How to Email a Page From Internet | Send the Link or the Whole Page

The standard way to email a page from the internet is to send its link via your browser’s Share or Email Link command, which usually injects the page title as the subject line. For the page content itself, the workflow depends on your browser and default email app.

Getting a web page into an email is a task with two different goals. Most of the time you want to send a link—a clickable URL the recipient opens in their own browser. Reach for the Email Link or Share button in your browser’s menu. But sometimes you need the actual article text or layout inside the message body. That route is less consistent; “Mail Contents of This Page” in Safari works only with Apple Mail, and most other browsers skip the feature entirely. Here is what works on each major browser, how to set up your default email handler so mailto links behave, and the reliable fallback when your browser just won’t cooperate.

The Main Methods at a Glance

Every browser can send a link by email. Whether it can embed the page content comes down to OS and email client choices.

Send the Link (Works Everywhere)

Open the browser’s menu, find the Share or Email Link option, and your default email app opens a new compose window with the URL already in the body and the page title in the subject line. Safari calls this Mail Link to This Page, Chrome and Firefox tuck it under the main menu or a share icon.

Send the Page Content (Browser-Dependent)

Safari on a Mac with Apple Mail set as the default can use Mail Contents of This Page to embed the page’s text and images into the email. Chrome, Edge, and Firefox do not offer this as a built-in command—you would need an extension or a workaround.

Copy and Paste (The Universal Fallback)

Select the text you need, copy it, and paste into a new email. Include the page URL at the top. This is the only method that works identically on every device and email client.

Desktop Browser Guides: The Step-by-Step

Each browser handles the email command a little differently, and your email client choice changes the setup.

Safari (Mac)

You get two options under the File menu. Mail Link to This Page sends the URL. Mail Contents of This Page embeds the page content—but only if Apple Mail is your default email app. If you use Gmail or Outlook, the Content option is grayed out. The fix is the copy-and-paste fallback.

Google Chrome

Chrome’s built-in Share menu can open a new email, but it depends on your default mailto handler. To send links through Gmail without copying the URL yourself: open Gmail in Chrome, click the protocol handler icon in the right side of the address bar (a small square with an arrow), select Use Gmail, and confirm. If the icon does not appear, go to Chrome’s settings → Privacy and security → Site Settings → Additional content settings → Protocol handlers and enable Gmail as the handler for mailto links.

For sharing, click the three-dot menu → Share → Email link. This opens an empty email with the page title as the subject and the URL in the body.

Mozilla Firefox

Go to Firefox’s settings, search for Applications, find the mailto entry, and choose your preferred action (such as Gmail, Outlook, or your system’s default mail app). Once set, clicking a mailto link or using the browser’s Share command opens the correct composer. Firefox does not have a native “Mail Contents” option.

How to Set Your Default Email Handler

When you click a mailto link on a web page and nothing happens, or the wrong app opens, the handler needs adjustment. The process is similar across browsers:

• Chrome: Settings → Privacy and security → Site Settings → Protocol handlers. Add or edit the mailto handler to point at Gmail or your chosen mail app.
• Firefox: Settings → General → Applications. Search “mailto” and select the action from the dropdown.
• Safari: Safari uses the system default. On a Mac, set this in System Settings → Desktop & Dock → Default web browser (for links) and Mail → Default email reader (for mailto).

When Only the Page Content Will Do

Safari’s Mail Contents of This Page is the only native desktop command that attempts to embed the full page into an email. When it works, the recipient sees the article with images and formatting. But it fails silently if you use anything other than Apple Mail.

For everyone else, the most practical method is to install a browser extension. The Chrome Web Store lists Share link via email, a small tool that creates a new email from the current page, a selected link, or selected text. It supports Gmail, Outlook, AOL, Yahoo Mail, and the default mail app, and it automatically includes the page title.

If you do not want to add extensions, the copy-paste route is the honest and reliable alternative. Copy the relevant text, paste it into the email, and add the URL at the top with a line like “Source: [link].”

Adding a Clickable Email Link to Your Own Website

If you are building a site and want visitors to email you directly from a page, the mailto: link is the standard tool. In most website builders and page editors, highlight the text you want to turn into a link, click the Insert/Edit Link button, and enter mailto:youremail@example.com in the URL field. Save and publish, then test it—clicking the link should open your visitor’s default email app with your address in the To field.

Because a mailto link displays your email address in plain text, many site owners use a separate contact address rather than their primary inbox. Some content management systems offer a toggle for this under the profile or contact settings.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

• Omitting the mailto: prefix. A bare email address in the link field does not open a compose window; the browser treats it as a page URL and returns an error.
• Assuming everyone uses the same email client. Mailto links and Email Link commands only work when the browser or OS knows which app to open. If the handler is not set, nothing happens or the wrong app launches.
• Expecting “Email this page” to include the content. On most browsers, it sends only the URL. Always check the resulting message before relying on it.
• Forgetting to test the link. After adding a mailto link to a live page, click it to confirm it opens the correct app with the correct address.

Checklist: Get the Page Into an Email

When you need to email a web page, run through this order of operations. Start with the fastest method that matches your goal, then move down the list if that does not work.

• Goal: send the link. Use the browser’s Share, Email Link, or Mail Link option. If the command is missing, copy the URL from the address bar and paste it into a blank email.
• Goal: send the page content. If you are on a Mac with Safari and Apple Mail, use Mail Contents of This Page. Otherwise, copy the relevant text and paste it into the email, adding the URL at the top.
• Goal: send with formatting preserved. Print the page to PDF from the browser’s Print dialog, then attach the PDF to the email.
• Goal: send the whole page as a file. Save the page as a complete HTML file (File → Save Page As), then attach the .html file to the email.