This article describes how to make Outlook your default mail client.

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If you have installed multiple e-mail programs on the same computer, the e-mail messages may not be sent from Outlook when you send e-mail messages from any non-e-mail program.

For example, if you have Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Outlook Express, and Netscape Communicator installed on the same computer, and if you send a message in Microsoft Excel, Outlook may not be used to send the mail.

Also, if you click a Mailto: link on a Web page, your system may not open an e-mail message. Or, the system may use a mail program other than Outlook.

When you send a document from a program by clicking Send on the File menu, or by pointing to Send To on the File menu, and then clicking Mail Recipient, the e-mail program that is set as your default Simple MAPI client is used to send the document.

To change the default mail client in Microsoft Internet Explorer, follow these steps, as appropriate for the version of Microsoft Internet Explorer that you are running.

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Internet Explorer 5 and later versions of Internet Explorer

1.	Start Internet Explorer.
2.	On the Tools menu, click Internet Options.
3.	Click the Programs tab.
4.	In the E-mail list, click Microsoft Office Outlook.
5.	Click OK.

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Internet Explorer 4.x

1.	Start Internet Explorer.
2.	On the View menu, click Internet Options.
3.	Click the Programs tab.
4.	In the Mail list, click Microsoft Office Outlook.
5.	Click OK.

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For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

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