Use Gmail in Google Chrome for mailto links in Windows 8

The easiest way to do this is in the following three steps.

1. Set Google Chrome as the handler for mailto links. To do this, go to "Default Programs" in the Windows Control Panel and click "Set your default programs". Then click "Google Chrome" and click "Choose defaults for this program." Check the box next to "MAILTO" and click "Save."

2. In Chrome, go to the Gmail website. On the right side you may see an icon , representing the handler options: Click on this icon and allow Google Mail to register as a mail handler. If no icon is available, it means that you have already allowed Google Mail to register its handler and you can skip to step 3.

3. In Chrome, click the menu button and choose "Settings." Click "Show advanced settings" and then click "Content Settings." Scroll down and click "Manage handlers." Select "Gmail" in the dropdown box, then close the settings windows.