Troubleshoot: Email links not opening up

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Misty Flowers

This article covers troubleshooting steps for "mailto:" email links that won't open, including enabling pop-ups in your browser and setting or resetting your computer's default email application.

💡Quick answers

  • Why won't a mailto email link open when clicked? The most common causes are pop-ups being blocked on the device, no default email application set, or the browser's protocol handler settings not being configured to open mailto links.
  • Enabling pop-ups to fix a broken mailto link? Steps: open the browser's settings for the specific site or globally, locate the pop-up permissions, and allow pop-ups for the site hosting the mailto link.
  • Can setting a default email application fix this issue? Yes, mailto links open whichever email application is set as the operating system's default, so confirming and resetting that default can resolve the problem.
  • What are Protocol Handlers and why do they matter here? Protocol Handlers manage how a browser hands off specific link types, including mailto links, to applications, so misconfigured handler settings can prevent the link from opening at all.
  • Still broken after following the Chrome steps? Try the additional Chrome fix: enable the setting to allow sites to ask to become default protocol handlers, visit mail.google.com, click the Service Handler icon in the address bar, and choose Allow.

Sometimes, when clicking on email icons linked with "mailto:" links, the link will not open up. This article gives you some ways to troubleshoot to fix this issue. 

In this article

Option #1: Enable pop-ups 

One reason your "mailto:" link might not be working is because you need to enable pop-ups on your device or computer. 

Option #2: Set default browser 

These "mailto:" links will open up the designated default email application on the user's current computer. The same link might open up Outlook on one computer and Gmail on another. Those two computers are configured to have different default email applications.

Default applications are controlled by your computer's operating system. You can set your computer to open whichever program you want when clicking on an email link. 

Here's how to confirm which default browser is set and to reset it, if needed:

Important Note

Setting your browser as the default browser opening up "mailto:" links might not be enough. You may need to try "Option #3" if the problem persists. Protocol handlers allow specific apps to handle certain links, including "mailto:" links.

Option #3: Configure privacy and security settings for Protocol Handlers

Protocol Handlers are used to manage how different applications handle specific types of links. The reason your "mailto:" links aren't working could be because these need to be reconfigured. Follow these links for your particular browser. 

Followed Chrome steps but still not working?

Try these additional steps!
Here are a few additional steps that might solve your problem if it didn't work before!  
  • Open Chrome Browser and click More Settings > Privacy and security section.
  • Next to Site Settings, click the Right arrow.
  • Expand out Additional permissions.
  • Next to Handlers, click the Right arrow.
  • At the top, make sure Allow sites to ask to become default handlers for protocols (recommended) is turned on.
  • In your Chrome Browser's address bar, enter "mail.google.com".
  • Click the Service Handler icon in the URL bar. 
    service handler icon.png
  • Once clicked, you will see this window. Choose Allow.
    allow.png
  • Returning to your Chrome settings, you will see "mail.google.com" showing up at the bottom (along with any other links that had been added) which means the process has been completed.
    protocol handlers confirmation.png

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