Gmail Keyboard Shortcuts
Gmail's shortcuts are off by default — turn them on, then these single-key moves let you triage mail without touching the mouse.
| Action | Mac | Windows | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compose new email | c | c | |
| Archive conversation | e | e | |
| Reply | r | r | |
| Reply all | a | a | |
| Forward | f | f | |
| Search mail | / | / | |
| Delete | # | # | |
| Mark as read / unread | ⇧i / ⇧u | Shift+i / Shift+u | |
| Star / rotate stars | s | s | |
| Send email | ⌘⏎ | Ctrl+Enter | |
| Next / previous message | j / k | j / k | |
| Select conversation | x | x | |
| Go to Inbox | g then i | g then i |
Turn them on first
Gmail ships with keyboard shortcuts disabled. Open Settings ▸ See all settings ▸ General ▸ Keyboard shortcuts ▸ On and save. Once enabled, most actions are a single keystroke — no modifier needed — because Gmail is listening while your cursor isn't in a text field.
The triage combo
The fastest inbox-zero loop is j to move down the list, e to archive, and x then an action to batch-select. Learn g i (go to inbox) and g s (go to starred) and you can navigate the whole app without the sidebar.
FAQ
Why do my Gmail shortcuts do nothing?
They're disabled by default. Go to Settings ▸ General ▸ Keyboard shortcuts and switch them On, then save. Some also require a modern browser tab to be focused, not a Chrome extension popup.
What does 'g then i' mean?
Press g, release it, then press i. Gmail uses two-key sequences (g i = go to inbox, g s = starred, g t = sent) rather than holding both keys at once.
Can I see the full list inside Gmail?
Yes — with shortcuts enabled, press Shift+? anywhere in Gmail to open the complete shortcut reference overlay.