Master Gmail with these essential keyboard shortcuts. Gmail keyboard shortcuts can save you hours every week by letting you compose, navigate, and manage emails without touching your mouse. First, make sure to enable shortcuts in Gmail Settings > Keyboard shortcuts > ON.
Gmail is a popular productivity application used by professionals worldwide. Learning keyboard shortcuts can dramatically speed up your workflow — studies show shortcut users save an average of 8 days per year compared to mouse-only users.
This page covers all 27 Gmail shortcuts across 2 categories: Compose & Format, Navigation & Management. Each shortcut includes a description to help you understand when and how to use it effectively.
Start with the essentials: Learn C (Compose) and D (Compose in Tab) first — these are the most commonly used.
Practice daily: Pick 2–3 new shortcuts each day and consciously use them instead of the mouse. Within a week, they become muscle memory.
Print this cheat sheet: Keep a reference nearby until shortcuts become automatic. Focus on the Compose & Format category first.
Productivity tip: Navigation and formatting shortcuts give the biggest time savings. Start with the shortcuts you'd use in every session.
Search all Gmail shortcuts interactively
Open Interactive Shortcut Finder| Shortcut | Action | Description |
|---|---|---|
| C | Compose | Open new email compose window. |
| D | Compose in Tab | Open compose in a new tab. |
| Ctrl + Enter | Send | Send the email immediately. |
| Ctrl + Shift + C | Add CC | Open CC field. |
| Ctrl + Shift + B | Add BCC | Open BCC field. |
| Ctrl + B | Bold | Bold selected text. |
| Ctrl + I | Italic | Italicize selected text. |
| Ctrl + U | Underline | Underline selected text. |
| Ctrl + K | Insert Link | Insert a hyperlink. |
| Ctrl + Shift + 7 | Numbered List | Create a numbered list. |
| Ctrl + Shift + 8 | Bulleted List | Create a bulleted list. |
| Shortcut | Action | Description |
|---|---|---|
| G + I | Go to Inbox | Navigate to inbox. |
| G + S | Go to Starred | Navigate to starred emails. |
| G + T | Go to Sent | Navigate to sent mail. |
| G + D | Go to Drafts | Navigate to drafts. |
| / | Search | Move cursor to search bar. |
| E | Archive | Archive selected email. |
| # | Delete | Delete selected email. |
| R | Reply | Reply to current email. |
| A | Reply All | Reply to all recipients. |
| F | Forward | Forward current email. |
| S | Toggle Star | Add or remove star. |
| J | Older Email | Move to older conversation. |
| K | Newer Email | Move to newer conversation. |
| O / Enter | Open Email | Open selected conversation. |
| U | Mark Unread | Mark email as unread. |
| ? | Shortcuts Help | Show keyboard shortcuts list. |
Go to Gmail Settings (gear icon) > See all settings > General tab > Keyboard shortcuts > Turn ON > Save Changes.
Press C to compose a new email, or D to compose in a new tab.
Select an email and press E to archive it instantly.
Press / (forward slash) to jump to the search bar.
Press J to move to the next (older) email and K to move to the previous (newer) email.
Press Z immediately after sending to undo (if Undo Send is enabled in settings).