Want to bookmark starting a new message in Outlook on the Web? Wish Gmail was your default email “program” in Google Chrome? Find here the webmail links to compose email for all the popular web-based email services both free and paid.
First, Mr. Thorough
The lawyer, author, and friend to many a writer Daniel Ricketson exchanged numerous letters with David Henry Thoreau. In them, he sometimes addressed his friend as “Mr. Thorough.”
So, is it safe to assume we’re pronouncing Thoreau’s name all wrong? That people in Concord still say “Thorough” when they come across any Thoreau is another hint.
Figuring out how to construct or save a link that will start a new email in your favored web-based email service can seem like a hopeless guessing game as well. How about some hints?
The Webmail Links to Compose Email in Gmail, Outlook.com, Yahoo Mail, etc.
To start composing a new message in any of the following email services:
- Replace [email] with the email address to which you want to start composing a message.
No address: You can drop [email] entirely, of course, to start a new message without a pre-filled recipient.
As default: To use an email service as the default email program in a browser, typically replace [email] with%s(the percent sign followed by ‘s’).
Examples: To start a new message to ladedu@ladedu.com in Gmail, open https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?hl=en&view=cm&tf=1&fs=1&to=ladedu@ladedu.com; to make Gmail handle email links in your browser, use https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?hl=en&view=cm&tf=1&fs=1&to=%s. - Open or bookmark the resulting link.
Aol
https://mail.aol.com/d/compose/
FastMail
https://www.fastmail.com/mail/compose:to=[email]
Gmail
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?hl=en&view=cm&tf=1&fs=1&to=[email]
iCloud Mail
Currently no composition link.
Outlook.com
https://outlook.live.com/owa/?path=/mail/action/compose&to=[email]
This may open a composition window in a previous version of Outlook.com.
https://outlook.live.com/mail/deeplink/compose
This will open a composition window without pre-filling the recipient.
Yahoo Mail
https://compose.mail.yahoo.com/?to=[email]
Yandex Mail
https://mail.yandex.com/#compose?to=[email]
Zoho Mail
https://mail.zoho.com/zm/#compose
This will open a composition window without pre-filling the recipient.
https://mail.zoho.com/mail/compose.do?extsrc=mailto&mode=compose&ct=mailto:[email]
This may open a composition window in a previous version of Zoho Mail.
Webmail Links to Compose Email in Gmail, iCloud, Yahoo, etc.: FAQ
Can I make my browser open web-based email when I click an email address?
Yes, you usually can.
To configure a web-based email service as the “program” to use for email links, you can use the navigator.registerProtocolHandler command:
- Google Chrome: Change the Default Email Program in Google Chrome
- Mozilla Firefox: Change the Default Email Program
Can I make my Windows or Mac computer use webmail links as the default?
Yes, you can with Google Chrome.
To have Google Chrome open with a new message in your favored web-based email service when you click an email address:
- Make the desired email service the default email handler in Google Chrome.
Note: This will also make Google Chrome the operating system’s default email program.
(Webmail links to compose email in web-based email services first published October 2019, last updated May 2024)