Opening an email-address link in Gmail requires the browser and operating system to agree on how to handle mailto links. Setting Gmail as a homepage or default search engine does not configure that behavior.
Identify the kind of link being opened
A mailto link starts an email composition. A normal https link opens a website. If clicking an address launches a desktop mail client, the mailto handler is probably still assigned to that client or to a browser without Gmail registered.
Use a harmless test address and do not send the resulting draft. Inspect any prefilled recipients, subject, and body; a website can include those values in an email link.
Review the browser’s protocol-handler setting
In Chrome’s site settings, look for Protocol handlers and permit sites to ask to handle protocols where your policy allows it. Open the genuine Gmail site and, if Chrome offers its handler-registration control, select Gmail for email links.
The exact controls differ across browsers. Also check the operating system’s default-app assignment for email or the MAILTO link type. The browser must be allowed to handle the link before its own Gmail preference can take effect.
Check account and organization restrictions
After configuring the route, click the same harmless email link again. Confirm which Gmail account opens and which From address the draft uses. A default handler does not guarantee that your preferred work or personal account will be selected.
Managed Chrome can have administrator-configured protocol handlers. Users cannot necessarily remove those entries, although permitted defaults may still be selectable. Ask IT about a locked control rather than editing policies or installing a mailto extension. If the link still opens incorrectly, report the originating app, browser, operating-system version, and chosen handler. Keep the troubleshooting focused on link routing rather than changing mailbox delivery settings.
Browse Gmail & Google Account help
References
Reviewed against the linked product guidance, standards, and identified vendor or public-authority guidance on October 29, 2026. Available options and screen labels can vary by account, device, region, and organization policy.