Either there is no default mail client or the current mail client cannot fulfill Windows 10

Outlook Error: Either there is no default mail client or the current mail client cannot fulfill the messaging request...

When using one of the NirSoft tools that work with Microsoft Outlook (OutlookAttachView, OutlookStatView, OutlookAddressBookView, NK2Edit) you may get the following error message:
Either there is no default mail client or the current mail client cannot fulfill the messaging request. Please run Microsoft Office Outlook and set it as the default mail client.

This error is not displayed by NirSoft tools, it's displayed by Microsoft Outlook when NirSoft tool tries to activate the programming interface of Outlook, known as 'Extended MAPI'.

In order to solve this problem:

Check if you use the right version of NirSoft tool (32-bit or 64-bit): If you have Outlook 32-bit, you must use the 32-bit version of NirSoft tool (Even if the operating system is 64-bit !). If you have Outlook 64-bit, you must use the 64-bit version of NirSoft tool. If you don't have the right version, simply go to the Web page of the NirSoft tool you use and download the correct version.
Here's the links to Web pages of Outlook NirSoft tools: OutlookAttachView, OutlookStatView, OutlookAddressBookView, NK2Edit
If you have the correct version of NirSoft tool and you still get this error message, Microsoft Outlook software is not installed correctly on your system.
In this case, you have to repair the installation according to the instructions on Microsoft Web site.

Problem

This technote explains how to resolve an error message that there is no default mail client that could occur in IBM® Rational® ClearQuest® when submitting a record.

Symptom

Received the error below when submit of a record that trigger e-mail notification
[code>]
Either there is no default mail client or the current mail client can not fulfill the messaging request. Please run Microsoft Outlook and set it as the default mail client.

Cause

This error is known to occur when using Microsoft® Outlook, and it has not been set as your Default mail client and Microsoft Internet Explorer has not set Outlook as the default program for email.

Resolving The Problem

When using Microsoft Outlook as your e-mail application and Microsoft Internet Explorer as your browser, you need set the default mail in both Outlook and Internet Explorer.

In Outlook, go to the Tools > Options > Others Tab. Within this dialog box, make Outlook your default e-mail program.
In Internet Explorer, from the Tools menu, select Internet Options. On the Programs tab, select Microsoft Outlook for the E-mail option.
Click the OK button to save your changes.

[{"Product":{"code":"SSSH5A","label":"Rational ClearQuest"},"Business Unit":{"code":"BU053","label":"Cloud & Data Platform"},"Component":"E-Mail Configuration and Setup","Platform":[{"code":"PF033","label":"Windows"}],"Version":"2003.06.00;2003.06.10;2003.06.12;2003.06.13;2003.06.14;2003.06.15;2003.06.16;7.0;7.0.0.1;7.0.0.2;7.0.1;7.0.1.1","Edition":"","Line of Business":{"code":"LOB45","label":"Automation"}}]

Is your computer complaining that you don’t have a default mail client installed? Let’s fix it.

Recently, I received an odd error message where the computer claimed it didn’t have a default email client. Making no sense, I decided to investigate and document the issues in the event one of our readers here at groovyPost runs into the same problem.

The error message: “Either there is no default mail client or the current mail client cannot fulfill the messaging request. Please run Microsoft Outlook and set it as the default mail client.” as it turns out can be caused by several different reasons. Let’s fix it!

Why is this error message displayed?

There are two main reasons why you might hit the error message above:

File Explorer cannot preview the Outlook .msg file.
Third-party Outlook add-in is calling Outlook incorrectly.

The text of the Outlook error message is located in the Windows Registry. If another language User Interface for Outlook is installed, the message can come up in that language even then your Windows OS is in English. You’ll find it in the registry under this key:

Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\Mail Key: PreFirstRun Value: Either there is no default mail client or the current mail client cannot fulfill the messaging request. Please run Microsoft Outlook and set it as the default mail client.*Microsoft Office Outlook

File Explorer cannot preview the Outlook .msg file

If you have Preview pane enabled and select a .msg file, Outlook.exe will display the content in the preview in the pane. If Outlook cannot be reached either because it’s corrupted, in a different path, or you’re running an older version of Windows with a 64-bit version of Office, it will fail to display and give you an error message.

Third-party Outlook add-in is calling Outlook incorrectly

Tools that have add-ins that read from Outlook can also cause the error message to be displayed. This often happens when you have Outlook 65-bit installed and it’s conflicting with 32-bit software. The most effective way to find which add-in is causing the message is to simply disable them one by one until you find the one causing it. Make sure Outlook is your default email client.

Some known add-ins that can cause this are:

WebEx Productivity Tools

I have seen WebEx Productivity Tools cause this error message. To fix this issue, you can rename this registry key MAPIX under this location:

Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows Messaging SubSystem

After renaming the registry key, you will need to restart both WebEx Productivity Tools and Outlook and verify the message is gone.

32-bit add-in left on 64-bit Office installation

Another way to run into this problem is if your system has a 32-bit install of Outlook, or a 32-bit add-in, and then you install 64-bit Office. Essentially, the registry references old paths that cause your system to error out when trying to open a mail client file.

The best fix in this example is to either uninstall/reinstall Office and run cleaning programs such as CCleaner to clean out and fix your registry. Another more time-consuming solution is to search the registry for the add-in and either delete it or correct the path to the add-in DLL.

Final words

Running into random issues can be a real hassle, especially if you can’t find a solution on Google. For this particular error message: “Either there is no default mail client or the current mail client cannot fulfill the messaging request. Please run Microsoft Outlook and set it as the default mail client.”, hopefully, one of the solutions above fix your issues. If not, please feel free to join the discussion in our Windows 10 Forum where we provide free tech support.

How do you fix either there is no default mail client or the current mail client Cannot fulfill the messaging request?

Resolving The Problem.

In Outlook, go to the Tools > Options > Others Tab. Within this dialog box, make Outlook your default e-mail program..

In Internet Explorer, from the Tools menu, select Internet Options. On the Programs tab, select Microsoft Outlook for the E-mail option..

Click the OK button to save your changes..

How do I set Microsoft Mail as my default mail client in Windows 10?

In Windows 10, select Start and type Default apps. Select Default apps from the suggestions. Under Email, if Outlook is not listed, select the app that is listed to be presented with a list of email apps installed on your computer, then select Outlook.

How do I run Microsoft Outlook and set it as the default mail client?

Open Outlook. On the File tab, choose Options > General. Under Start up options, select the Make Outlook the default program for E-mail, Contacts, and Calendar check box. Click OK.