Windows XP does not provide you an option to
set a per-user default email client. One setting affects all users,
machine-wide. See MS article titled:
Unable
to Set Different E-Mail Programs for Different Users
However, this
tip allows you implement a per-user default mail client. Out of the following
three aspects, only the mailto: handler
can be set as per-user default, using this tip.
A mailto: Uniform Resource Identifier (URI).
Programs that make Messaging Application Programming Interface (MAPI) calls.
The Send Page by E-Mail command in Internet Explorer.
Example: You can have Microsoft Outlook as the default email client, and another user profile can have Microsoft Outlook Express as the default. And the third user can have Hotmail as the default. This is done by overriding the mailto: handler using HKEY_CURRENT_USER key, which takes precedence over the global settings. Only the mailto: aspect has been covered in this page. Other handlers include news:, snews: etc, which are not covered in tip. Because, the mailto: handler only is invoked whenever you click a email link in a website or email message. The information at the bottom of the page tells you how to undo your per-user setting and switch back to factory defaults.
For Microsoft Outlook as the default email client, apply this REG fix:
NOTE: Change the drive letter/Path in the REG file accordingly
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\CLASSES\mailto] "URL Protocol"="" "EditFlags"=hex:02,00,00,00 @="URL:MailTo Protocol" [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\CLASSES\mailto\DefaultIcon] @="\"C:\\PROGRAM FILES\\MICROSOFT OFFICE\\Office\\OUTLOOK.EXE\",7" [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\CLASSES\mailto\shell] [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\CLASSES\mailto\shell\open] [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\CLASSES\mailto\shell\open\command] @="\"C:\\PROGRAM FILES\\MICROSOFT OFFICE\\Office\\OUTLOOK.EXE\" -c IPM.Note /m \"%1\""
For Outlook Express as the default email
client, apply this REG fix:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Classes\mailto] "URL Protocol"="" "EditFlags"=hex:02,00,00,00 @="URL:MailTo Protocol" [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Classes\mailto\DefaultIcon] @=hex(2):25,00,50,00,72,00,6f,00,67,00,72,00,61,00,6d,00,46,00,69,00,6c,00,65,\ 00,73,00,25,00,5c,00,4f,00,75,00,74,00,6c,00,6f,00,6f,00,6b,00,20,00,45,00,\ 78,00,70,00,72,00,65,00,73,00,73,00,5c,00,6d,00,73,00,69,00,6d,00,6e,00,2e,\ 00,65,00,78,00,65,00,2c,00,2d,00,32,00,00,00 [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Classes\mailto\shell] [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Classes\mailto\shell\open] [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Classes\mailto\shell\open\command] @=hex(2):22,00,25,00,50,00,72,00,6f,00,67,00,72,00,61,00,6d,00,46,00,69,00,6c,\ 00,65,00,73,00,25,00,5c,00,4f,00,75,00,74,00,6c,00,6f,00,6f,00,6b,00,20,00,\ 45,00,78,00,70,00,72,00,65,00,73,00,73,00,5c,00,6d,00,73,00,69,00,6d,00,6e,\ 00,2e,00,65,00,78,00,65,00,22,00,20,00,2f,00,6d,00,61,00,69,00,6c,00,75,00,\ 72,00,6c,00,3a,00,25,00,31,00,00,00
For Hotmail as the default email client, apply
this REG fix:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\CLASSES\mailto] "URL Protocol"="" "EditFlags"=hex:02,00,00,00 @="URL:MailTo Protocol" [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\CLASSES\mailto\DefaultIcon] @=hex(2):25,00,50,00,72,00,6f,00,67,00,72,00,61,00,6d,00,46,00,69,00,6c,00,65,\ 00,73,00,25,00,5c,00,49,00,4e,00,54,00,45,00,52,00,4e,00,7e,00,31,00,5c,00,\ 48,00,4d,00,4d,00,41,00,50,00,49,00,2e,00,44,00,4c,00,4c,00,2c,00,31,00,00,\ 00 [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\CLASSES\mailto\shell] [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\CLASSES\mailto\shell\open] [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\CLASSES\mailto\shell\open\command] @=hex(2):72,00,75,00,6e,00,64,00,6c,00,6c,00,33,00,32,00,2e,00,65,00,78,00,65,\ 00,20,00,22,00,25,00,50,00,72,00,6f,00,67,00,72,00,61,00,6d,00,46,00,69,00,\ 6c,00,65,00,73,00,25,00,5c,00,49,00,4e,00,54,00,45,00,52,00,4e,00,7e,00,31,\ 00,5c,00,48,00,4d,00,4d,00,41,00,50,00,49,00,2e,00,44,00,4c,00,4c,00,22,00,\ 2c,00,4d,00,61,00,69,00,6c,00,54,00,6f,00,50,00,72,00,6f,00,74,00,6f,00,63,\ 00,6f,00,6c,00,48,00,61,00,6e,00,64,00,6c,00,65,00,72,00,20,00,25,00,31,00,\ 00,00
If you have any other mail clients installed in your system (including the above ones), you may try "DefaultMail" utility, which automates the above process. In addition, sets Start Menu default mail client per-user.
To undo the per-user changes, open Internet Explorer, Tools, Internet Options, Programs tab. Choose your email client from the list and click Apply. If your email client is already chosen as default, choose a different one and then click Apply. Then, redo the procedure and select your preferred global default email client. When you do so, the per-user settings are erased and thus the per-computer setting is enforced (default).
