How to open Gmail with "Email All Students"
Updated over a week ago

Details

How to Open Mail to Links in Gmail


Symptom:
When you go to a website and click on a link to send an email, your computer prompts you to log in or configure Outlook, Apple Mail, or Windows Mail. These links are called Mailto links, and if you do not already have an email client configured to send mail, this can be frustrating and time consuming.

Issue:
Fortunately, there is a way to configure your computer's web browser so that these mailto links open up in your Gmail account. Please note that this can only be done in Chrome or Firefox. Currently Safari, Internet Explorer, and Microsoft Edge are not compatible with this.


Resolution:

For Google Chrome:

  • Open Google Chrome and log into your Gmail account

  • There should be two diamonds in the address bar (if you do not see the diamond icons, see the instructions below)

  • Click on that icon, and it will ask your permission to change the handlers for Chrome to allow you to use Gmail instead of Outlook or your other mail client. When prompted, click "Use Gmail" and then Done

  • If you log into your Gmail and there are no diamond icon, here is how to get it to appear:

    • In Chrome, click on the dots in the upper right-hand corner and then Settings

    • Scroll all the way to the bottom of the page and click on Privacy and Security

    • Click on Site Settings

    • Click on "Additional permissions" which can be found underneath "Background sync"

    • Click on Handlers

    • If it is turned off, click the toggle next to "Allow sites to ask to become default handlers for protocols (recommended)"

    • If mail.google.com is in the "Blocked" list, click the x to the right to remove it from that list. Make sure the toggle for handlers does not turn off when you do this

    • Now you can go back to your USD gmail and click the diamond icon (shown above) to allow Gmail to open all mail links

  • You can test this out by going to a website that has mailto links and clicking on an email address. If were not already logged into your USD Gmail account, it will prompt you to log in. If you were logged in already, then it should automatically redirect to a Gmail "New Message" window


For Mozilla Firefox:

  • Open Firefox and log into your Gmail account

  • Click the 3 horizontal bars in the upper right corner and then click Options

  • In the General tab, scroll down to the Applications section

  • Next to Mailto, click the drop-down and change it to Use Gmail

  • Close the Options tab

  • Go to a website that has mailto links and click on an email address. If were not already logged into your USD Gmail account, it will prompt you to log in. If you were logged in already, then it should automatically redirect to a Gmail "New Message" window


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