroidHow To Remove, Change, Or Set Default Apps In AndroidThe default way of changing your default apps can be annoying, but this app makes it super simple.Read More, go to Settings > Apps, tap on the app that’s currently the default, and in its App Info section, tap on the Clear defaults button under Launch by default. Once you do this, you’ll be able to see the Complete action using popup for associating mailto: links with the email client that you prefer.

What Is The Default Mail Client For Mac

Remember, if there’s no alternative to the default email app installed on your Android device, mailto: links will take you directly to the default app.

A Word About Microsoft Edge and iOS

My search for a setting, app, or tweak that lets you change mailto: associations on Microsoft Edge and on iOS came up blank. If you had better luck with that, do let me know in the comments!

Associate Mailto: with Your Email Client

Setting up your favorite email client to handle mailto: links is a one-time tweak and doesn’t take much of an effort. Even if it looks like an insignificant change, you’re sure to appreciate the way it smooths out your workflow3 Smart Chrome Extensions to Speed Up Your Workflow3 Smart Chrome Extensions to Speed Up Your WorkflowChrome's minimalist and user-friendly interface is a big reason for its popularity, along with the excellent extensions available in the Web store. Here are three that will make browsing easier for you.Read More.

Why Is The Default Mail Not Properly Installed

Have you set up your browser to open mailto: links in your usual webmail or desktop email client? Or are you used to blindly hitting the Close button on the new instances of the stock email app that open up every time you click on a mailto: link?

Explore more about: Browser Extensions, Email Tips.

Default Email Program For Mac

  1. Thank you!!! This is exactly what I needed! Solved my problem!

  2. How do you add Chrome to one of your selectable options for a default desktop client? I regularly use chrome, and have it set as my in browser default, but the only options I see in the control panel (Control PanelProgramsDefault ProgramsSet Associations) are Microsoft Outlook and IMB Lotus Notes/Domino (neither programs do I have access to)

    Thank you.

  3. I'm looking for how to set Mailto: default in Edge.
    I'd like it to go to mail.gooogle.com (gmail) in Edge

  4. It gives me only two choices on Win7: Chrome, and Opera
    I have Maxthon, IE, and Firefox installed as well.so how to select one of those? It gives me NO option to here.

    And even better: How do I get it to open in the same browers in which i click a MAILTO link? E.g. If I accidently click a MAILTO link in Maxthon, I need for the mailto link to open in Maxthon, not Opera or Chrome with their hundred+ tab session that then freezes, and at times blue-screens, my computer unless I close other programs beforehand.

    Plus, how do i disassociate the MAILTO link altogether.

    When I try ionic cordova run android and then I see this 'PANIC: Missing emulator engine program for 'x86' CPU.' Expected behavior: This will launch a real device or virtual device to run the app. I've been having a similar issue on my Mac. This is however only for the x86 image variants. I have no issues with arm images and am able to run them via CLI. Panic missing emulator engine program for 'x86' cpu. mac. Aug 16, 2018  Mac and 'PANIC: Missing emulator engine program for 'arm' CPU.'

  5. Thanks for useful information

  6. For me Mailto isn't even showing up in the application menu! What do I do if it's not showing up?