At Speed Digital Marketing Agency we’re excited to share with you 20 handy Gmail keyboard shortcuts that will help you boost your productivity.
Gmail is a popular email service that offers a number of features to make your emailing experience more productive. These shortcuts are handy features and can save you a lot of time when used correctly.
In this blog post, we will discuss 20 of the most useful Gmail keyboard shortcuts that you can start using today to save time and increase your productivity. Read the full article now to learn more about these 20 Gmail keyboard shortcuts!
Gmail keyboard shortcuts are a great way to save your time on your Google email dashboard. Just like most of us, you probably spend lot of time each week navigating your mailbox — whether you’re looking for old files, formatting emails, or making sure you aren’t going to Cc the whole office about your weekend plans.
If you are looking for ways to further reduce the amount of time you spend on email, knowing these Gmail key combinations will surely be a fantastic investment. Let’s get started!
What are Keyword Shortcuts?
Keyboard shortcuts are combinations of keys previously set on the computer keyboard to speed up the execution of a task. For example, if you want to copy text from one document to another, simply use the Ctrl + C keys and click on the area in the target document where you want the text to appear, then press the Ctrl + V keys. It is as simple as that.
To help you work more efficiently, Gmail has its own set of keyboard shortcuts designed specifically for managing your emails. There are many benefits:
- Get more things done with your Gmail account
- Shorten the time it takes to check your Gmail inbox
- Save your hands by using it more ergonomically
- Do your daily tasks in a more controlled way
How to start using the shortcuts in your Gmail account?
Follow these 6 steps to enable keyboard shortcuts in Gmail.
- Login to Gmail.
- Click on the Settings icon.
- Click on “See all settings”.
- Scroll down to the “Shortcuts” section.
- Select the radio button next to “Keyboard shortcuts on”.
- Click “Save” at the bottom of the page.
These shortcuts are not coming enabled by default, you need to enable them manually. It is simple and easy to do, so you wont need anybody’s help. I guess! 😁
Now that you know how to activate the keyboard shortcuts in Gmail, it’s time to learn how to use them.
🏆 Pro-tip: You need to activate the shortcuts in all your Gmail accounts if you want to use them in your other Gmail accounts as well.
Here is the list of all Gmail keyboard shortcuts organised by category:
| Gmail Keyboard Shortcut | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Archive emails | E | E |
| Compose email | C | C |
| Trash emails | # | # |
| Select all conversations | *+A | *+A |
| Reply all | A | A |
| Reply | R | R |
| Reply in a new window | Shift+A | Shift+A |
| Make text italicized | Ctrl+I | ⌘+I |
| Make text bold | Ctrl+B | ⌘+B |
| Underline text | Ctrl+U | ⌘+U |
| Strikethrough text | Alt + Shift+5 | ⌘+Shift+X |
| Open Google Tasks | G + K | G + K |
| Add conversations to Google Tasks | Shift+T | Shift+T |
| Send email | Ctrl+Enter | ⌘+Enter |
| Insert a link | Ctrl+K | ⌘+K |
| Add Cc recipients to the email | Ctrl+Shift+C | ⌘+Shift+C |
| Add Bcc recipients to the email | Ctrl+Shift+B | ⌘+Shift+B |
| Add bulleted list | Ctrl+Shift+7 | ⌘+Shift+7 |
| Add numbered list | Ctrl+Shift+8 | ⌘+Shift+7 |
| Increase text size | Ctrl+Shift++ | ⌘+Shift++ |
| Decrease text size | Ctrl+Shift+- | ⌘+Shift+- |
| Undo | Ctrl+Z | ⌘+Z |
| Redo | Ctrl+Y | ⌘+Y |
| Add quote | Ctrl+Shift+9 | ⌘+Shift+9 |
| Open spelling suggestions | Ctrl+M | ⌘+M |
| Remove formatting | Ctrl+ | ⌘+ |
| Reduce text indentation | Ctrl+[ | ⌘+[ |
| Increase text indentation | Ctrl+] | ⌘+] |
| Align text to the center of the screen | Ctrl+Shift+E | ⌘+Shift+E |
| Align text to the right of the screen | Ctrl+Shift+R | ⌘+Shift+R |
| Align text to the left of the screen | Ctrl+Shift+l | ⌘+Shift+l |
| Mark email as important | = or + | = or + |
| Mark email as unimportant | – | – |
| Mark email as read | Shift+I | Shift+I |
| Mark email as unread | Shift+U | Shift+U |
| Expand conversation | ; | ; |
| Collapse conversation | : | : |
| Forward email | f | f |
| Forward email in a new window | Shift+F | Shift+F |
| Report email as spam | ! | ! |
| Open the “Sent Messages” folder | G+T | G+T |
| Open the “Drafts” folder | G+D | G+D |
| View starred conversations only | G+S | G+S |
| Mute conversation | M | M |
| Search mailbox | / | / |
| Change font to next font | Ctrl+Shift+5 | ⌘+Shift+5 |
| Change font to the previous font | Ctrl+Shift+6 | ⌘+Shift+6 |
| View your Gmail keyboard shortcuts | Shift+? | ⌘+? |
Note: These keyboard shortcuts only work if the keyboard shortcuts are activated.
What else can you do with these keyword shortcuts?
You can customise the keyboard shortcuts in Gmail. Follow these simple steps:
Step 1: Turn on custom keyboard shortcuts
- On your computer, go to Gmail.
- In the top right, click ⚙ Settings > Settings.
- Click Advanced.
- Next to ‘Custom keyboard shortcuts’, click Enable.
- At the bottom, click Save Changes.
Step 2: Change your keyboard shortcuts
- On your computer, go to Gmail.
- In the top right, click ⚙ Settings > Settings.
- At the top, click Keyboard Shortcuts.
- Next to the action, type the keyboard key to make a new shortcut.
- At the bottom, click Save Changes.
You can also modify the shortcuts when you are using your Gmail account on Android devices:
Shortcuts available on Mobiles using Android OS:
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Compose a new email | Ctrl + n |
| Archive an email | Ctrl + d |
| Send an email | Ctrl + Enter |
| Save a draft | Ctrl + s |
| Refresh your inbox | Ctrl + u |
| Open selected conversation (shortcut) | Right arrow |
| Expand or collapse an email in a conversation | Enter |
| Cut, copy or paste | Ctrl + x, Ctrl + c or Ctrl + v |
| Select all | Ctrl + a |
| Open the side menu | Ctrl + m |
| Open settings | Ctrl + , |
| Open Help & Feedback | Ctrl + ? |
| Reply to all | Ctrl + r |
| Mark as read or unread | Ctrl + i |
| Ctrl + p |
If you are using iPhone & iPad the available keyboard shortcuts you can use are:
You need to have a keyboard connected with your iPad
Important: Keyboard shortcuts aren’t supported on all keyboards.
- On an iPad, open the Gmail app.
- In the top left, tap Menu and then settings ⚙.
- Tap Enable keyboard shortcuts.
Overview
Gmail keyboard shortcuts are extremely beneficial, though it may take some time for to familiarise yourself with all of them.
Once you’ve repeatedly used each shortcut, you’ll be able to fly through your mailbox, upping your productivity and reducing the time you spend in your inbox. We’ve compiled the official Gmail shortcuts, though some will be more useful to you than others. It’ll probably take some time until you find your most-used shortcuts, but it’s worth it for the productivity benefits.
What’s your favourite Gmail keyboard shortcut?
Let us know in the comments!
