Set Firefox to recognize web mail for mailto links – Video Tip

If you use a web based email system like Gmail, HotMail, or Yahoo email or any derivative of these, you more than likely run into occasions where you want to email someone from a web site. However, when you click the link (known as a mailto link), you get presented with an email system you never heard of or used asking you to enter your email particulars to send the email. Most folks usually just snarl and forget about it.

You could copy and paste the email address into your web mail. OR, if you use Mozilla Firefox as your browser, you can set it to recognized these web based systems. This tip works for Windows, Macintosh, and Ubuntu/Linux users. Here’s how:

1. Start Mozilla Firefox
2. Click Tools —> Options from the menus (Or Firefox –> Options or Preferences with a Mac)
3. Click the Applications tab
4. Scroll down until you get to the mailto option under Content Type, and click the Action column to choose Gmail or Yahoo email.
5. Click OK

If you are a MSN, Hotmail, Live Mail or similar, you need to add that system manually to the list. Here’s how:

1. Start Mozilla Firefox
2. Type:  about:config in the address bar
3. Push Enter on your keyboard
4. Click the I’ll be careful, I promise button (and please be careful…the config file in Firefox is analogous to the registry in Windows…don’t get cavalier)
5. In the filter box, type: gecko
6. The first option after you type gecko should be:  gecko.handlerService.allowRegisterFromDifferentHost  Double-click that entry to enter into an editing mode (changes its value to True)
7. Copy and paste the following line into the address bar:

javascript:navigator.registerProtocolHandler(‘mailto’,'http://hotmail.msn.com/secure/start?action=compose&to=%s’,'Hotmail’);

8.  Press Enter on your keyboard

Now check to see if the entry took:

1. Click Tools —> Options from the menus (Or Firefox –> Options or Preferences with a Mac)
2. Click the Applications tab
3. Scroll down until you get to the mailto option under Content Type, and click the Action column to choose Live Mail (again this works for any of the HotMail/MSN/Live mail systems).
4. Click OK

Lastly, you need to set that gecko string back to false (uneditable) by going back to the first gecko entry and double-clicking it.

All these steps are presented in a visual manner in the video below. Have a look and please share this tip with your friends and family

Related articles:

1. Searching within a Web page – Video Tip
2. Web mail…remember web mail
3. Check Your Email When Away from Home
4. Dial-up users: Are you tired of waiting for email with large attachments?
5. Accessing Thunderbird via Firefox (or other email programs too)

8 Responses to “Set Firefox to recognize web mail for mailto links – Video Tip”

1. Achal Dave says:

   April 3, 2010 at 2:14 pm

   Well, your link didn’t work for me, I found this instead. It seems to work:
   javascript:navigator.registerProtocolHandler(‘mailto’,'http://hotmail.msn.com/secure/start?action=compose&to=%s’,'Hotmail’);

   Wonder why yours didn’t work for me… =\

   Reply
2. elwood says:

   April 23, 2010 at 8:10 pm

   I could not get the string into Firefox version 3.6. Any suggestions?

   Reply
   • Rick says:

     May 2, 2010 at 9:22 am

     Thanks for the heads up on this not working with 3.6. I did some searching and haven’t found a solution for that yet. If I find a solution for this, I will post it up here.

     Reply
3. nonW00t says:

   June 25, 2010 at 2:36 pm

   Worked for me, but after fixing the apostrophes to normal ‘ instead of the weird ones on the page!

   javascript:navigator.registerProtocolHandler(‘mailto’,'http://mail.live.com/secure/start?action=compose&to=%s’,'Windows Live Mail’);

   …worked in 3.6.4 ok for me (got the add application bar).

   Reply
4. nonW00t says:

   June 25, 2010 at 2:36 pm

   uhoh, note the post changed the apostrophes!!! So got to note that on this page. :>

   Reply
5. Truax says:

   August 9, 2011 at 7:00 am

   Thanks Rick & nonW00t,
   This works in 5.0 once you’ve retyped the apostrophes.

   Reply
6. Susie says:

   April 15, 2012 at 12:11 pm

   does this trick work for AOL mail?

   Reply
7. Michelle says:

   April 22, 2012 at 1:11 pm

   I can’t find the “mailto” under applications for adding Yahoo mail. Did I miss something?

   Reply