Background -
In many websites a "mailtoMailto:" link exists to provide an easy way to email a given user without the need to open your mail client and then type in the email address. In these cases and , an email address appears as a link on the web page. Embedded in this link is a special "Mailto:" statement. This phrase is interpreted by you your computer as a command to open you your default email client and to insert the associated email address.
The Knox Directory is one such example of web page with these links.
The Problem -
The mailtoMailto: links work quite well with non-web base email clients - Outlook, Thunderbird, Mac Mail. When one clicks a mailtoMailto: link the default client opens and the email address autofills in the To: field.
Email web based clients - GMail as prime example - do not function in the same fashion. These clients require additional software - called extensions - to allow for the mailtoMailto: function to work. Note that these software extensions are browser specific.
The Fix -
As GMail is a Google product, we recommend using Google Chrome as your default browser. The following instructions are for Chrome.
- If not already present, download and install Google Chrome
- Open Chrome
- Go to the following link: Send from GMail Extension
- Click the Free button to install the extension
- The extension will be installed.
- Close and restart Chrome
- Open My.Knox.Edu
- Sign into GMail NOTE: YOU MUST BE SIGNED INTO GMAIL FOR THE EXTENSION TO WORK PROPERLY
- You should now be able to use mailtoMailto: links.