command lab

Gmail Shortcut Practice

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Gmail Keyboard Shortcuts: Full List (51 shortcuts)

Every Gmail keyboard shortcut used in the practice above, listed in full. Each row shows the Windows and Mac keys plus a short explanation of what the shortcut does. Find one you want to learn, then drill it above until your fingers remember it.

Navigation

Gmail — Navigation
Action Windows Mac What it does
Select an older thread j j Moves the cursor to the thread just older than the one currently selected in the thread list. Use it to navigate your inbox efficiently using only the keyboard, without the arrow keys or mouse.
Select a newer thread k k Moves the cursor to the thread just newer than the one currently selected. Combine it with j to move up and down the list and check mail entirely with the keyboard.
Open the thread o o Opens the thread the cursor is currently on and displays its contents. Use it to open a thread you've highlighted in the list without clicking on it.
Return to the thread list u u Closes the open thread and returns to the thread list screen. Use it to go back to the list after reading a message, without using the browser's back button.
Go to the next page g n g n Switches the thread list to the next page. This two-step command — pressing "g" then "n" — is used to page through an inbox with many messages.
Go to the previous page g p g p Switches the thread list to the previous page. This two-step command — pressing "g" then "p" — is used to go back a page and check messages you may have missed.

Application

Gmail — Application
Action Windows Mac What it does
Search mail / / Moves the cursor into the search box. Use it to start a keyword search right away using only the keyboard, without clicking into the search field with the mouse.
Open keyboard shortcut help ? ? Opens a dialog listing the available keyboard shortcuts. Use it to check a shortcut on the spot when you can't quite remember it.
Compose c c Opens a new message composition window as a small pane in the bottom-right of the screen. Use it to jump straight into writing a message without hunting for the compose button.
Compose in a new tab d d Opens the new message composition window as a new browser tab. Use it when you want to write with more screen space, or work alongside other tabs.

Actions

Gmail — Actions
Action Windows Mac What it does
Reply r r Displays the input field for replying to the sender of the open message. Use it to jump straight into writing a reply with the keyboard, without clicking the reply button.
Forward f f Displays the input field for forwarding the open message to another recipient. Use it to pass along a received message to someone else as is.
Reply all a a Displays the input field for replying not just to the sender but to everyone on the Cc line. Use it in a multi-person thread when you want to send the same reply to everyone at once.
Reply in a new window Shift+R ⇧+R Opens the reply composition screen as a separate, standalone window. Use it when you want more screen space than the standard reply field, such as when referring to other messages while replying.
Reply all in a new window Shift+A ⇧+A Opens the reply-all composition screen as a separate window. Use it when you want to carefully compose a long reply to everyone, with more screen space to work in.
Forward in a new window Shift+F ⇧+F Opens the forward composition screen as a separate window. Use it when you want to add comments to the forwarded message while working with more screen space.
Archive e e Archives the open or currently highlighted thread. It's hidden from the inbox without being deleted, so use it to clear out messages you've already dealt with.
Mute the thread m m Mutes the thread. Any new replies added to it afterward will no longer appear in the inbox, so use it to quiet down a thread that no longer concerns you much.
Report as spam ! ! Reports the selected message as spam. Doing so moves it from the inbox to the spam folder and helps train Gmail to catch similar messages in the future.
Delete # # Moves the selected message to the trash. If deleted by mistake, it can still be restored from the trash for a while, so use it for everyday cleanup of messages you no longer need.
Mark as read Shift+I ⇧+I Marks the selected message as read. Use it to mark a message you've already reviewed as read from the list, without opening it.
Mark as unread Shift+U ⇧+U Marks the selected message back as unread. Use it to flag a message you want to properly deal with later.
Snooze b b Temporarily hides the selected message from the inbox and brings it back at a specified date and time. Use it to hide a message you can't deal with right now until a moment you'll remember it.
Add to To Do list Shift+T ⇧+T Adds the selected message to Google Tasks. Use it when you want to manage the content of a message directly as a task.
Toggle star s s Toggles a star on or off for the selected message. Use it to flag important messages you want to come back to later.

