Setting gmail as your default email client

When you click on an email address on a web page or other location you may be prompted to allow the application to open Microsoft Outlook or some other email client. This is related to Outlook being your current default mail application in Windows. If you click on an email address in a browser or other application Windows will try to open Outlook to process sending a message to that address.

Please keep in mind Microsoft Windows uses Outlook as the default email client. The “Send To, Mail recipient” feature in Windows and the Microsoft Word mail merge to email feature will not work unless Outlook is setup to use your NMU G Suite gmail account via IMAP using the instructions referenced on this page or the instructions for Setting up Outlook to send mail using the NMU Mail Gateway. This is true even if you set up gmail as your default email client.

If you are using gmail you can set Chrome and gmail as the default mail application to address the issue. To do this:

 

    1. Type 'default apps' in the Windows start menu.

    2. Click the current app listed under  "Email" in this case "Outlook 2016" and choose your normal web browser, such as "Google Chrome".

       

    3. Open Chrome and go to mail.google.com and log in.

    4. Right click the double black diamond in the far right of the address field and choose "Allow" and click "Done".

       

  • In Firefox, you would click on the 3 horizontal lines in the right corner, choose Options. Then search for "mailto". Click on the item there and change to Gmail.

    5. Try clicking an email link in a web page or Microsoft Word document and verify it opens Chrome and Gmail to send a message.

 

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