How to fix your default mailto: program

EQ Admin

EQ Forum Admin
Staff member
Hello,

I ran into an interesting problem today that was solved quickly but I figured was worth sharing. On a Windows XP computer, when the user was clicking a button on a web site that was the equivalent of a mailto: link, the email was not opening up to be sent from their default mail program.

Normally users think that to configure their default mail program they can go to their Internet Options from either their Control Panel or from Internet Explorer, go to the Programs tab, and then select their mail program in the default programs list.

This is not the only place that your mailto: settings can be changed.

If the above does not work for you the next step is to check the default mail program settings within any toolbars that have been installed in your web browser.

Lastly, if both of the above solutions have not fixed the problem, here is one additional place to manage yet another mailto: setting within your computer. My home computer does not have it defined but I'll show in a screen shot below where you would expect to find the setting if it exists on your computer.


  • Go to your desktop and double click on My Computer
  • Go to the Tools menu and select Folder Options
  • Select the File Types tab
Windows XP Mailto.JPG
  • Scroll down to the line for URL:Mailto Protocol (above News in the list)
  • Highlight that setting and click the Advanced button
  • Change the default mail program executable that gets run

After saving the settings the correct mail program should now open for you when clicking a mailto: function n a web site!
 
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