Formatting

Gmail — Formatting
Action Windows Mac What it does
Bold Ctrl+B ⌘+B Makes the selected text bold in the message you're composing. Use it to make the key point you want to convey stand out.
Italic Ctrl+I ⌘+I Italicizes the selected text in the message you're composing. Use it to emphasize a book title or a nuanced phrase in a way different from bold.
Underline Ctrl+U ⌘+U Underlines the selected text in the message you're composing. Use it to draw attention to a specific word or phrase.
Strikethrough Ctrl+Shift+X ⌘+⇧+X Adds a strikethrough to the selected text in the message you're composing. Use it to show that content has been revised or retracted while still leaving the original visible.
Convert to a list Ctrl+Shift+7 ⌘+⇧+7 Converts the selected lines into a bulleted list in the message you're composing. Use it to organize key points and present them more clearly.
Convert to a numbered list Ctrl+Shift+8 ⌘+⇧+8 Converts the selected lines into a numbered list in the message you're composing. Use it to convey content with an order, like steps or priorities.
Convert to a quote Ctrl+Shift+9 ⌘+⇧+9 Converts the selected lines into a quote block in the message you're composing. Use it when you want to quote part of the other person's message and add your own comment on it.
Increase indent Ctrl+] ⌘+] Increases the indent of the selected lines by one level in the message you're composing. Use it to express hierarchy in a list or quote.
Decrease indent Ctrl+[ ⌘+[ Decreases the indent of the selected lines by one level in the message you're composing. Use it to undo an indent that went too deep.
Decrease font size Ctrl+Shift+- ⌘+⇧+- Decreases the font size of the selected text by one step in the message you're composing. Use it to shrink parts you don't want to stand out, such as supplementary notes.
Increase font size Ctrl+Shift++ ⌘+⇧++ Increases the font size of the selected text by one step in the message you're composing. Use it to emphasize a part you want to stand out, like a heading.
Clear formatting Ctrl+\ ⌘+\ Clears all formatting — such as bold or color — applied to the selected text in the message you're composing. Use it to strip out unwanted styling that came along when you pasted from another document.

Compose & chat

Gmail — Compose & chat
Action Windows Mac What it does
Add Cc recipients Ctrl+Shift+C ⌘+⇧+C Displays the Cc field in the compose window. Use it when you want to add someone who should be kept informed, separate from the main recipients.
Add Bcc recipients Ctrl+Shift+B ⌘+⇧+B Displays the Bcc field in the compose window. Use it when you want to quietly include a recipient without other recipients knowing their address.
Send Ctrl+Enter ⌘+Enter Sends the message you're composing. Use it to send right after finishing your writing, entirely with the keyboard, without clicking the send button with the mouse.
Discard draft Ctrl+Shift+D ⌘+⇧+D Discards the draft you're composing. Use it when you don't want to keep partially written content and would rather delete it outright instead of saving it in Drafts.
Insert a link Ctrl+K ⌘+K Inserts a link into the selected text in the message you're composing. Running it brings up a URL field where you can set a link to a reference web page on the spot.

Go to

Gmail — Go to
Action Windows Mac What it does
Open "Inbox" g i g i Opens the Inbox. This two-step command — pressing "g" then "i" — is used to quickly return to the inbox after viewing another label or folder.
Open starred threads g s g s Displays a list of only your starred messages. This two-step command — pressing "g" then "s" — is used to quickly access messages you've flagged to revisit.
Go to snoozed threads g b g b Displays the list of messages you've snoozed. This two-step command — pressing "g" then "b" — is used to check messages you've temporarily hidden to handle later.
Open "Sent Mail" g t g t Displays the Sent Mail list. This two-step command — pressing "g" then "t" — is used to check or search messages you've sent previously.
Open "Drafts" g d g d Displays the list of messages saved as drafts. This two-step command — pressing "g" then "d" — is used when you want to continue writing a message you left unfinished.
Open "All Mail" g a g a Displays a list of all messages, including archived ones. This two-step command — pressing "g" then "a" — is used when you want to search including messages you've already cleared from the inbox.
Open "Contacts" g c g c Opens the Google Contacts screen in a new tab. This two-step command — pressing "g" then "c" — is used to check or edit a recipient's contact information before composing a message.
Label shortcuts g l g l Displays a label picker for jumping to a specific label. This two-step command — pressing "g" then "l" — lets you type part of a label's name to narrow it down and quickly open that label's message list.
Go to To Do list g k g k Displays the Google Tasks screen. This two-step command — pressing "g" then "k" — is used to review, all in one place, the tasks you've added from messages.

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