Why are spaces written as %20 and not as plus signs?

RFC 6068, the standard for mailto links, uses plain percent-encoding. A plus sign is not a space in this format, and mail clients would show it literally in the subject, so every space is written as %20 and a real plus becomes %2B.

How are line breaks in the body encoded?

Each line break becomes %0D%0A, a carriage return plus line feed, which is the newline the standard specifies. Mail apps turn it back into a new line when the message opens.

Can I put several recipients in the To field?

Yes. Separate the addresses with commas or semicolons and the link lists them all after mailto:, separated by commas. The CC and BCC fields work the same way.

Does the link work if the visitor uses webmail?

Only if their browser or operating system has been set to hand mailto links to that webmail service. Otherwise the link opens nothing or launches a default desktop app.

Why does the HTML Code contain & between parameters?

In HTML source a bare ampersand should be written as &. Browsers decode it back to a plain ampersand, so the link behaves the same, and the snippet stays valid markup.

Will spammers see the address?

Anyone can read it in the page source, and scrapers harvest such addresses. A contact form avoids exposing it, though a mailto link is simpler.

Generator toolsInstantPrivateNo account

Mailto Link Generator

Builds a mailto link that opens a visitor's mail app with the recipient, subject and body already filled in, plus a ready-to-paste anchor snippet.

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About Mailto Link Generator

Builds a mailto link that opens a visitor's mail app with the recipient, subject and body already filled in, plus a ready-to-paste anchor snippet. It is aimed at people adding a Contact us or Request a quote link to a web page or a document.

How to use it

Enter the recipient in Email Address (To). Several addresses can be separated with commas. The Generate Mailto Link button needs this field.
Fill in Subject and Body if you want them prefilled. Line breaks in the body are kept.
Tick Show advanced options to reveal the CC and BCC fields, and fill them in. They are only used while that box stays ticked.
Select Generate Mailto Link.
Press Test Link to open your mail app, then copy either the link or the HTML Code.

A quote-request link

Input

To: sales@example.com, Subject: Quote request for 2 units, Body: two lines, Hi, then Please send a quote & delivery time.

Output

mailto:sales@example.com?subject=Quote%20request%20for%202%20units&body=Hi%2C%0D%0APlease%20send%20a%20quote%20%26%20delivery%20time.

When to use it

Adding a Report a problem link to a help page with the subject already set.
Putting a prefilled inquiry link in a printed brochure's web version or a PDF.
Giving team members a one-click way to send a status update in a set format.
Creating a Request a quote button on a static site that has no form handler.

Questions about Mailto Link Generator

Why are spaces written as %20 and not as plus signs?: RFC 6068, the standard for mailto links, uses plain percent-encoding. A plus sign is not a space in this format, and mail clients would show it literally in the subject, so every space is written as %20 and a real plus becomes %2B.
How are line breaks in the body encoded?: Each line break becomes %0D%0A, a carriage return plus line feed, which is the newline the standard specifies. Mail apps turn it back into a new line when the message opens.
Can I put several recipients in the To field?: Yes. Separate the addresses with commas or semicolons and the link lists them all after mailto:, separated by commas. The CC and BCC fields work the same way.
Does the link work if the visitor uses webmail?: Only if their browser or operating system has been set to hand mailto links to that webmail service. Otherwise the link opens nothing or launches a default desktop app.
Why does the HTML Code contain & between parameters?: In HTML source a bare ampersand should be written as &. Browsers decode it back to a plain ampersand, so the link behaves the same, and the snippet stays valid markup.
Will spammers see the address?: Anyone can read it in the page source, and scrapers harvest such addresses. A contact form avoids exposing it, though a mailto link is simpler.

Related tools

Generator toolsInstantPrivateNo account

Mailto Link Generator

Builds a mailto link that opens a visitor's mail app with the recipient, subject and body already filled in, plus a ready-to-paste anchor snippet.

Back to category

WorkbenchClient-side · Private

Email Address (To)

Subject

Body

Show advanced options

About Mailto Link Generator

How to use it

Enter the recipient in Email Address (To). Several addresses can be separated with commas. The Generate Mailto Link button needs this field.
Fill in Subject and Body if you want them prefilled. Line breaks in the body are kept.
Tick Show advanced options to reveal the CC and BCC fields, and fill them in. They are only used while that box stays ticked.
Select Generate Mailto Link.
Press Test Link to open your mail app, then copy either the link or the HTML Code.

A quote-request link

Input

To: sales@example.com, Subject: Quote request for 2 units, Body: two lines, Hi, then Please send a quote & delivery time.

Output

mailto:sales@example.com?subject=Quote%20request%20for%202%20units&body=Hi%2C%0D%0APlease%20send%20a%20quote%20%26%20delivery%20time.

When to use it

Adding a Report a problem link to a help page with the subject already set.
Putting a prefilled inquiry link in a printed brochure's web version or a PDF.
Giving team members a one-click way to send a status update in a set format.
Creating a Request a quote button on a static site that has no form handler.

Questions about Mailto Link Generator

Why are spaces written as %20 and not as plus signs?: RFC 6068, the standard for mailto links, uses plain percent-encoding. A plus sign is not a space in this format, and mail clients would show it literally in the subject, so every space is written as %20 and a real plus becomes %2B.
How are line breaks in the body encoded?: Each line break becomes %0D%0A, a carriage return plus line feed, which is the newline the standard specifies. Mail apps turn it back into a new line when the message opens.
Can I put several recipients in the To field?: Yes. Separate the addresses with commas or semicolons and the link lists them all after mailto:, separated by commas. The CC and BCC fields work the same way.
Does the link work if the visitor uses webmail?: Only if their browser or operating system has been set to hand mailto links to that webmail service. Otherwise the link opens nothing or launches a default desktop app.
Why does the HTML Code contain & between parameters?: In HTML source a bare ampersand should be written as &. Browsers decode it back to a plain ampersand, so the link behaves the same, and the snippet stays valid markup.
Will spammers see the address?: Anyone can read it in the page source, and scrapers harvest such addresses. A contact form avoids exposing it, though a mailto link is simpler.

Search tools

Mailto Link Generator

About Mailto Link Generator

How to use it

A quote-request link

When to use it

Questions about Mailto Link Generator

Why are spaces written as %20 and not as plus signs?

How are line breaks in the body encoded?

Can I put several recipients in the To field?

Does the link work if the visitor uses webmail?

Why does the HTML Code contain &amp; between parameters?

Will spammers see the address?

Related tools

Mailto Link Generator

About Mailto Link Generator

How to use it

A quote-request link

When to use it

Questions about Mailto Link Generator

Why are spaces written as %20 and not as plus signs?

How are line breaks in the body encoded?

Can I put several recipients in the To field?

Does the link work if the visitor uses webmail?

Why does the HTML Code contain &amp; between parameters?

Will spammers see the address?

Related tools

Why does the HTML Code contain & between parameters?

Why does the HTML Code contain & between parameters?