How To Open Email Links in Google Chrome [2026 Guide]

I’m going to teach you how to open email links directly in Google Chrome using Gmail. This is a handy trick that will save you time whenever you encounter email links, commonly known as mailto links, across the web. By the end of this tutorial, you will have Gmail set as the default mail client in Chrome, making your emailing experience much smoother.

Open Email Links in Google Chrome [2026 Guide]

Sign in to Gmail

First, open your Google Chrome browser and go to mail.google.com.

If you are not logged in to your Gmail account, sign in.

Enter your email address and password to get signed in. This is an essential step because you need access to Gmail for this process to work properly.

Allow Gmail to open email links

Once you are signed in, look at Chrome’s address bar at the top of your browser.

Find the little double diamond icon that appears as two overlapping blue diamonds in the top right corner of the address bar. This icon is the key to linking your email links directly to Gmail.

Click the double diamond icon. A prompt asks, “Allow Gmail to open all email links.”

It is important that you click Allow here. By giving permission, you are instructing Chrome that Gmail is your preferred application for sending emails.

After you click Allow, press the Done button. This confirms your choice and sets Gmail as the default handler for email links in Chrome.

Clicking Done finalizes the process and locks in your preference. This is the moment Chrome starts routing mailto links to Gmail.

Read More: Open folders and files in Chrome

Test a mailto link

Let’s put this to the test. Next time you see a mailto link on a web page, click it.

For example:

mailto:someone@example.com

If you followed the steps correctly, a new Gmail compose window opens right away and is ready for you to start typing your message. It is straightforward and it saves time when you are moving around the web.

If a link does not open as expected, see this guide to fix common issues with links in Chrome: fix links not opening in Chrome.

What you changed

You set Gmail as the default handler for email links in Chrome. That means Chrome will hand off any mailto link to Gmail automatically.

This simple setup ensures that whenever an email link needs your attention, you have a clear and consistent process in place with Gmail and Chrome working together. You have effectively simplified a step that can otherwise be a minor hassle, which makes your email communication more efficient.

Final Thoughts

You learned how to route mailto links to Gmail in Chrome using the handler prompt, and you confirmed the change by testing a link. Click Allow, then Done, and Chrome remembers your choice.

If you want faster browsing alongside this setup, learn how to open your saved pages quickly using bookmarks and tabs here: open bookmarks and tabs faster in Chrome.