22.6 Calling Phone Numbers in Email

When a 10-digit or 11-digit number appears in an email, the number can appear as a hyperlink so that you can call the number by using the default telephony provider configured on your operating system.

In order for 10-digit and 11-digit numbers to be identified as phone numbers, you must select a default telephony provider.

  1. Click Tools > Options.

  2. Double-click Environment, and then click the Default Actions tab.

  3. In the Default telephony provider drop-down list, select one of the following options:

    • None: Displays phone numbers as regular text and not as hyperlinks.

    • Legacy Windows Dialer: Uses a Windows dialer program that is no longer commonly used and may require additional hardware.

    • Tel Protocol Handler: Uses the Tel protocol handler that is configured on your system, which is likely the system default.