Changing the default client from the Mail app to something else is similar to making PDFs and Photos open on the Desktop, or preventing videos and music files from opening in Windows 8 apps.
Set Default Windows 8 Desktop Email Client
Open Control Panel on the Desktop and click Default Programs.
Then click “Associate a File Type or Protocol with a Program” link.
Next in the Set Associations screen, scroll down the list until you find Protocols, and under that you’ll see MAILTO. It’s set to Mail – double click it.
A windows will pop up asking how you want to open the (mailto) link. Select one from the list or check the Windows Store for one. Here I’m sticking with Outlook 2013 for mailto links. Old habits are hard to break! I’ve been using Outlook since 97 and still prefer it today. It’s definitely better than the current version of the Mail app.
Set Webmail as Default in Chrome or Firefox
Using the method above will set your default email for all of your browsers. But you might want to drill down and customize it for each browser, and you can. In Chrome you’ll probably want to set Gmail as your default email handler.
Or if you’re a Firefox user, it’s easy to set the default email client to Gmail or another web based client.
Keep up the good work and thanks for taking the time to share I already selected Outlook and my Outlook (Outlook 2010) is not recognized. Is there any way to get WIndows 8 to use my Outlook 2010 client? Every time I turn around there is something that does not work correctly or is inaccessible with WIndows 8. I think it is designed to get you to buy all new software. Go to the Windows Essentials site and download the program. Then go to the Control Panel, Set Defaults, Set Program Access and computer defaults, Custom…..and there will be another option (Windows Live) which is now Outlook. I already had a Live/Outlook account, so you might want to go to Live.com and get one first. After you install it as the default, you can click the Read Mail icon in IE and get a link, and all the previously greyed out “Send link by email” etc. can now be used. 01.) I did a search on I.E. for Windows Essentials. I then downloaded Windows Essentials 2012. 02.) Then went to Start>Control Panel>Programs>Default Programs>Associate a file type or protocol with a program> Double Click on MAILTO> Choose Windows Live Mail. 03.) I have a GMail Account, so went into Tools and made sure that I had enabled IMAP for that account. 04.) I went into I.E. and Tools > Compatibility View Settings> added e-mail account (not sure if this had anything to do with anything, but did this as well.) 05.) Went into the two different Photo Programs that I have on my computer to send a photo. It downloaded my Gmail mail into an account (which was a little freaky, as I am not sure what was going on there, but at this point in my frustration, I decided I really didn’t care! Ha!) 06.) The Pictures sent out! It took longer for the recipients to receive them, than before, but they sent. I hope this helps and I hope I didn’t forget something, as I didn’t write everything down as I went, which I wish now I had, so that I don’t misguide anyone in the steps I took. I have Yahoo set as my home page, so that I can check it as soon as I open explorer. But you’ll never be able to use it to email outside web page links or pdf files . In my laptop the “People” and “Mail” Apps are pulling up the default account of a temporary user. I am not able to configure my personal accounts to these apps.can someone suggest how I can disable the existing default and enable my intended default accounts? Regards. I found the solution on another forum. Go to the Windows Essentials site and download the program. Then go to the Control Panel, Set Defaults, Set Program Access and computer defaults, Custom…..and there will be another option (Windows Live) which is now Outlook. I already had a Live/Outlook account, so you might want to go to Live.com and get one first. After you install it as the default, you can click the Read Mail icon in IE and get a link, and all the previously greyed out “Send link by email” etc. can now be used. Pay it forward. I think you have to use an Outlook email address to send web pages from IE. Other email apps aren’t set up for that capability. Use seamonkey for everything else. What am I missing? How do I force it to be the Default Thanks I finally got my windows live mail preference to launch from the link click, but no new “preaddressed” email form appeared. I sort of went thru things kind of backward as it happens. I use Firefox so I went to OPTIONS and found the “mailto” under applications…but NO live mail was listed so I somehow used “use other” and “application details/browse” and found my live mail application on my C drive and entered it. That brought up live mail instead of the stupid win8 mail app which doesn’t support my POP3, and I’m used to live mail anyway and try my BEST to avoid win8’s silly app frenzy…but I still got NO new mail form! A bunch of searching later, I found the instructions for changing defaults on my computer AND in Firefox and then went BACK to OPTIONS/Applications/MailTo…and NOW there was a different looking icon for Windows Live Mail so I selected that and now it WORKS! New preaddressed email form to use. As further advice, I used the instructions above to set defaults for BOTH of the top 2 “categories” listed in the window…the top one set my default for my computer and the 2nd set the default for my MAILTO…that step was ALSO a biggie. I hope I got everything here…and thanks for the helpful steps here. Hope this helps someone else…and a pox on WIN8…well, not now when my WIN7 preferred “oldie” desktop is very ill… Keep using Google Chrome. Look for an app in the Store. Ubuntu is calling. when you click on a link for email, copy & paste the target email address into Gmail, and send it from Chrome. You cannot configure Windows 8.1 to accept ANYTHING except Outlook (which I never use). Other help blogs did not mention the: ‘Then click “Associate a File Type or Protocol with a Program” link.’ absolute essential step. Comment
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