Introduction

In this blog, we present to you an extensive guide on Gmail keyboard shortcuts and tips to master it like a pro. Moving on, over the years, email has emerged as an essential tool of everyday life. Along with your personal requirements, email is playing a critical role in streamlining your work life as well.

However, the task of email management is a bit monotonous as you sometimes need a little time and effort to manage your Gmail inbox. This is where the search for shortcuts begins.

So, is there any shortcut available for managing Gmail inbox? The answer is YES! You can use Gmail keyboard shortcuts to manage and organize your inbox regularly. 

Why should you use keyboard shortcuts in Gmail?

By using the Gmail shortcut for desktop, you can save time from manual tasks of email management. As a result, you can efficiently organize your Gmail inbox without wasting too many hours. Thus, these shortcuts increase your productivity and speed up the workflow. 

Steps to enable keyboard shortcuts in Gmail

You should follow these steps to enable shortcut keys in Gmail –

  1. Go to Gmail from your computer.
  2. Next, click Settings > See all settings from the top right of Gmail.Steps to enable keyboard shortcuts in Gmail See all settings
  3. At the next step, go to General and scroll down to the Keyboard shortcuts section.
  4. After that, select Keyboard shortcuts on.select Keyboard shortcuts on
  5. Finally, click Save Changes at the bottom of the page.click Save Changes at the bottom of the page

Basic Gmail keyboard shortcuts

Now you will learn some basic and most commonly used shortcut keys in Gmail –

  • Create or compose a new email: c
  • Reply: r
  • Delete: #
  • Search for messages: /
  • Reply all: a
  • Forward an email: f
  • Send an email:  Ctrl/⌘ + Enter
  • Mark selected messages as important: or +
  • Mute a conversation: m
  • Archive the selected messages: e
  • Bold: Ctrl/⌘ + b
  • Italic: Ctrl/⌘ + i
  • Underline: Ctrl/⌘ + u
  • Insert numbered list: Ctrl/⌘ + Shift + 7
  • Insert bulleted list: Ctrl/⌘ + Shift + 8
  • Insert a link: Ctrl/⌘ + k

Note: You have to use Ctrl for Windows and ⌘ for Mac.

Tips and tricks for mastering Gmail keyboard shortcuts

  • Customize your Gmail Keyboard Shortcuts
  1. First, open Gmail from your computer.
  2. Then, click Settings > Settings from the top right corner.
  3. Now, click Advanced
  4. After that, click Enable from the next of the Custom keyboard shortcuts.click Enable from the next of the Custom keyboard shortcuts
  5. Then, save the changes by clicking Save Changes
  • Use the jumping shortcut keys in Gmail
  1. Go to inbox: g + i
  2. Move to sent messages: g + t
  3. Go to All Mail: g + a
  4. Move to starred conversations: g + s
  5. Move to Drafts: g + d
  6. Go to the snoozed conversation: g + b
  7. Go to label: g + l
  • Use the shortcut keys in Gmail for navigation
  1. Open a conversation: o or Enter
  2. Navigate to a newer conversation: k
  3. Move to the next page: g + n 
  4. Move to the previous page: g + p 
  5. Navigate to an older conversation: j

Resources for learning and practicing Gmail keyboard shortcuts

The best resources for mastering the shortcut key for Gmail are Keyboard shortcuts for Gmail and Use Google Workspace keyboard shortcuts.

Boosting productivity with Gmail keyboard shortcuts in the workplace

If you want to master the shortcut keys in Gmail to enhance productivity in your workplace, then learn these shortcuts first –

Email Composition Shortcuts

  • Compose

Most people click the Compose option in Gmail when they want to create a new email. But if you have already enabled your shortcut key for Gmail, then you can compose a new email by simply pressing from your keyboard. 

So, the keyboard shortcut is: c

  • Send an email

Instead of using the Send button in Gmail, you can use Ctrl + Enter for Windows or ⌘ + Enter on Mac keyboard. 

Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl + Enter (Windows), ⌘ + Enter (Mac)

  • Reply

In your daily work routine, you have to reply to multiple emails. So, use the handy shortcut key for Gmail r from your keyboard to reply to the sender of an email.

