Posted on by Aaron Guilmette

Updating the default mail/mailto handler in Windows 11

       
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After getting my new Windows 11 device out of the box, I installed the Microsoft 365 apps suite and was off to the races.  Or so I thought.

It would appear that Outlook didn’t register itself as a the default mail protocol handler (mailto: hyperlinks), so every time I click on a mail link, I get prompted to configure Windows Mail.

Ugh.

So, here’s how you can fix it.

  1. Click Start and search for Default apps.  We’ve changed the name a few times (previously calling it Program defaults, for example, which you can still use to search with successfully)).  Under Settings, select Default apps.
  2. In the search box, enter mailto and select the URL:MailTo Protocol option.
  3. Select Outlook from under the Other options section.
  4. Click OK.

Woo! Now, you can make your favorite (or configured) mail app your default app.