Sending emails to donors using Personalized Email Templates is a great way to connect with your supporters. But when you use them for the first time, you may discover that your computer (or your browser) doesn't open the right email application for you.
That's OK!
We're here to help.
You can use this handy-dandy guide to adjust your browser settings to allow you to send emails from Outlook by default. If you'd like to send emails from Gmail instead, then check out this how-to guide.
Changing the Default Email Client on Your Computer
One of the easiest ways to make sure Outlook is set as your default email client is to update the settings of your operating system. In fact, for users who prefer Apple's Safari browser or Microsoft Edge, setting a default email client will require changing the settings on your computer. Click below to view help articles from Apple or Microsoft support on how to do this.
Chrome
If you're using Chrome, here's what to do:
- In Chrome, navigate to the settings. Click on the three dots in the upper-right corner of the screen, to the right of the menu bar, and then select "Settings." Or, just type chrome://settings/ into the address bar and hit enter.
- Select "Handlers" in "Site Settings." Click on Privacy and Security, and then select "Site Settings." Under "Permissions, click on "Additional Permissions" and then click on "Protocol Handlers." Or, just go directly to chrome://settings/handlers in your address bar.
- Allow Chrome to ask for default handlers. Just slide the toggle switch to the on position. If this setting is already turned on, go with the default IT fix and turn it off and then on again. That should prompt Chrome to ask when you navigate to a site or click an email link you'd like to set your default handler. This can be especially handy if you've actually set the incorrect default.
- Click on an email address. This should prompt Chrome to check your system defaults and use whichever is defined in your system settings. If you have followed the steps above to update the default mail settings on your computer, this should open in Outlook.
Firefox
If you're a Firefox user, follow these steps:
- In Firefox, navigate to the settings. Click on the three lines in the upper-right corner of the screen, to the right of the menu bar, and then select "Preferences" if you are using a Mac, or "Options" if you are using a PC. Or, just type about:preferences into the address bar and hit enter.
- Go to "Applications." In the "General" section, scroll down until you see a heading for "Applications."
- Update the "mailto" option. Looks for "Mailto" in the left column of the box for Applications, or type "mailto" into the search bar above it. Then, click on the right, in the "Action" column, and select "Use Outlook."