set gmail as default mailto: responder in edge

Question

set gmail as default mailto: responder in edge

John Evans 10

how do i set gmail as the mailto: responder in edge under win 11?

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7 answers

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Answer 1

John Evans 10

Thanks Mike. I still have no joy, even after creating that key and popping the data in it. I don't want to consume more of your, or anyone else's time. I'll let it go. Cheers. john

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Answer 2

Reon Toerien 0

I'm using linux, there's no registry to edit so how do I go about getting what should be a simple thing to work?

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Answer 3

Mike 10

This thread came up in my search for the same. The feature appears to have been removed from MS Edge at some point, but there is still a supported workaround through the registry.

An example for adding Gmail and Google Calendar is below. This is tested and working in Edge 143.0.3650.66. Navigating to edge://policy will show the RegisteredProtocolHandlers property properly applied with a status of "OK" on success.

The usual script and registry disclaimers apply: take backups, use caution, and make sure that you understand what you are running.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge\Recommended]
"RegisteredProtocolHandlers"="[{\"url\": \"https://mail.google.com/mail/?extsrc=mailto&url=%s\", \"protocol\": \"mailto\", \"default\": true}, {\"url\": \"https://www.google.com/calendar/render?cid=%s\", \"protocol\": \"webcal\", \"default\": true}]"

See Richard Courtenay's answer and my response here for more context:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/2339128/where-do-i-find-the-protocol-handlers-in-edge?page=1&orderby=helpful&comment=answer-12280319&translated=false

John Evans 10 Reputation points

2025-12-10T04:01:27.8566667+00:00

I'm afraid I don't have ...\Edge... in my HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft in my registry
Mike 10 Reputation points

2025-12-10T06:15:17.49+00:00

You will need to create the ...\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge\Recommended key if it is not there already. The official documentation does not mention any limitations based on your Windows edition, which implies that it should work for all installations of Windows 11, assuming that your organization does not override this via GPO.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/deployedge/microsoft-edge-browser-policies/registeredprotocolhandlers
Juan López 0 Reputation points

2026-09-10T04:23:04.1966667+00:00

If this doesn't work for you, you have to check for one extra step. As Windows prioritises the protocol handling by the OS, you have to go to Windows Settings > Apps > Default Apps and look for "MAILTO"; then you can select Edge as the default app to handle mailto URLs. With the registry entry in place then, Edge can forward URLs to Gmail.
John Evans 10 Reputation points

2026-09-10T06:19:17.1166667+00:00

Thanks Juan. I've done that. Yet to test it. Cheers. john

Answer 4

John Evans 10

I went to Settings. There is no Cookies and site permissions option. I went to Settings > Privacy, search and services > Cookies. There is no Protocol handlers option. I did a Search settings for Protocol handlers in Settings. "No search results found"

Shary 0 Reputation points

2025-11-10T15:51:35.91+00:00

I have the same problem. I have separate "cookies" and "site permissions" and could find no protocol handlers in either.

Answer 5

Arlene D 36,225 Independent Advisor

No problem at all, John. You’re looking in the right area. In your version of Edge, go to Settings > Cookies and site permissions, then scroll down and select “Protocol handlers.”

Turn on “Allow sites to ask to become default handlers for protocols.” Once that’s enabled, open Gmail, reload the page, and look for the diamond icon in the address bar. Click it and choose “Allow.” This will make Gmail your default mailto responder.

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