Member Avatar for Dani

I'm having a problem. I just upgraded from Office X to Office 2004. At the same time, I upgraded my Panther install. Now I just realized while browsing the web, that if I try to send an e-mail, it says "Safari doesn't recognize links beginning with mailto:" or a message very similar to that.

I would assume it's because Safari is still trying to open the old version of Entourage that was deleted? How can I tell Safari I want to use Entourage 2004 as my default mail client, and not Apple Mail, etc.?

  • 1 Contributor
  • 2 Replies
  • 188 Views
  • 6 Hours Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by Dani

Dani AI

Generated

A short expert addendum: this is a very common post-upgrade quirk. As found, the error usually means the system’s registered mail handler was pointing at a moved or removed app, so Safari could not hand off mailto: links. Re-registering the new Entourage refreshed the system mapping and fixed it — Apple exposes the default mail-reader role via Mail.app for exactly this reason. (support.apple.com)

What’s happening under the hood: macOS’ Launch Services keeps the mapping between URL schemes (like mailto:) and the app that should handle them. If an app is deleted, moved, or replaced during an upgrade, that Launch Services registration can become stale. Opening the desired mail app once or choosing it again from Mail.app usually re-registers it. When that doesn’t work, rebuilding the Launch Services database clears stale entries and forces the system to re-scan installed apps. (eclecticlight.co)

If you hit the stale-registration case, one reliable Terminal approach (use the variant that matches your OS X/macOS era) is:

# Panther / Tiger (older OS X)
 /System/Library/Frameworks/ApplicationServices.framework/Frameworks/LaunchServices.framework/Support/lsregister -kill -r -domain local -domain system -domain user

# Snow Leopard / modern OS X and later
 /System/Library/Frameworks/CoreServices.framework/Versions/A/Frameworks/LaunchServices.framework/Versions/A/Support/lsregister -kill -r -domain local -domain system -domain user

Run the appropriate command, then relaunch Finder (or reboot) and try Safari again. Use these commands with care: they force a re-scan and can take a few minutes. (apple.stackexchange.com)

If you prefer a GUI or want a safer first step, utilities such as OnyX include a “rebuild LaunchServices” task and are easier for non‑Terminal users — and they pick the right method for your OS version. On very new macOS releases, Launch Services behavior has changed in places, so prefer the GUI route or reinstalling the mail client if unsure. (eshop.macsales.com)

Member Avatar for Dani

Update: I opened up Apple Mail and Entourage is indeed selected as my default mail client in the Mail preferences.

Member Avatar for Dani

One more update: It turns out that the option available in Apple Mail reflected the old version of Entourage. When I selected Mail, the mailto: links worked. But then I tried using the dropdown to select Entourage again, and it had disappeared. So I browsed to the correct location for Entourage, and now it all works. I'm marking this thread as solved.

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.