Set Default Email Client for Mozilla Firefox

Surfing everyday on the Internet, you often come across websites with mailto links clicking on which your default email client opens up so you can send an email. You can also email a web page URL to a friend by choosing File → Send Link from the menubar. Firefox allows you to choose which email client or service you want to set a default for such actions. You can choose from installed email clients like Mozilla Thunderbird, Microsoft Outlook etc. and also web based email services like Yahoo! or Gmail. Here is how you can set a default email client in Firefox :

  1. Start Firefox browser.
  2. Click on the orange Firefox button on the top-left corner and select Options → Options to open the Options window.

    Set Email Default Client For Firefox

  3. In the options window, select the Applications tab.
  4. Scroll down and select the mailto from the Content Type column. Then click on the Action for the mailto. You would see a drop-down listbox from which you can choose a default email client. For the list to show application based clients (like Thunderbird or Outlook), those clients must be installed on your computer. For the list to show web based clients (like Gmail or Yahoo!), you need to login to them before changing these settings. Select one of the clients or services of your choice from the list.

    Set Email Default Client For Firefox

  5. Click on the OK button to save the settings.

After you have setup the default email client for Mozilla Firefox, you are automatically taken to that client or service as soon as you click on any mailto links or try to send an email from your Firefox browser. This is very helpful if you do not want to use a Windows application based client but instead want to use a web based email service like Gmail or Yahoo! Mail.