The Ultimate Guide to Mailto Links: Syntax, Parameters, and Implementation

Email communication is still one of the most important ways we connect online. Whether you’re a web developer, marketer, or website owner, understanding how to create effective mailto links can significantly improve user experience and communication.

What is a Mailto Link? (And Why You Should Use It)

A mailto link is a special type of hyperlink that, when clicked, opens the user’s default email client with a new compose window. It’s based on the RFC 6068 standard and uses the mailto: URI scheme.

Why use mailto links instead of contact forms?

Advantages:

• Simple to implement - No server-side processing required
• Direct - Opens in user’s preferred email client
• Familiar - Users know exactly what will happen when they click
• Reliable - No dependency on your server or form processing

Disadvantages:

• Depends on user configuration - Requires a configured email client
• Less control - Can’t customize the sending process
• No analytics - Harder to track email sends

The Anatomy of a Mailto Link: From Simple to Complex

The Bare Bones: mailto:[email protected]

The simplest mailto link contains just the mailto: prefix followed by an email address:

<a href="mailto:[email protected]">Contact Us</a>

When clicked, this opens a new email draft addressed to [email protected].

Adding a Single Parameter: The Question Mark ?

To add the first parameter (like a subject line), use a question mark ?:

<a href="mailto:[email protected]?subject=Question about MailtoMaker">
  Ask a Question
</a>

Adding Multiple Parameters: The Ampersand &

For additional parameters, connect them with ampersands &:

<a href="mailto:[email protected]?subject=Feedback&body=Hi team,">
  Send Feedback
</a>

A Deep Dive into All Mailto Parameters

Subject: Pre-filling the Subject Line

The subject parameter automatically fills in the email’s subject line:

<a href="mailto:[email protected]?subject=Bug Report">Report a Bug</a>

Important: Always URL-encode special characters:

<!-- Correct -->
<a href="mailto:[email protected]?subject=Bug%20Report%20%26%20Question">
  Report Bug
</a>

<!-- Incorrect (will break) -->
<a href="mailto:[email protected]?subject=Bug Report & Question">
  Report Bug
</a>

Body: Pre-filling the Body Text and Handling Line Breaks

The body parameter pre-fills the email content. Line breaks are represented by %0A:

<a href="mailto:[email protected]?subject=Hello&body=Hi%20there,%0A%0AHow%20are%20you?%0A%0ABest%20regards">
  Send Hello
</a>

This creates an email with:

Hi there,

How are you?

Best regards

CC & BCC: Adding Carbon Copy and Blind Carbon Copy Recipients

Use cc for carbon copy and bcc for blind carbon copy:

<a href="mailto:[email protected][email protected]&[email protected]">
  Email Team
</a>

Multiple Recipients: How to Add More Than One Email Address

Separate multiple email addresses with commas (URL-encoded as %2C):

<a href="mailto:[email protected]%[email protected]?subject=Team%20Meeting">
  Email Both
</a>

Putting It All Together: A Real-World Example

Here’s a complex example using all parameters:

<a href="mailto:[email protected][email protected]&[email protected]&subject=Feature%20Request%3A%20Dark%20Mode&body=Hello%20MailtoMaker%20team%2C%0A%0AI%20would%20love%20to%20see%20a%20dark%20mode%20option.%0A%0ADetails%3A%0A-%20Would%20help%20with%20eye%20strain%0A-%20Popular%20feature%20request%0A%0AThanks%21">
  Request Dark Mode Feature
</a>

Tired of hand-coding this and worrying about encoding errors? Our free Mailto Link Generator creates perfect, error-free links in seconds.

How to Create a Mailto Link in Your Favorite Environments

How to create a mailto link in HTML

Standard HTML anchor tag:

<a href="mailto:[email protected]?subject=Hello">Send Email</a>

How to add a mailto link in Markdown

Markdown syntax:

[Send Email](mailto:[email protected]?subject=Hello)

How to make a mailto link using JavaScript

Dynamic creation with JavaScript:

function createMailtoLink(to, subject, body) {
  const encodedSubject = encodeURIComponent(subject);
  const encodedBody = encodeURIComponent(body);
  return `mailto:${to}?subject=${encodedSubject}&body=${encodedBody}`;
}

// Usage
const link = createMailtoLink(
  '[email protected]',
  'Question about your service',
  'Hi,\n\nI have a question...'
);

// Create a clickable link
const anchor = document.createElement('a');
anchor.href = link;
anchor.textContent = 'Send Email';
document.body.appendChild(anchor);

Conclusion: You Are Now a Mailto Master

You now understand everything about mailto links:

• ✅ Basic syntax and structure
• ✅ All available parameters (to, cc, bcc, subject, body)
• ✅ Proper URL encoding techniques
• ✅ Implementation in HTML, Markdown, and JavaScript
• ✅ Real-world examples and best practices

Whether you’re building a simple contact link or a complex email template, you have all the tools you need. And remember, when you need to create these links quickly and error-free, our MailtoMaker tool is always here to help.

Happy linking! 📧