HTML command "mailto:" in windows10

What happens when you click on a mailto link?

In HTML, it's supposed to create a new email based on whatever your default email application is set to.

right click on the mailto place and copy the email address to the clipboard
then open your compose in whatever mail you use and paste that in to the TO box
It never fails for me.

Nothing, You get a little bar at the lower left corner of your screen that says "mailto: and the address"! Most people haven't any technical clue and when they upgrade to windows 10 the mailto: link on the website no longer works. Windows 10 has NOTHING set for a default and most people don't change their default settings so the link that has always worked for them no longer does. The problem is windows 10 does not copy the default email application from the previous version of windows, it just leaves it blank.

To clarify; I do NOT have a problem with my computer. I have hundreds of customers complaining that when they upgrade to windows 10 the email link on the website no longer works.

No problem on our Windows 10 computers.

Agree with Dave B - don't use it - not versatile enough and as David J points out you are dependent on a mail client - for people running out of webmail this won't work.
EDIT
I am guessing on the upgrade old machine had either Windows Mail or Outlook Express or similar which was allowing the link to work. As no default mail clients are active in Windows 10 - links "stopped" working.

yeah, not to speak about misconfigured clients... anyway i'm pretty sure the author gets it...

Thank you everyone, I get it. I will have to figure out the best way to do it involving just HTML code because with over a hundred websites I just am not willing to PHP and/or STP my way through it.

you might be able to change those links to a generic form for sending emails ( which could probably be done with an ereg )

you probably have the destination already and possibly the subject in the link.

make those into (un)changable fields in your web form and on the server side check the recipient is among a list of allowed ones so people can't play around too much

and you'll probably want to add some kind of reverse turing test like a captcha so you verify the user is an actual human being.

"just HTML code" can't send emails.

My recommendation is split points:

skullnobrains
Dave Baldwin
David Johnson

Reasons are varied - collectively these comments cover why using mailto to send mail is not a good idea.

Closed as per expert recommendation(s).

Thanks.

thermoduric
Community Support Moderator