Fix Send Page by E-Mail Option Grayed Out in Internet Explorer

When you try to send a webpage or link by email via the FileSend menu in Internet Explorer, the options Page by E-Mail… and Link by E-Mail… may be dimmed/grayed out. This happens if a default mail client is not correctly set. Use the instructions below to reset the default mail client.

Follow these steps to resolve the problem.



  • Open Control Panel, Default Programs
  • Click Set program access and computer defaults
  • Click Custom, and select your mail client (for example, Microsoft Outlook)
  • Click OK

(Windows 7 and higher versions don’t include a mail client by default. You need to install a mail client such as Windows Live Mail, Mozilla Thunderbird, Microsoft Outlook (not free) separately in order to use the Send To → Mail feature.)


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Ramesh Srinivasan is passionate about Microsoft technologies and he has been a consecutive ten-time recipient of the Microsoft Most Valuable Professional award in the Windows Shell/Desktop Experience category, from 2003 to 2012. He loves to troubleshoot and write about Windows. Ramesh founded Winhelponline.com in 2005.

20 thoughts on “Fix Send Page by E-Mail Option Grayed Out in Internet Explorer”

  1. Thanks for your help will try both of these in the hope that at least one of them will work. Kind of sad and crazy that Microsoft didn’t ‘fix it’ themselves, before this was distributed to the public.

    Reply
  2. I learned this fix in the past and it worked but again now the commands were greyed out and I forgot the fix. It seems somehow something makes the computer forget the default email program over time. Good to make a note for the future. Thanks.

    Reply
  3. Thanks it worked with Windows 7 and IE 8. I do not have outlook but selected windows live mail and the send page and send link by email is no longer grayed out.

    Reply
  4. I’m using fully up to windows 7 64 bit with all the updates and am getting this problem with the option to send webpage by email and send link by email greyed out.

    It was particularly useful for keeping a record of your ebay pages before they expire. And you can use them as a template and keep on the webmail servers.

    I have done the steps you said but it hasn’t made any difference … and yes the default program windows live mail and so on.

    Reply
  5. Thank you so much for this tip – I have been quite frustrated about not being able to send pages/links since I got Windows Live with my new laptop. Very much appreciated.

    Reply
  6. I use Windows 7, Explorer and Windows Live Mail. Just create a custom record. So simple! Thanks for your good working suggestions.

    Reply
  7. did not work – never found an actual solution on any msn site or other sites for that matter – tried them all even went back to ie 8 – still greyed out.

    Reply
  8. Thank you very much, I went through Yahoo to find this. Every help on MSN was in forum form & all the answers bounced around and made no sense. Not everyone is a computer tech, and those of us that aren’t just need a simple solution!!! Thank you again!!!

    Reply

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