How to configure Gmail as the default mail client

Question

I would like my browser to launch Gmail when I click on a mailto link in a website. At the moment I don't have any mail clients configured at all, which results in the following:

• IE: displays the message

  Could not perform this operation because the default mail client is not properly installed.

• Chrome: nothing happens
• Firefox: nothing happens

Note: Running Windows 7.

Answer 1

If you have Google Talk or the Google Notifier installed, both of these have settings that allow GMail to be used as the default mail program.

For Internet Explorer, you'll need to use one of the options above.

For Firefox, you can use GMailTo or change the default client Firefox uses in the settings.

For Chrome, you have to use an extension that supports it. Better Gmail has a bunch of other features for GMail that let you do this. There is an official Send From GMail extension, and if you don't like that that adds a button to the toolbar, there is Send Using GMail which doesn't add that button.

Answer 2

You can install Google Talk and from settings check the: Open Gmail when I click on email links.

(it's been a while since I stopped using Windows so I don't know how can you do it manually)

Answer 3

Use Google Pack and download the Google Apps that way - works here.