Win 10 - Make mailto: links open in Pandora

When I try to change the default email app in Win 10, Pandora isn't listed. And there's no browse option either.

I found some solutions for changing default for a specific file type, but 'mailto:' is a link type.

I'm sure this has been solved, but a search of the forum for 'mailto' didn't yield any results. And I didn't see it in the Help. Apologies if I've missed it.

urbite wrote:When I try to change the default email app in Win 10, Pandora isn't listed. And there's no browse option either.

I found some solutions for changing default for a specific file type, but 'mailto:' is a link type.

I'm sure this has been solved, but a search of the forum for 'mailto' didn't yield any results. And I didn't see it in the Help. Apologies if I've missed it.

Did you install Pandora by right-click on the Installer icon and selecting run as administrator?  Installing Pandora using the Installer is necessary so Windows knows Pandora is installed.  Once Pandora is properly installed, Pandora will be an option for the default email app.

To set the mailto to Pandora, open Settings, left click on Apps, left-click on Default apps in the left column, scroll down and left-click on Choose default apps by protocol.  WIndows may knoddle around for a bit before the new windows opens.  Scroll down to MAILTO in the left column and then left-click on the right column entry and select Pandora.

Good luck and come back if you require more assistance.

Butch

I don't recall if I ran the Pandora installer as admin. That was several months ago and Pandora has been going strong after importing 20+ years of Eudora mail.

I followed your steps and I get the same choices as when I try to directly change the Mail client - Pandora isn't a choice.

Short of reinstalling Pandora (which I'm reticent to do, as it's working well), any recommendations on how I can coerce Win 10 in letting me 'browse' for a different mail client instead of selecting from the pre-populated list that Windows supplies?

I think there is a missing key (or keys) in the following registry hive entry.

Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\Mail\Pandora\Capabilities\UrlAssociations

If anyone for whom mailto: is working could report what keys (other than the unset Default key) are in this registry path, that might be the answer to getting Pandora properly registered as able to service the mailto: protocol

urbite wrote:I don't recall if I ran the Pandora installer as admin. That was several months ago and Pandora has been going strong after importing 20+ years of Eudora mail.

I followed your steps and I get the same choices as when I try to directly change the Mail client - Pandora isn't a choice.

Short of reinstalling Pandora (which I'm reticent to do, as it's working well), any recommendations on how I can coerce Win 10 in letting me 'browse' for a different mail client instead of selecting from the pre-populated list that Windows supplies?

Pandora is not a choice because you did not install it correctly. The installer must be Run as Administrator so that Windows knows it is present. There is no danger to running the installer again as that is what you do to upgrade Pandora to a new release. If you will not reinstall Pandora using Run as Administrator, then I can not help you.

Butch

Butch - thanks for the suggestions to re-run the installer as admin. I was planning to do that after I had backed up my PC, just as a precaution. Before I saw your post I was researching how the registry could be changed to register Pandora to handle the mailto: protocol. There are some great resources available that address this issue.

After following the steps outlined in the links, and using Thunderbird Mail registry entries as a template, Pandora would never show as an option for default Mail app or mailto: app. I thought that *maybe* a reboot would be required for all of the registry changes to take effect, but had many apps open that I didn't want to close down yet (for the reboot). This morning I installed some pending Windows updates, which required a reboot. On a hunch, I decided to see if Pandora was listed in the Mail app choices - and it was!

Pandora now handles mailto: links properly.  

The following are final Eudora registry entries that worked for me. CAUTION: Editing the registry can be make your PC unusable!! It is highly recommended to make a backup and set a restore point prior to attempting these registry changes. I was planning on following Butch's recommendations and running the installer as admin, but the registry changes had already made and 'just worked' after the reboot.

This was the resource that was most valuable. As mentioned, using this as a starting point and looking at Thunderbird's entries are what drove the registry changes. The Pandora help file section on command line interface provided the required 'mailto:' parameter prefix to enable working mailto: links [thanks Brana!].

https://superuser.com/questions/972464/set-the-windows-10-default-mailto-handler-to-a-program-not-listed

Code:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Pandora.URL.mailto]
@="URL:MailTo Protocol"
"EditFlags"=dword:00000002
"FriendlyTypeName"="Pandora URL"
"URL Protocol"=""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Pandora.URL.mailto\DefaultIcon]
@="C:\\Program Files\\Pandora\\Pandora.exe,0"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Pandora.URL.mailto\shell\open\command]
@=""C:\\Program Files\\Pandora\\Pandora.exe" "%1""


[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Pandora.URL.mailto]
@="URL:MailTo Protocol"
"URL Protocol"=""
"EditFlags"=dword:00000002

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Pandora.URL.mailto\DefaultIcon]
@="C:\\Program Files\\Pandora\\Pandora.exe,0"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Pandora.URL.mailto\shell\open\command]
@=""C:\\Program Files\\Pandora\\Pandora.exe" "%1""


[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\Mail\Pandora\Capabilities\UrlAssociations]
"mailto"="Pandora.URL.mailto"


[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\Mail\Pandora\Protocols\mailto]
"EditFlags"=dword:00000002
"FriendlyTypeName"="Pandora URL"
"URL Protocol"=""
@="Pandora URL"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\Mail\Pandora\Protocols\mailto\DefaultIcon]
@="C:\\Program Files\\Pandora\\Pandora.exe,0"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\Mail\Pandora\Protocols\mailto\shell\open\command]
@=""C:\\Program Files\\Pandora\\Pandora.exe" mailto:"%1""

urbite wrote:Butch - thanks for the suggestions to re-run the installer as admin. I was planning to do that after I had backed up my PC, just as a precaution. Before I saw your post I was researching how the registry could be changed to register Pandora to handle the mailto: protocol. There are some great resources available that address this issue.

