How to use Gmail or Yahoo web mail for mailto links
March 9th, 2007 - How to, Mac OS X, Tips & Tricks, Utilities
Brian W. asks the following great question:
“I’d like to click a link such as “mailto..someone@anywhere.com” and have it automatically open up my web browser to Yahoo mail. Is there a way to set my default email client to my Yahoo mail account? I’d prefer not to use Apple’s Mail client.”
Well Brian, you’re not the only one to wonder. Millions of people use webmail clients instead of Mail or Outlook and the answer to your question is: Yes! It’s very easy to do with a simple and free third party preference pane called Webmailer.
This ability really should be built right into Mac OS X, but until it is, Webmailer works just fine. Installation and configuration is as simple as downloading and launching the app, which will install the preference pane into your System Preferences. You then just select which web-based email you want to use, as you can see from the screenshot below. Be sure to change the default email application from Mail to Webmailer. If you’d like to use a different webmail client than the default list, you can do that too with some minor configuration.
Once it’s configured, clicking a mailto link will load the designated webmail client instead of Apple’s Mail. Enjoy!
Developer home
Download now (Mac OS X 10.4+)
Note: We’re linking to the version of Webmailer for 10.4, but if you have 10.3 there is a version available on the developers site.
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Comments:
Comments: 7
Comment from archimedes
Time: March 9, 2007, 11:09 am
perfect, Just what I neeed too
Comment from Checkers
Time: March 12, 2007, 1:16 am
I have always wanted to know how to do this but I wonder if there is a way that doesn’t involve the downloads in general?
Comment from Don
Time: March 18, 2007, 8:47 am
To access gmail securely, double click on the gmail destination and add an “s” after “http” so that you get “https”.
~Don
Comment from Terri
Time: October 10, 2008, 2:24 pm
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! I have always been so frustrated when I click on a link to email someone and Apple Mail opens. I really do not like that program and the email clients like entourage are so slow just to send an email because you have to open them. Thanks again! Great help!
Comment from Terri
Time: October 10, 2008, 2:24 pm
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! I have always been so frustrated when I click on a link to email someone and Apple Mail opens. I really do not like that program and the email clients like entourage are so slow just to send an email because you have to open them. Thanks again! Great help!
Comment from jeff walker
Time: December 27, 2008, 11:38 am
After changing email default on my Mac to Yahoo, I would like to know when an e-mail arrives by a ping or other sound Mac offers. When I changed to Yahoo in preferences, I hear nothing when I receive an e-mail. Help!
Comment from fjpoblam
Time: June 30, 2009, 11:45 am
When I downloaded webmailer, I saw that Yahoo! had a green dot at its left and was not available for “Choose” as most of the others are… I assume this is likely due to the fact that I don’t have the “beefed up” paid-for POP-access Yahoo! email? …though, I should think, a link to a signed-on Yahoo! URL should work, POP or no POP. Eh?
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March 9th, 2007
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