Gmail keyboard shortcuts
Reply, archive or search without touching the mouse. Here's how to turn on Gmail shortcuts and which ones are worth learning first.
If you spend hours in Gmail, keyboard shortcuts can save you lots of clicks a day. But most of them are off by default and need to be turned on in settings.
Here's how to turn them on, the most useful ones to start with and how to go further: shortcuts that, instead of an action, type full replies.
How to turn on Gmail keyboard shortcuts
Open settings
Click the Settings gear and then See all settings.
Turn on keyboard shortcuts
On the General tab, find Keyboard shortcuts and select Keyboard shortcuts on.
Save changes
Scroll to the bottom of the page and click Save Changes. Press ? in Gmail to see the full list.
The 13 most useful Gmail shortcuts
| Key | What it does |
|---|---|
c | Compose a new email |
r | Reply |
a | Reply all |
f | Forward |
e | Archive |
# | Delete |
/ | Jump to search |
j / k | Next / previous conversation |
s | Star |
Shift+i | Mark as read |
g then i | Go to inbox |
? | Show the shortcut list |
Ctrl+Enter (Cmd+Enter on Mac) | Send the email |
c, r and e) and add three more next week. It's the easiest way to make them a habit.Going further: shortcuts that type full replies
Gmail shortcuts save you clicks, but they don't write for you. With NexoPad you can go further: type /meeting in the email body and your full message is inserted, after asking for the details that change. If you forget the shortcut, type // and search for it.
NexoPad also has its own keyboard shortcuts to open it, open the Notebook or jump straight to your snippets and notes. You can change them on Chrome's extension shortcuts page.
Frequently asked questions
Why aren't my Gmail shortcuts working?
They're probably turned off. Turn them on in Settings, See all settings, General, Keyboard shortcuts.
Can I create my own shortcuts in Gmail?
Gmail doesn't let you create shortcuts that insert text. For that you need a text expander like NexoPad. We cover it in our guide to text shortcuts in Gmail.
Do they work on mobile?
No. Keyboard shortcuts are for Gmail on desktop.
Are there similar shortcuts for Chrome?
Yes. We've collected the most useful ones in our guide to Chrome keyboard shortcuts.
Published on October 11, 20265 min read
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