Fix Email Links Not Working in Google Docs to PDF
Email links that do not open the mail client when clicked in a PDF from Google Docs were not inserted as proper mailto: links. Here is how to set up email links so they export and function correctly.
Insert email links using Ctrl+K
Select the email address text in the Google Doc. Press Ctrl+K to open the link dialog. In the URL field, type mailto: followed by the email address, for example: mailto:hello@example.com. Click Apply. The text now has a proper mailto: link that will open the user's email client when clicked in the PDF.
Check existing email links
Click on an email address in the Google Doc. If the tooltip shows a mailto: URL, the link is correctly set up. If the tooltip shows just the email address without the mailto: prefix, press the Edit button in the tooltip and add the mailto: prefix to the URL.
Verify in the PDF viewer
After exporting, open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat Reader. Hover over the email link. The cursor should change to a hand icon and the status bar at the bottom should show mailto:emailaddress. If you see this, the link is active. Clicking it will open the default mail client.
Test on the recipient's machine
Email links depend on the recipient having a default mail client configured. If the link is correctly set up as a mailto: link but nothing happens when clicked, the recipient's machine does not have a default email application configured. This is a system setting on their end, not a problem with the PDF.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does clicking the email link open a browser instead of an email app?
The device's default handler for mailto: links is set to a web-based email service like Gmail or Yahoo Mail. This is a system default, not a PDF issue. The link is working correctly.
Related article
How to convert Google Doc to PDF and keep hyperlinks →Ready to Try It?
Install the free Chrome extension and start converting your Google Docs to PDF in one click.
Install Free ExtensionConvert online, no install