: Are mailto: links practically deprecated? I was thinking... Mailto: links are handled by standalone email clients only. Most users nowadays use webmail (like GMail). Webmail can't handle mailto:

@Alves908

mailto: links in webpages are not deprecated, for the reasons already mentioned... webmail can be configured to use them and users can still 'Copy link address' when the email is only in the href and not visible on the page.

HOWEVER, the main reason for not using mailto: links (unobfuscated at least) are email harvesters. Automated bots that crawl webpages searching for email addresses to be used for spam. Using an unobfuscated mailto: link is just telling these bots, "Hey, spam me!". JavaScript can be used to help obfuscate your mailto: links if reqd - providing they don't get too clever. But, at the end of the day, it is a compromise between security and usability.

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@Connie744

It seems to me that there are three options:

1. Email me at <a href="mailto:fred@example.com">fred@example.com</a>
2. <a href="mailto:fred@example.com">Email</a> me.
3. Email me at fred@example.com


I can believe that some purists would argue for option 2, but I think that most people use option 1 and that it's the most usable option.

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@Sims2060225

Mailto are not deprecated at all.

You are wrong by saying that webmail can't handle mailto: links.
It's browser stuff to handle mailto link correctly.

For example, if you don't have a mail handler installed, Firefox proposes you with several webmail like Gmail/Yahoo.

The real problem is wrong mailto handling. It Is usually done on system when IE, which is your default browse, tries to force you to use outlook, rather than asking you if you don't want to use something else.

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