This article discusses setting New Outlook as the Default Mail Client with Microsoft Intune. Setting the new Outlook as your default mail client offers numerous advantages, including enhanced productivity, streamlined workflow, and improved overall email management experience.
A default mail client is an email application that is automatically used by your operating system to handle email-related tasks. When you click on an email link (mailto:), share a file via email, or perform any action that involves sending an email, the default mail client is the application that opens to complete the task. Setting a default mail client ensures a seamless and consistent experience when managing and sending emails from various programs and web browsers.
It’s Important to Set a Default Mail Client. It simplifies the process of sending and receiving emails, as you don’t need to manually open your email application every time you want to send an email. Provides a consistent email experience across different applications and web browsers.
Saves time and reduces the steps needed to complete email-related tasks.Ensures better integration with other software and services you use, like calendar applications, contact management, and productivity tools.
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Advantages New Outlook as Default Mail Client – Best Guide to Set New Outlook as Default Mail Client with Intune
Setting the new Outlook as your default mail client offers several advantages, especially with its latest features and integrations. Here are some key benefits:
Advantage | Description |
---|---|
Unified Experience Across Devices | Consistency: The new Outlook provides a unified experience across Windows, macOS, web, and mobile devices. This consistency helps in managing emails and calendars seamlessly across all platforms. |
Improved User Interface | Modern Design: The new Outlook has a modern and intuitive design that improves usability and productivity. Customization: Users can personalize their interface, including the layout and theme, to suit their preferences. |
Enhanced Integration with Microsoft 365 | Collaboration Tools: Tight integration with Microsoft Teams, OneDrive, and other Microsoft 365 apps enhances collaboration and productivity. Calendar and Tasks: Improved integration with the calendar and task management features helps in better scheduling and task tracking. |
Advanced Features | Focused Inbox: The Focused Inbox feature automatically prioritizes important emails, making it easier to manage your inbox. Search Functionality: Enhanced search capabilities allow you to find emails, contacts, and files more quickly. Email Management: Features like sweep, pin, and flag emails provide better email management options. |
Security and Compliance | Advanced Security: Outlook offers advanced security features like encryption, phishing protection, and malware scanning to protect your emails. Compliance: Built-in compliance tools help organizations adhere to regulatory requirements, making it a reliable choice for business use. |
Enhanced Productivity Features | AI and Automation: Outlook leverages AI to provide features like suggested replies, meeting insights, and more, which help in automating routine tasks. Integration with To-Do: The integration with Microsoft To-Do allows for easy task creation from emails and seamless task management. |
Better Email Management | Categories and Tags: Enhanced categorization and tagging features help in organizing emails more efficiently. Rules and Filters: Robust rules and filters allow for automated email sorting and management. |
Create Configuration Profile to Set New Outlook as Default Mail Client with Intune
Follow the below-mentioned steps to create a configuration policy to Set New Outlook as the Default Mail Client with Microsoft Intune. Then, log in to the Microsoft Intune Admin Center using your administrator credentials.
- Navigate to Devices > Windows > Configuration Profiles
- Click on +Create > +New Policy
We can now create a profile using a Custom Windows template. To do that, specify the following details under the Create a profile option.
- Platform: Windows 10 and later
- Profile type: Templates
- Template name: Custom
In the Basics section, enter the Custom policy name as “Set Outlook (new) as Default Mail Client” and click Next.
This is a Custom policy, so we must manually add OMA-URI Settings under the Configuration Settings pane. To do so, click on Add.
Export the Default XML File for New Outlook as Default Mail Client
To export the DefaultApp XML, Set Outlook (new) as the default app on one of the devices and execute the below command in the command prompt with administrative privilege.
- Dism /Online /Export-DefaultAppAssociations:c:\DefaultApps.xml
Once you get the output file, i.e. DefaultApps.xml of all the default apps of the particular device. Open the xml and only the command as shown below blow.
