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Fix Outlook is Not Recognized as the Default Email Client Issue

  author
Published By Mohit Jha
Nimisha Ramesh
Approved By Nimisha Ramesh
Published On November 18th, 2022
Reading Time 5 Minutes Reading

Sometimes, it may happen with the users that they are trying to send email using other application but the application does not identify Microsoft Outlook as a default email application. It has become the common problem for the Microsoft Outlook 2010, Outlook 2013, or Outlook 2016, 2019 users. Therefore, users are searching for a solution for the same and make Microsoft Outlook as a default email application on their local workstation. Outlook is not recognized as the default email client is the kind of problem encounter by almost every Outlook users. Hence, in this, a complete procedure to handle this problem without any expert help is discussed.

Outlook is Not Recognized as the Default Email Client

Manual Trick to Check Outlook Is Set As Default Client

Before directly jumping to the solution, it is always advised to first confirm whether Outlook has been set as default email application or not. To do the same, follow the steps given below:

1. To Start, go to Control Panel

start menu

2. After that, choose Default Programs from the list of options

default program

3. Then, click on Set your Default programs option

set your default program

4. Now, choose MS Outlook (desktop) from the drop-down menu

select Outlook

5. After that click on Set this program as default option

Outlook is Not Recognized as the Default Email Client: Set as Default

If Microsoft Outlook is set as default email client already, then there must be some other cause behind this Outlook is not recognized as the default email client error.

Causes of Outlook is Not Recognized as the Default Email Client Error

There can be various possible reasons behind it. Some of the main causes are discussed below with the respective solutions.

Reason 1: It can be possible that Outlook is of 64-bit and all other applications are of 32-bit then, there are chances that other applications not recognizing Outlook as default mail client.

Resolution: There is no use of using 64-bit Office unless the user is having the extremely large database let say 4 GB for an application like MS Excel & MS Access. If you are a normal user, then also there 64-bit Office will be of no use. Moreover, a user is also not allowed to use 32-bit and 64-bit Office together in an application. Either use 64-bit Office or 32-bit office completely. If a user is having the 64-bit Office, verify the registry editor for this. If it is not available, generate it.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Office\15.0\Outlook
String: Bitness
Value: x64

Reason 2: It can be possible that users might be using Home and Business 2010 Click to Run suite. This C2R suite is basically installed in a virtual hard drive that makes Outlook hidden from other applications.

Resolution: First, keep in mind that this only happens in the case of Outlook 2010. If this is the case, one should uninstall Outlook 2010 Home & Business Client to Run Suite. Then, it is advised to install MSI. As you are done with it, download the traditional Office suite and it is easily recognized by all other applications.

Or one can try an alternate solution i.e. make modifications in the registry. Moreover, it is done by the users at its own risk by putting Outlook in an unsupported mode. To make changes in the registry, follow the steps mentioned below:

1. First of all, click on start button

2. Then, in the search field type Regedit and hit Enter

regedit

3. Now, in the registry editor, navigate the following location:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\Mail

open location

4. Next, you need to right-click on the Mail key and choose Export option to export backup copy

click on export

5. After that, save the copy for backup at any location of your choice

save file: Outlook is Not Recognized as the Default Email Client

6. Then, right-click on the Mail folder and click on New >> Key option

New Key

7. Now, you can create a new folder having Outlook64Bridge as a name

Outlook64Bridge

8. In the Outlook64Bridge folder, make a folder with name DLLPath. And in the DLLpath, make a folder with DLLPathEx name

DLLPathEx: Outlook is Not Recognized as the Default Email Client

9. Next, you need to look for the MAPI32.dll file with 32-bit version on the machine and enter the full path in both the DLLPath folders

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\Mail\Outlook64Bridge\DLLPathEx

“C:\WINDOWS\x86_microsoft-windows-\mapi_31bf3856ad364e35_6.1.701.114_none_ad54801c830 mapi32.dll”

10. Now, you can easily make Outlook64Bridge as the default email application

Reason 3: Another possible reason of Outlook is not recognized as the default email client is that a user has installed the application after installing Office.

Resolution: To tackle this problem it is suggested to repair the Office installation. To begin repairing process follow the steps mentioned below:

  1. First of all, go to the Control Panel and choose Program and Features option
  2. After that, look for Office installation
  3. Then, click on Change option and select the Repair option.

All the above-mentioned steps help in repairing the existing version of the Office.

Conclusion

Microsoft Outlook is the widely used email application and manages all email data. Therefore, any type of problem or small issue with MS Outlook may sometimes become a big problem for any Outlook user. One such issue Outlook is not recognized as the default email client. Thus, in this post, we have discussed various manual method based on the reason of the error. One can refer them and solve their problem in a simple and easy way.