After following the steps outlined in the links, and using Thunderbird Mail registry entries as a template, Pandora would never show as an option for default Mail app or mailto: app. I thought that *maybe* a reboot would be required for all of the registry changes to take effect, but had many apps open that I didn't want to close down yet (for the reboot). This morning I installed some pending Windows updates, which required a reboot. On a hunch, I decided to see if Pandora was listed in the Mail app choices - and it was!

Pandora now handles mailto: links properly.  

The following are final Eudora registry entries that worked for me. CAUTION: Editing the registry can be make your PC unusable!! It is highly recommended to make a backup and set a restore point prior to attempting these registry changes. I was planning on following Butch's recommendations and running the installer as admin, but the registry changes had already made and 'just worked' after the reboot.

This was the resource that was most valuable. As mentioned, using this as a starting point and looking at Thunderbird's entries are what drove the registry changes. The Pandora help file section on command line interface provided the required 'mailto:' parameter prefix to enable working mailto: links [thanks Brana!].

https://superuser.com/questions/972464/set-the-windows-10-default-mailto-handler-to-a-program-not-listed

Code:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Pandora.URL.mailto]
@="URL:MailTo Protocol"
"EditFlags"=dword:00000002
"FriendlyTypeName"="Pandora URL"
"URL Protocol"=""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Pandora.URL.mailto\DefaultIcon]
@="C:\\Program Files\\Pandora\\Pandora.exe,0"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Pandora.URL.mailto\shell\open\command]
@=""C:\\Program Files\\Pandora\\Pandora.exe" "%1""


[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Pandora.URL.mailto]
@="URL:MailTo Protocol"
"URL Protocol"=""
"EditFlags"=dword:00000002

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Pandora.URL.mailto\DefaultIcon]
@="C:\\Program Files\\Pandora\\Pandora.exe,0"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Pandora.URL.mailto\shell\open\command]
@=""C:\\Program Files\\Pandora\\Pandora.exe" "%1""


[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\Mail\Pandora\Capabilities\UrlAssociations]
"mailto"="Pandora.URL.mailto"


[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\Mail\Pandora\Protocols\mailto]
"EditFlags"=dword:00000002
"FriendlyTypeName"="Pandora URL"
"URL Protocol"=""
@="Pandora URL"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\Mail\Pandora\Protocols\mailto\DefaultIcon]
@="C:\\Program Files\\Pandora\\Pandora.exe,0"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\Mail\Pandora\Protocols\mailto\shell\open\command]
@=""C:\\Program Files\\Pandora\\Pandora.exe" mailto:"%1""

I suggested running the installer again using the option Run As Administrator.  My reasons for this option are:

• It is a very simple process, only a right-click, select Run As Administrator, and left-click.
  
• The installer will not change the settings you have selected
  
• Most importantly, you avoid mucking around in the Registery and the possibility you may screw something up.
  

Remember the KISS principle.

Butch

I've been accepting the Pandora upgrades that are offered when Pandora is running. If I've gotten several upgrades, so I don't where to find the installer for the latest in-app upgrade. Or would one just download the latest version and run that?

I mean no disrespect, and I appreciate your advice and KISS approach. But I've had too many times in the past where I've installed a new version of software that is supposed to 'just work', with no risk - only it didn't. The registry changes I made were comfortable for me, with the only downside that mailto: may still not work. I added the registry editing disclaimer so that those less technically inclined would hopefully not attempt to make these mods.

On question that I had was, if I'm accepting the in-app Pandora upgrades, shouldn't those upgrades have fixed the mailto: issue? Or maybe the in-app upgrades aren't as comprehensive as the full installer.

urbite wrote:I've been accepting the Pandora upgrades that are offered when Pandora is running. If I've gotten several upgrades, so I don't where to find the installer for the latest in-app upgrade. Or would one just download the latest version and run that?

I mean no disrespect, and I appreciate your advice and KISS approach. But I've had too many times in the past where I've installed a new version of software that is supposed to 'just work', with no risk - only it didn't. The registry changes I made were comfortable for me, with the only downside that mailto: may still not work. I added the registry editing disclaimer so that those less technically inclined would hopefully not attempt to make these mods.

On question that I had was, if I'm accepting the in-app Pandora upgrades, shouldn't those upgrades have fixed the mailto: issue? Or maybe the in-app upgrades aren't as comprehensive as the full installer.

The latest Pandora version is found click here.  I always download and save each Pandora version to a folder in the Pandora directory titled Program Downloads.  Each Pandora version is unzipped and saved in a folder titled Pandora-version where version is a number like 3.8.2.  I then shutdown Pandora and execute the 64-bit installer with the Run As Administrator option.

I have not had any problems moving to a new or old version by just running the appropriate installer with the Run As Administrator option.

The downloaded Pandora zip file contains two installer versions: a 32bbit and a 64bit.  The in-app upgrade executes the installer version that corresponds to the version Pandora is currently running.  I suspect the in-app upgrade executes with the same attributes as Pandora which would be without the Run As Administrator option.  The mailto: and other options are only correctly set when the installer executes with Run As Administrator option.

Regards,

Butch