Wrong app guide · When the click works
Mailto opens the wrong email app. Change the right default.
The link is not choosing Gmail, Outlook, or a desktop app. A saved browser handler or the device's MAILTO default is. Check those two layers, then decide whether your site should offer a choice instead.
Step 1 · Prove what the link controls
Check the address and fields before changing settings
Paste the URL into the private mailto tester. If the expected recipient, subject, and body appear, the link is carrying the right request. The app that opens is a handler decision outside the link.
01
The link
Carries the address and message fields. It does not name an email app.
02
The browser
May keep a saved webmail handler or pass the request to the device.
03
The device
Uses the app assigned to MAILTO when the browser delegates the click.
Step 2 · The browser
Remove or replace the saved webmail handler
A browser can register a site such as Gmail to handle email links. That choice can override the desktop app you expected. Open the browser's protocol-handler or site settings, find the email handler, and remove or replace the saved service.
Using Chrome?
Follow the Chrome handler guide for the exact protocol, Gmail, and system-default checks. Managed work or school profiles may lock those settings.
Step 3 · The device
Assign MAILTO to the app you actually use
If the browser has no saved webmail handler, it normally delegates the click to the operating system. Open default-app settings, find the association for email links or the MAILTO protocol, and select the preferred mail app.
- 01
Change one layer at a time
Clear the browser handler first, then test before changing the operating-system default.
- 02
Test the same minimal link
Use mailto:hello@example.com so subject or body encoding cannot confuse the result.
- 03
Check the active profile
Personal and managed browser profiles can keep different handler choices on the same computer.
Step 4 · Your site
Offer a provider choice when one default is not enough
Fixing a default solves one device. A public site serves visitors with different apps, accounts, and managed profiles. smart-mailto can offer webmail and copy choices before the browser delegates the original link. Native mail is first on mobile and can be enabled on desktop.
Gmail
Outlook
Proton Mail
Native mail
Copy addressinitSmartMailto({ includeNative: true });
// Keep the original anchor in your HTML.
// <a href="mailto:hello@example.com">Email us</a>See the choice before you install
Keep the same mailto link. Put the decision in front of the visitor.
The remembered provider stays in this site's local storage. It does not change the browser or device default for other sites.
Ready to add it? Follow the installation guide.
Questions
Wrong email app FAQ
Can a mailto link choose Gmail or Outlook?
No. A normal mailto link supplies the recipient and optional message fields. The browser and operating system decide which registered handler receives it.
Why does mailto open in my browser instead of Outlook?
A webmail service may be saved as the browser protocol handler. Remove or change that handler, then confirm Outlook is assigned to email links in the operating system.
Can a managed browser block handler changes?
Yes. A work or school profile can apply policies that hide or lock protocol-handler settings. In that case, the profile administrator controls the available choices.
Does smart-mailto change the visitor's default app?
No. It offers webmail, copy, and optional native-mail choices on the site before the browser delegates the original mailto link.