How to Use the Mailto Link Generator
To create a mailto link, enter the recipients and the message, generate the link and paste it, its HTML code or its QR code where you need it.
- Enter one or more recipient addresses in the To field, separated by commas.
- Add CC or BCC addresses if needed, then type the subject and the message body.
- Select Generate link to check the addresses and encode the text.
- Copy the mailto link or the HTML code into your page, or save the QR code for print.
Mailto Link Format and Options
The mailto link format is mailto: followed by the recipients and optional cc, bcc, subject and body parameters, all of which this generator fills in and encodes.
Mailto Link With Subject and Body
The subject and body are added as ?subject= and &body= parameters and percent-encoded, so spaces become %20 and line breaks become %0A. Without that encoding, characters such as & or # would cut the message short in many email apps.
Mailto Link With CC and BCC
CC and BCC addresses are validated like the To field and added as their own parameters. Every recipient is readable in the link and the QR code, so BCC hides addresses from other recipients of the email, not from anyone who views the page source.
Mailto Link HTML Code
The generator also returns an anchor element with the link in its href attribute, ready to paste into a website, newsletter template or CMS block. Change the link text from Send Email to a description of what the visitor will write about.
Mailto QR Code
A QR code is drawn from the same mailto link, so a phone camera opens a pre-filled message when it scans the code on a poster or business card. Long messages can exceed what a QR code holds; the tool then tells you to shorten the text.
Mailto Link vs Contact Form
A mailto link is the simplest way to accept email from a website, while a contact form gives you more control over what arrives and protects your address better.
| Aspect | Mailto link | Contact form |
|---|---|---|
| Setup | One link, no server code | Needs a form handler or form service |
| Visitor needs | A configured email app or webmail handler | Only the browser |
| Your address | Visible in the page source and to scrapers | Hidden behind the form |
| Message content | Free text the visitor can change | Fields you define and can validate |
| Reply | Arrives from the visitor's real mailbox | Depends on the reply-to address the form collects |
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is a Mailto Link?
A mailto link is a URL that starts with mailto: and asks the device's email app to open a new message. It can pre-fill the recipients, subject and body, but the visitor still decides whether to send it.
Why Is My Mailto Link Not Working?
Usually the device has no default email app, or the browser has no webmail handler such as Gmail registered for mailto links. Unencoded characters in the subject or body can also break the link, which is why this generator percent-encodes them.
Are Mailto Links Safe?
A mailto link cannot send anything on its own; it only opens a draft the visitor can read and change. The main drawback is that spam bots can harvest the address, so consider the Email Obfuscator for addresses you publish.
Can a Mailto Link Add an Attachment?
No. The mailto standard defines recipients, subject and body, but no attachment field, and the major email apps ignore attachment parameters. Ask the visitor to attach the file before sending instead.
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