Want to change from Mail to a different email program to handle message links? Find out here how to change the default email client on a Mac.
First, Old Zeeland
In the Netherland’s very South and West, two islands and four peninsulas cuddle with a bite off the European mainland to form a picturesque and seaworthy province called “Zeeland.”
New Zeeland — later New Zealand —, you guessed it, was named after it.
Want to leave your old email program (as picturesque as it may be) behind for a new one? The journey is a brief one on a Mac:
How to Change the Default Email Client on a Mac
Time needed: 3 minutes.
To set the default email program on a Mac using macOS:
- Open Mail.
Using the keyboard: Press
CommandSpaceto bring up Spotlight, start typing mail and select Mail (Application). - Select Mail | Preferences… from the menu.
Keyboard shortcut: You can also press
Command,to open Mail preferences. - Go to the General tab.
- Select the desired email program under Default email reader:.
Note: If the program you want to use for email is not in the list, you can choose Select…, find and double-click the program to add it to the list.
- Close the General Mail preferences window.
Note: You can set up Mozilla Firefox to use a different default email program.
Using these steps, you can make Outlook the default email program on your Mac, for instance.
How to Change the Default Mail Client on a Mac: FAQ
Can I make a web-based email service my default email “program”?
Maybe.
if the web-based email service can be turned into a Chrome App, you can also make it the default email program on a Mac. This works for Outlook.com (Outlook on the Web), for instance.
You can also selectively make the service the default email program in Google Chrome.
(How to set the default Mac mail client tested using macOS Mojave 10.14 and macOS Catalina 10.15; updated October 2020)