How To Change / Make Firefox’s Default Email Program To Gmail Google Apps

How To Set Gmail As The Default Email Client With Firefox 3

Many a times, you must have noticed while browsing that on clicking an email link on any webpage, you are directed to email clients like Microsoft Window Mail (in case you are using Vista) or Outlook Express (in case you are using Windows XP).

You need to configure your email client before you are able to send emails. Otherwise it turns out to be quite inconvenient and troublesome. If you are a Firefox user and have a Gmail Account, the all new Firefox 3 now allows you to configure Gmail as your email client by default, which means when you click on any link within Firefox, your Gmail email client will open up automatically.

Firefox 3 actually comes with Yahoo Mail as its default email client, but permits Gmail users to make some settings to edit the application handler “mailto” to set Gmail as the email client by default.

Use the following steps:

1. Type in “about:config” into the address bar of Firefox 3. A warning page will appear. To proceed, you will need to agree by clicking the button which asks you to confirm that you will be careful.

2. Type “gecko.handlerService” in the Filter box and find the Preference name “gecko.handlerService.allowRegisterFromDifferentHost”. Ensure it has a value “True”. If not, make it “True”.

3. You also need to check the Preference name “network.protocol-handler.external.mailto” and ensure that its value is “True”.

4. Now copy and paste the below mentioned code into the address bar followed by the Enter Key.

javascript:window.navigator.registerProtocolHandler(“mailto”,”https://mail.google.com/mail/?extsrc=mailto&url=%s“,”GMail”)

5. In case you have a Google Apps account, copy and paste the following code and hit the Enter Key.

javascript:window.navigator.registerProtocolHandler(“mailto”,“https://mail.google.com/a/example.com/mail/?extsrc=mailto&url=%s”,“GMail”)

In the above javascript, you need to alter example.com to your domain name.

6. You will get a prompt from Firefox 3 asking you whether you wish to add application. Just click on the button “Add Application”.

7. Now click on any mailto: link. A window “Launch Application” will appear. Firefox 3 prompts you to confirm the name of the application to be used. Select “Gmail” and check the box asking Firefox to remember your selection for mailto links. Then click “OK”.

8. You are done with the process. It is recommended that you set the value of “gecko.handlerService.allowRegisterFromDifferentHost” back to “False” by going to “about:config” for safety reasons.

Now that you have added Gmail as the default client in Firefox, you may want to remove it in future. Read this post which lists the procedure for removing gmail as default email client.

Related:

1> Add hotmail as default mail client in Firefox.