It doesn’t have to be Mail.
By default, Mac OS X is pre-configured with Mail, Apple’s e-mail application, set as the default e-mail client. That means clicking a link to an e-mail address or accessing your e-mail program from within another application will automatically launch Mail.
But you can easily change it to an e-mail client you prefer. Here’s how:
- Open Mail.
- Choose Mail > Preferences to open the preferences window.
If necessary, click the General button in the preferences window’s toolbar to display General options.- Choose the mail client you prefer from the Default email reader pop-up menu. If the application is not listed by name, you can choose Select from the menu and use the dialog that appears to locate and select the e-mail client you want. (Obviously, the application must be installed on your computer to select it.)
- Click the window’s close button to dismiss it.
- Choose Mail > Quit Mail to quit Mail.
Changes take affect as soon as you quit Mail.
Note that the preferences window shown here is for Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard. These steps also work in Tiger, although the preferences window may look different.
Chapter and Page References
Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard: Visual QuickStart Guide includes more information about related topics:
- Connecting to the Internet, Chapter 18
- Mac OS X’s Internet Applications, page 419
- Using Mail, pages 421-435
Hi Maria:
I’m trying to following your advice to have Mac Mail
default to my Gmail account, but the “default email reader” pop-up menu won’t show me Gmail.
Do I need to download a separate Gmail application? If I’m already using Gmail on my computer, isn’t it on there? Or should the “default email reader” be my Firefox browser?
Thanks for any help & keep up the great work.
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The default application has to be an application — not an e-mail service provider. Gmail is a service provider. I don’t think they have a separate Gmail application (although I could be wrong).
I’m going to have to look into this some more, since (believe it or not) I’ve never used Gmail.
Hi Maria,
I am new to the Mac environment. Could you tell me which is the best email application (for business users) I like Outlook in Windows environment but find Entourage fails terribly.
Also which is the best CRM application with project management module?
Thx
Steve, since I’m not a full-time Windows user — I only use Windows when I write books about Windows software products like Quicken or Excel — I really don’t have any answers to your questions. I’m primarily a Mac user, and judging by poll responses here, I’m willing to bet that most of this site’s readers are also Mac users.
You might get some responses if you post your question in a Windows user forum.
Good luck!
Steve, let me try this again. I just re-read your message and realize that you’re asking about Mac software. Sorry about the confusion.
I use Mail. It comes with Mac OS and it does what I need to. There may be better solutions out there, but I’m really not up-to-speed on the options. I tend to stick with something I’m happy with. And the syncing through .Mac makes it very convenient for me to share e-mail accounts among desktop and laptops.
I don’t have any recommendations for CRM or project management software.
I think this must be a little more complicated a process than just setting the default app in Mail.app.
Even though I’ve set MailPlane to be my new default application for email, and I’ve indicated as such from within the General tab of Preferences in Leopard, Mail.app occasionally spontaneously pops up.
I think it may be related to iCal, which I have set up to send email reminders for calendar entries. However, I do not see anywhere that I can tell iCal that MailPlane is now rocking my world rather than Mail.app.
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The process I’ve outlined here — changing the preference in Mail itself — should work. There’s no other place to change the default e-mail application. Are you sure that you chose the application you wanted, closed the Preferences window, and quit Mail? If Mail unexpectedly quit, the setting might not have been saved. Otherwise, I really don’t know why it wouldn’t work. Sorry I can’t be more help.
BTW, thanks for the plug on your blog; I think you’d get more comments there if you didn’t require commenters to have an account and log in.
For those who want gmail as their default mail client, note that Maria Langer’s statement above is correct… “The default application has to be an application — not an e-mail service provider.”
To have gmail as your default, set up gmail in your mail application of choice, then open Mail.app and select your default mail application in Mail’s preferences. If you’re savvy to editing plist files, you could make the edit without launching Mail, but that’s an advanced topic.
Gmail’s supported clients on the Mac as of the date of this post are:
IMAP: Mail 2 (Tiger), Mail 3 (Leopard), Thunderbird 2.
POP: Mail 3, Thunderbird 2.
Gmail has generic IMAP and POP instructions available, so you may be able to get other clients to work, but the apps noted above are supported by gmail.
Miles, thanks for adding this information. I think a lot of people will find it helpful.
hey everyone,
just thought I would add to this post.
I downloaded the Google Notifier for my Mac. Then in Mail set the default application to that. Now when I click on any email link online, the Gmail Notifier catches the click and launches the gmail web client….
try it out!
I don’t know if i am in the right place but…here it goes…
I’ve received an e-mail in latin after wich my mac’s mail client (the default one – MAIL)stops working…could that be a virus??? Any advices??
Aldirley, I’ve never heard of a virus like that, but I suppose anything is possible. Did you click anything in the email? Any link? Clicking links in emails from strangers is definitely a no-no. But I don’t think your computer can get a virus by just receiving an e-mail.
Perhaps a talk to the folks at an Apple Genius Bar (in an Apple Store) might help? Good luck!
[...] Maria’s Guides has a blog entry that I came upon during a recent search entitled “Changing Mac OS X’s Default E-mail Application.” [...]