Gmail Shortcut Keys PDF: Boosting Productivity with Efficiency

Introduction

In today’s fast-paced digital world, email has become an integral part of our daily lives, with Gmail being one of the most popular email services used worldwide. While many users are familiar with the basic features of Gmail, not everyone knows about the powerful tool at their disposal – Gmail shortcut keys. These keyboard shortcuts allow users to perform various actions and navigate Gmail more efficiently, ultimately saving time and increasing productivity.

What are Gmail Shortcut Keys?

Gmail shortcut keys are a set of keyboard combinations that enable users to perform specific actions without relying on the mouse or touchpad. These shortcuts are designed to streamline repetitive tasks and enhance the overall email experience. By memorizing and using these keyboard combinations, users can perform tasks much faster and with fewer clicks.

Why Use Gmail Shortcut Keys?

Embracing Gmail shortcut keys can offer several benefits that improve productivity and user experience. Some of the reasons to use these shortcuts include:

• Time-Saving: Performing tasks with keyboard shortcuts is considerably faster than using the mouse, especially for repetitive actions.
• Efficiency: Shortcut keys allow for quick access to Gmail features, reducing the need to navigate through multiple menus.
• Multitasking: Using shortcuts enables users to perform various actions simultaneously, making multitasking smoother.
• Reduced Strain: Minimizing mouse usage can alleviate strain on hands and wrists during prolonged email sessions.

How to Enable Gmail Shortcut Keys

By default, Gmail’s shortcut keys are disabled. To enable them, follow these simple steps:

1. Access Gmail and click on the gear icon located in the top-right corner.
2. From the dropdown menu, select “See all settings.”
3. In the Settings page, navigate to the “General” tab.
4. Scroll down to the “Keyboard shortcuts” section.
5. Select “Keyboard shortcuts on.”
6. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click “Save Changes.”

Once enabled, users can start utilizing the Gmail shortcut keys immediately.

Gmail Shortcut Keys

Shortcut Key	Definition	Action
c	Compose	Allows you to compose a new message. <Shift> + c allows you to compose a message in a new window.
/	Search	Puts your cursor in the search box.
k	Move to newer conversation	Opens or moves your cursor to a more recent conversation. You can hit <Enter> to expand a conversation.
j	Move to older conversation	Opens or moves your cursor to the next oldest conversation. You can hit <Enter> to expand a conversation.
n	Next message	Moves your cursor to the next message. You can hit <Enter> to expand or collapse a message. (Only applicable in ‘Conversation View.’)
p	Previous message	Moves your cursor to the previous message. You can hit <Enter> to expand or collapse a message. (Only applicable in ‘Conversation View.’)
o or <Enter>	Open	Opens your conversation. Also expands or collapses a message if you are in ‘Conversation View.’
u	Return to conversation list	Refreshes your page and returns you to the inbox, or list of conversations.
e	Archive	Archive your conversation from any view.
m	Mute	Archives the conversation, and all future messages skip the Inbox unless sent or cc’d directly to you.
x	Select conversation	Automatically checks and selects a conversation so that you can archive, apply a label, or choose an action from the drop-down menu to apply to that conversation.
s	Star a message or conversation	Adds or removes a star to a message or conversation. Stars allow you to give a message or conversation a special status.
!	Report spam	Marks a message as spam and removes it from your conversation list.
r	Reply	Replies to the message sender. <Shift> + r  allows you to reply to a message in a new window. (Only applicable in ‘Conversation View.’)
a	Reply all	Replies to all message recipients. <Shift> +a allows you to reply to all message recipients in a new window. (Only applicable in ‘Conversation View.’)
f	Forward	Forwards a message. <Shift> + f allows you to forward a message in a new window. (Only applicable in ‘Conversation View.’)
<Esc>	Escape from input field	Removes the cursor from your current input field.
<Ctrl> + s	Save draft	Saves the current text as a draft when composing a message. Hold the <Ctrl> key while pressing s and make sure your cursor is in one of the text fields — either the composition pane, or any of the To, CC, BCC, or Subject fields — when using this shortcut.
#	Delete	Moves the conversation to Trash.
l	Label	Opens the Labels menu to label a conversation.
v	Move to	Moves the conversation from the inbox to a different label, Spam or Trash.
<Shift> + i	Mark as read	Marks your message as ‘read’ and skip to the next message.
<Shift> + u	Mark as unread	Marks your message as ‘unread’ so you can go back to it later.
[	Archive and previous	Archives your conversation and moves to the previous one.
]	Archive and next	Archives your conversation and moves to the next one.
z	Undo	Undoes your previous action, if possible (works for actions with an ‘undo’ link).
<Shift> + n	Update current conversation	Updates your current conversation when there are new messages.
q	Move cursor to chat search	Moves your cursor directly to the chat search box.
y	Remove from Current View*	Automatically removes the message or conversation from your current view.   From ‘Inbox,’ ‘y’ means Archive From ‘Starred,’ ‘y’ means Unstar From ‘Trash,’ ‘y’ means Move to inbox From any label, ‘y’ means Remove the label * ‘y’ has no effect if you’re in ‘Spam,’ ‘Sent,’ or ‘All Mail.’
.	Show more actions	Displays the ‘More Actions’ drop-down menu.
?	Show keyboard shortcuts help	Displays the keyboard shortcuts help menu within any page you’re on.

These combination keys can be used to to navigate through Gmail.

Shortcut Key	Definition	Action
<tab> then <Enter>	Send message	After composing your message, use this combination to send it automatically. (Supported in Internet Explorer and Firefox, on Windows.)
y then o	Archive and next	Archives your conversation and moves to the next one.
g then a	Go to ‘All Mail’	Takes you to ‘All Mail,’ the storage site for all mail you’ve ever sent or received (and have not deleted).
g then s	Go to ‘Starred’	Takes you to all conversations you have starred.
g then c	Go to ‘Contacts’	Takes you to your Contacts list.
g then d	Go to ‘Drafts’	Takes you to all drafts you have saved.
g then i	Go to ‘Inbox’	Returns you to the inbox.
g then t	Go to ‘Sent Mail’	Takes you to all mail you’ve sent.
* then a	Select all	Selects all mail.
* then n	Select none	Deselects all mail.
* then r	Select read	Selects all mail you’ve read.
* then u	Select unread	Selects all unread mail.
* then s	Select starred	Selects all starred mail.
* then t	Select unstarred	Selects all unstarred mail.