How to change default e mail program in windows
To change the default email program in Windows, you can follow these steps:
Method 1: Through the Settings App
- Press the Windows key + I to open the Settings app.
- Click on "Apps" (or "Applications" in some versions of Windows).
- Click on "Default apps" on the left side of the window.
- Click on "Email" under the "Choose default apps" section.
- Click on the current default email program (e.g., Microsoft Outlook) to select it.
- Click on the "Microsoft Store" button next to "Look for an app in the Store".
- Search for the email program you want to set as default (e.g., Gmail, Yahoo Mail, etc.).
- Click on the app to open its page in the Microsoft Store.
- Click the "Install" button to install the app if you haven't already.
- Once installed, click the "Set as default" button next to the app's name.
- Click "OK" to confirm the change.
Method 2: Through the Control Panel
- Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box.
- Type "control" and press Enter to open the Control Panel.
- Click on "Programs" (or "Programs and Features" in some versions of Windows).
- Click on "Default Programs" (or "Set your default programs" in some versions of Windows).
- Click on "Associate a file type or protocol with a program".
- Scroll down and click on "Email" under the "Protocols" section.
- Click on the current default email program (e.g., Microsoft Outlook) to select it.
- Click on the "Change program" button.
- Browse to the email program you want to set as default (e.g., Gmail, Yahoo Mail, etc.).
- Select the program and click "OK" to confirm the change.
Method 3: Through the Registry Editor (Advanced Users Only)
- Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box.
- Type "regedit" and press Enter to open the Registry Editor.
- Navigate to the following key:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\mailto
- Right-click on the "mailto" key and select "Modify".
- Change the value of the "Default" key to the path of the email program you want to set as default (e.g.,
C:\Program Files\Gmail\Gmail.exe
). - Click "OK" to confirm the change.
Note: Changing the default email program through the Registry Editor can be risky and may cause issues if not done correctly. It's recommended to use the first two methods instead.