Keyboard shortcut: r

  • Reply all

Press a when you want to reply to multiple people within a single email. In this case, Gmail will automatically add everyone in the ‘To’ field who will be your recipients. 

Keyboard shortcut: a

  • Forward an email

You can forward an email using the Gmail shortcut for the desktop.

Keyboard shortcut: f

Email Management Shortcuts

  • Delete unwanted emails

When your inbox is cluttered with too many unwanted emails, you must delete them. You just have to select all the messages you want to delete. Then press this shortcut key for Gmail: 

Shortcut key: #

  • Archive your emails

The keyboard shortcut for archiving your emails is one of the best Gmail Shortcuts desktops for organizing your Gmail inbox. It archives the selected emails in the All Mail folder. 

The shortcut is: e

  • Report as spam

The powerful built-in spam filter of Gmail protects you from any phishing attack or spam email issues. So you can use this shortcut key for Gmail to report a spam email:

Shortcut key:!

  • Mark as read

When you want to mark an unread message as read, you should use one of the most useful Gmail Keyboard Shortcuts: Shift + i. It will streamline your Gmail inbox and identify your important messages.

So, the Shortcut key: Shift + i

  • Mark as unread

Gmail allows you to mark an email as read or unread independently. The unread messages appear as bold in the Gmail inbox. So, if you want to mark an email as unread, you can use a Gmail shortcut for the desktop for it.

The shortcut is: Shift + u

Email Recipients Shortcuts:

  • Add Cc recipients

The CC stands for the Carbon Copy field of your email. The field refers to the secondary recipients of an email. You can use these Gmail Shortcuts for desktop to add recipients in the Cc fields –

Shortcuts: Ctrl + Shift + c for Windows, ⌘ + Shift + c for Mac

  • Bcc recipients

Similarly, you can add a recipient in the Bcc or Blind Carbon Copy field with the shortcut keys in Gmail.

The shortcuts are: Ctrl + Shift + b for Windows, ⌘ + Shift + b for Mac

Email Actions Shortcuts

  • Select a conversation

Also, there is a Gmail shortcut for the desktop to select a conversation. After selecting a conversation, you can process it for anything like open, archive, or delete.

The shortcut key is: x

  • Mute a conversation

When you use a shortcut key for Gmail to mute a conversation, Gmail automatically mutes the corresponding email chain. If an email will be added to this chain after you’ve muted it, then the new email will be archived. So, later, you will find this message in your All Mails folder.

The shortcut key is: m

  • Search an email

To search for an email, simply you can press the / key and then type your query.

So, the shortcut key for Gmail is: /

  • Insert a link in your email

Moreover, there are Gmail Keyboard Shortcuts available if you want to insert a hyperlink in a specific text of your email. Simply select the text, then use the keyboard shortcuts.

The shortcuts are: Ctrl + k for Windows, ⌘ + k for Mac

  • Bold

If you want to bold some texts in your email, you can use these Gmail Keyboard Shortcuts –

Ctrl + b for Windows, ⌘ + b for Mac

Increase productivity with the no-code automation solution of Foresight

Do you feel exhausted when you operate regular repetitive tasks in your workspace? Don’t worry! The easy and flexible no-code automation solution of Foresight reshapes your regular Google Workspace workflow and streamlines your business procedure. With the help of this SaaS platform, Google Workspace Admin and users effortlessly manage their tasks within the given timeline. The user-friendly interface and drag-and-drop functionalities of Foresight make your workflow smooth and hassle-free.

So, enhance your productivity with Foresight and learn different use cases from it. You can learn Automated Recurring Out Of Office Reply In Gmail, etc. 

Conclusion

From this blog, hopefully, you have acquired the knowledge of commonly used Gmail Keyboard Shortcuts. Now, adapt the habit of using these shortcut keys for your regular work. These will provide a time-saving solution for you. In addition, use the Foresight automation platform to improve productivity and business growth. Try a 14-day free trial of Foresight to land your ultimate automation resolutions. 

Furthermore, you can learn more topics related to this one, such as – Buttons in your Gmail toolbar, etc.

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