can I use send to mail recipient with the mail app?

Hi,

Welcome to Microsoft Community and thank you for providing an opportunity to help you.

With regards to the issue, I would like to let you know that you need to add the respective Email account to the Mail app in order to send mails from Mail app.

Please refer to the link below to add the Email account to the Mail app:

Refer to the section “How do I add my email account to Mail?”

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-8/mail-faq

Please write us back if the issue still persists.

Thanks, but I've already set up an AOL account for use with it. I can send and receive messages just fine, but not through Explorer.

Ah, that clarifies your problem.  You're trying to use Windows Explorer in the Desktop in order to "share" files.  Remember, anything you do in the Desktop is LEGACY, which means all the Windows 7 rules apply.  In this case, you'd have to have Windows Mail or Outlook installed and configured as your email client.

HOWEVER, depending on the file and what app is used with it, you can use the SHARE charm to send it that way.  Unfortunately, Microsoft hasn't fully extended the Share capability to interface with all files...it's app-dependent.  I tried to follow a parallel process in Metro by doing the following:

Bring up the Search charm

Typed in a filename I wanted to share

Switched the context option from Apps to Files

Right-clicked the file that showed up (this puts a checkmark on the file)

Bring up the Share charm

.....<sad trombone> Got the message "This app can't share".

BTW, you can bring up the charms while in the desktop, too, but you also get a message saying that essentially you can't "share" from the Desktop.

So, you'll either need to setup Windows Mail (or Outlook) in the Desktop so you can use the legacy sharing method, or if you can access the files you're trying to send via a Metro app you can Share from the charms bar.

I am having the same issue and it has nothing to do with sharing files.  We are simply trying to attach a file to an email through the "Send To" option from right-clicking on a file in explorer.  We are using the "pre-installed" Mail application and getting the error "No program associated to perform the requested action" when we try to use the "Sent to --> Mail Recipient" option in Explorer.

You might not be able to get it to work at all, particularly if you have an AOL account.  Some things are just not working.  I assume you are trying to go through Internet Explorer and not Windows Explorer.  You can try going to Control Panel | Default Programs | Set the Default programs and then select Mail and Set Default and then make sure the mailto is set to Mail.  Then see if the Send to . . . works from IE, but it may not -- it may need a full email client such as Outlook.  If not, at present, you will just have to copy the link from IE and compose a new message and paste the link into the new message.

steve