List of Best Gmail Keyboard Shortcuts

List of Best Gmail Keyboard Shortcuts. Managing and organizing your email can work just fine with a mouse and dragging and dropping. But if you have a lot of email, learning Gmail’s keyboard commands (along with some Gmail tricks and tips) can save you hours of time. Here are more than two dozen to pick from. Oh, don’t be intimidated. Just pick one and try it out for a bit. Then come back to learn more.

Information in this article applies to the web version of Gmail. The instructions are the same regardless of which browser you use.

How to Enable Gmail Shortcuts

To use Gmail shortcuts, you must first enable them in the Settings menu.

Select the gear in the upper-right corner of Gmail, and then select Settings from the drop-down menu.
Scroll down to the Keyboard shortcuts section and select Keyboard shortcuts on.
Scroll to the bottom of the page and select Save Changes.

How to Create, Send, and Forward Email

With Gmail keyboard shortcuts, you can quickly create, send, and forward Gmail messages:

Create a new message (C): Press the C key to create a new message.
Create a new message in a new tab (D): Press the D key to create a new message in a new browser tab.
Send an email (Ctrl + Enter): Press Ctrl + Enter to send an open message.
Forward a message (F): Press F to forward an open message.

How to Reply to Email

By using the R and A keys, you can quickly reply to email messages or send to multiple recipients:

Reply to a message (R): Press R to reply to an open message.
Reply to all (A): Press A to reply to all recipients of a message.

How to Scroll Through Emails

These shortcuts are handy for navigating through your messages and long email threads:

Scroll down an email list (J): Press the J key to scroll down.
Scroll up an email list (K): Press the K key to scroll up.
Scroll through an email thread (N): Press N to quickly scroll down multiple conversations in a thread.

How to Select Multiple Emails

Need to select a bunch of emails at the same time? This shortcut will save you from having to click on each email separately:

Select multiple emails in a row (Shift): Check the box beside the first email in the series, then press and hold the Shift key and check the box for the last email in the series. Everything between both boxes will be selected.

How to Add Formatting to Email Text

Use these commands to apply text formatting while you compose a message. Perform the same actions to undo the formatting:

Bold text (Ctrl + B): Highlight the text you wish to bold, and then press Ctrl + B.
Italicize text (Ctrl + I): Highlight the text you wish to italicize, and then press Ctrl + I.
Underline text (Ctrl + U): Highlight the text you wish to underline, and then press Ctrl + U.
Undo last action (Ctrl + Z): Press Ctrl + Z to undo the previous action.

On Mac computers, use the Command key in place of the Ctrl key.

How to Add Elements to an Email

Addling links, numbered lists, and bullet points to your emails can also be done using keyboard shortcuts:

Insert a hyperlink (Ctrl + K): To insert a URL link, highlight the desired text and press Ctrl + K.
Insert a numbered list (Ctrl + Shift + 7): Insert the cursor where you want the numbered list to appear, then press Ctrl + Shift + 7.
Insert bullet points (Ctrl + Shift + 8): Insert the cursor where you want the bullet list to appear, then press Ctrl + Shift + 8.

On Mac computers, use the Command key in place of the Ctrl key.

Email Maintenance Shortcuts

Use these shortcuts to help manage your inbox:

Find an email (/): Press / to place the cursor in the search bar.
Archive an email (E): Open an email or select it by clicking the box beside the sender’s name, then press E to archive it.
Delete an email (Shift + 3): Open an email or select it by clicking the box beside the sender’s name, then press Shift + 3 to send the email to the trash.
Mark an email as unread (Shift + U): Open an email or select it by clicking the box beside the sender’s name, then press Shift + U to mark it as unread.
Mark a message as important (Shift + =): Open an email or select it by clicking the box beside the sender’s name, then press Shift + = to mark it as important.

“Go to” Shortcuts in Gmail

The following shortcuts can be used for navigating Gmail. Unlike the shortcuts above, the individual keys must be pressed separately rather than simultaneously

Go to Tasks (G, then K): Press the G key, then press K to open Google Tasks.
Go to Contacts (G, then C): Press the G key, then press C to open your contacts list.
Go to Starred conversations (G, then S): Press the G key, then press S to see your starred Gmail messages.
Go to Sent messages (G, then T): Press the G key, then press T to see sent messages.
Go to Drafts (G, then D): Press the G key, then press D to see your message drafts.
Go to All mail (G, then A): Press the G key, then press A to see all messages.
Move from different fields (Tab): Press the Tab key to jump down the different fields in your email composition screen. To go in the opposite direction, press Shift + Tab.