Require XML File |
---|
<?xml version=”1.0″ encoding=”UTF-8″?> <DefaultAssociations> <Association Identifier=”.eml” ProgId=”AppXn1scph4yxkh5tvym038c6zjjfpmdg2fg” ApplicationName=”Outlook (new)” /> <Association Identifier=”mailto” ProgId=”AppXbx2ce4vcxjdhff3d1ms66qqzk12zn827″ ApplicationName=”Outlook (new)” /> </DefaultAssociations> |
Now, we need to encode the above-given content to Base64 format. For that, open the Base64 Encode Site. Paste the content Base64 Encode input section and Click on the ENCODE button. You will get the Outputs Base 64 encoded data
Note! PD94bWwgdmVyc2lvbj0iMS4wIiBlbmNvZGluZz0iVVRGLTgiPz4NCjxEZWZhdWx0QXNzb2NpYXRpb25zPg0KPEFzc29jaWF0aW9uIElkZW50aWZpZXI9Ii5lbWwiIFByb2dJZD0iQXBwWG4xc2NwaDR5eGtoNXR2eW0wMzhjNnpqamZwbWRnMmZnIiBBcHBsaWNhdGlvbk5hbWU9Ik91dGxvb2sgKG5ldykiIC8+DQo8QXNzb2NpYXRpb24gSWRlbnRpZmllcj0ibWFpbHRvIiBQcm9nSWQ9IkFwcFhieDJjZTR2Y3hqZGhmZjNkMW1zNjZxcXprMTJ6bjgyNyIgQXBwbGljYXRpb25OYW1lPSJPdXRsb29rIChuZXcpIiAvPg0KPC9EZWZhdWx0QXNzb2NpYXRpb25zPg==
Make a note of Outputs Base64 encoded data. Now, we are good to create the custom policy. Policy CSP – ApplicationDefaults details are available on Microsoft’s Official site. We can find the DefaultAssociationsConfiguration on the same page.
- ./Device/Vendor/MSFT/Policy/Config/ApplicationDefaults/DefaultAssociationsConfiguration
Scope | Editions | Applicable OS |
---|---|---|
✅ Device ❌ User | ✅ Pro ✅ Enterprise ✅ Education ✅ Windows SE ✅ IoT Enterprise / IoT Enterprise LTSC | ✅ Windows 10, version 1703 [10.0.15063] and later |
To configure the policy for our current requirements, you must provide the details below on the OMA-URI Settings Add Row pane. Once you have added all the details, click on the Save option.
On the next page, leave the Scope tags as Default. Alternatively, you can select any custom scope tags available in the tenant.
Click on Next and assign the policy to HTMD – Test Computers. In the Included Groups option, click on Add Groups and select the required device group. As discussed earlier, this policy is only supported for Devices, not for Users.
In the Applicability Rules pane, you can set the rule according to your requirements. My test device runs Windows 11 23H2 Enterprise Edition, and I have set the OS edition value to Windows 10/11 Enterprise. Therefore, the policy will only apply in production scenarios when the rule is satisfied; otherwise, it will show as “Not applicable” on the monitoring page.
Please take a moment to carefully review all the settings you’ve defined for the “Set Outlook (new) as Default Mail Client” policy on the “Review + Create” page. When you’re ready, select “Create” to implement the changes.
Monitor Set New Outlook as Default Mail Client in Intune
The policy has been deployed to the Microsoft Entra ID groups. So once the targeted devices are synced, it will take effect as soon as possible. To monitor the policy deployment status from the Microsoft Intune Portal, follow the steps below.
- Navigate to Devices > Windows > Configuration Profiles > Search for the “Set Outlook (new) as Default Mail Client” policy
The deployment status will appear under the Device and User check-in status.
End User Experience – Set New Outlook as Default Mail Client Policy
Now, we have to check whether the Set New Outlook as Default Mail Client policy is working fine or not. Log in to one of the policy-targeted devices.
- Click on Start > Search and Select Settings > Apps > Default apps
Under Set defaults for applications, search for Mail App. Once you open the Mail App you can see .eml and MAILTO have been changed to Outlook (New). So, we can conclude that our policy worked as expected!
I appreciate you taking the time to read my article. I’m excited to see you in the upcoming post. Continue to support the HTMD Community.
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Author
Vaishnav K has over 10+ years of experience in SCCM, Device Management, and Automation Solutions. He writes and imparts his knowledge about Microsoft Intune, Azure, PowerShell scripting, and automation. Check out his profile on LinkedIn.
When I run ‘Dism /Online /Export-DefaultAppAssociations:c:\DefaultApps.xml’ from an admin command prompt, the exported DefaultApps.xml file only contains the settings for Microsoft Edge for some reason. I do not see the Outlook settings as expected.
Any ideas?
Please confirm that our default Mail App is already available for your test machine as a Default Mail client.
Navigate to Settings > Apps > Default Apps > Set Default for applications > Search for Mails.
If the App is not set for any Defaults. Could you set that and execute the command again?
Note : Command prompt should be open with Administrator rights