How to Make Outlook the Default Email Client on Mac

Make Outlook the Default Email Program on a Mac

Tired of Mail popping up for every email address you click? Find out here how to make Outlook the default email client on a Mac (even Outlook.com on the web).

First, It’s Easier to Catch a Lion Awake

It is easier to catch a loan awake than it is to meet an elephant that sleeps.

For elephants, it turns out, sleep a mere 2 to 2½ hours per day. This is a record low for mammals (the lion we caught before dozes away some 80% of the day) and makes sleeplessness their clear default.

Mail on your Mac seems never to sleep either, catching each request for email, each request you want to send to Outlook for Mac instead?

Let’s wake up the latter to be the Mac email default:

How to Make Outlook the Default Email Program on a Mac

Time needed: 5 minutes

To set up Microsoft Outlook for Mac as the default email program on your Mac:

  1. Open Apple Mail on the Mac.

  2. Select Mail | Preferences… from the menu in Mail.

    Mac keyboard shortcut: Press Command , to open Mail settings.

  3. Go to the General tab.

  4. Click the current default email program under Default email reader.

    A different outlook: This is also where you make any other email program the Mac default.

  5. Select Microsoft Outlook from the list of choices.

    Make Outlook the Default Email Client on a Mac

  6. Close the Mail preferences window as well as Mail itself.

How to Make Outlook the Default Email Client on a Mac: FAQ

“Microsoft Outlook” is not in the list of email programs; what can I do?

If Outlook is missing from the list of choices for the default email program but is installed on macOS and happily running, you can try picking it manually:

  1. Open Apple Mail preferences. (See above.)
  2. Go to the General tab.
  3. Under Default email reader:, choose Select….
  4. Look for and highlight Microsoft Outlook in the Applications folder or a personal applications folder.
    Its own place: If you installed Outlook in a custom location, do navigate there, of course, and highlight the Microsoft Outlook application.
  5. Click Select.

Can I make Outlook on the Web (Outlook.com) my default email program?

Yes, using Google Chrome, you can use turn Outlook.com into an app, which you can configure as your default email program:

  1. Open Outlook.com in Chrome.
  2. Click Install Outlook (Click "Install Outlook" in the address bar) in the address bar.
  3. Now click Install.
    Web App: This will install Outlook on the Web as a Chrome Web App on your Mac.
  4. Open Mail preferences. (See above.)
  5. On the General tab under Default email reader:, pick Select….
  6. Navigate to your Chrome Apps folder.
    The default: By default, the folder is ~/Applications/Chrome Apps.
  7. Highlight Outlook.
  8. Click Select.

Do I have to use Apple Mail to change the default email app on the Mac?

Yes.

The default email client setting is accessible only through Apple Mail.

(How to make Outlook the default email client on a Mac tested with macOS Sonoma 14.0, Ventura 13.3, Monterey 12.3, Big Sur 11.0, and Catalina 10.15; updated October 2023)

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