The Gmail shortcuts you should actually be using

No one likes email. We’re always looking for ways to spend less time in our inboxes with filters, templates, and auto-replies. But there’s another small change you can make to keep your emailing as quick as possible: Gmail shortcuts.

How to turn on Gmail shortcuts

Yes, you need to turn shortcuts on. If you try these Gmail shortcuts without turning them on first, you’ll be slamming that C key into the void. So if you think your Gmail keyboard shortcuts aren’t working, try this first.

To turn on Gmail shortcuts:

1. Click the Settings gear in the top-right corner, then See all settings.

2. Scroll down to the Keyboard shortcuts section, and choose the Keyboard shortcuts on option.

3. Scroll to the bottom, and click Save Changes.

Congrats! You can use all of Gmail’s shortcuts now—here are the ones you should start using right away.

1. Browse through your emails

Prefer using keyboard navigation over mouse? Flip through the email threads in your inbox using K to go to the previous email and J to go to the next email.

Press Enter / return to open the selected thread. Then:

• Press U to go back to your inbox. 

• Press ] or [ to archive the message and go to the previous or next message.

• Press # to delete the message.

• Press Shift + U to mark the message as unread.

2. Jump between categories

Gmail also has “jumping” shortcuts that instantly take you to your desired inbox category. Use the following combos to visit different categories:

3. Organize your emails

You can also use shortcuts to organize emails. Navigate to the email you want to tidy up, and press X to select it, then use one of these shortcuts:

If you have a lot of emails to sort, you can select them in bulk using these shortcuts:

• Select all conversations: * + A

• Deselect all conversations: * + N

• Select read conversations: * + R

• Select unread conversations: * + U

• Select starred conversations: * + S

• Select unstarred conversations: * + T

I admittedly found this group of shortcuts a little unwieldy to use due to the asterisk, so you might find it easier to select and deselect all conversations using the checkbox above them. But it’s worth it for managing read, unread, starred, and unstarred emails.

4. Compose new emails and replies

Here’s a universal and easy-to-remember one: composing a new message. Press C, and the trusty New Message window will pop up.

Replying to an email is similarly easy: press R to reply to an open email. This is my personal favorite—it comes in handy when I need to reply to a lot of subject matter experts who’ve sent me quotes.

5. Add CC and BCC

When you open a compose window, it keeps the CC and BCC options nestled for you to click and add fields for them. Add those fields instantly using the Gmail shortcut Ctrl / command + Shift + C (CC) or Ctrl / command + Shift + B (BCC).

6. Format your emails and insert links

Gmail’s composer follows many of the same formatting shortcuts as Google Docs and other WYSIWYG editors. Here are the major ones:

• Bold highlighted text: Ctrl / command + B

• Italic highlighted text: Ctrl / command + I

• Underline highlighted text: Ctrl / command + U

• Increase indent: Ctrl / command+ ]

• Decrease indent: Ctrl / command + [

• Start numbered list or format highlighted text as numbered list: Ctrl / command + Shift + 7

• Start bulleted list or format highlighted text as bulleted list: Ctrl / command + Shift + 8

Hyperlinking uses a popular shortcut, too: highlight the text you want to turn into a link, and press Ctrl + K. Gmail will take you to a window to refine your link target and text.

7. Work with Google Tasks

Gmail has two shortcuts that make it easier to combine it with Google Tasks. If you like to use Google Tasks and Gmail together, you can go to the Tasks window by pressing G + K.

You can also add an email as a new task by pressing Shift + T when you have the email open.

And if you find yourself turning emails into tasks often, you can automate the process with Zapier. Here are some examples to get you started.

You can also connect Gmail to thousands of other apps, so you can automate all your email workflows. Learn more about how to automate Gmail.

How to create a Gmail shortcut

You can change your Gmail shortcut keys to better suit your workflow. Here’s how to customize Gmail shortcuts:

1. Go back into the main settings menu you used to turn on shortcuts, then click the Advanced tab.

2. Find Custom Keyboard Shortcuts and choose Enable. Gmail will send you back to your inbox. 

3. When you visit the main settings menu again, you’ll see a new tab titled Keyboard Shortcuts.

4. Click that tab, and you’ll get a menu where you can customize your shortcuts as much as you’d like.

Do more with Gmail

Want to go even further? Here’s a list of every Gmail shortcut, courtesy of Google itself. And here are a few more guides to make you a Gmail power user:

This article was originally published in June 2022. The most recent update was in November 2024.