The Best Gmail Keyboard Shortcuts [2024] 💥
Gmail offers a range of keyboard shortcuts that can significantly enhance your email productivity. By mastering these shortcuts, you can navigate your inbox, compose and send messages, manage labels and filters, and perform various other actions with lightning speed. In this comprehensive guide, we will explore the most useful Gmail keyboard shortcuts and provide step-by-step instructions on how to use them effectively.
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Navigating Your Inbox
1. Go to Inbox: Press 'g' followed by 'i' to instantly return to your inbox from any screen.
2. Move Between Tabs: Use 'g' followed by 't' to navigate between your Primary, Social, Promotions, and other tabs.
3. Select Emails: Press 'x' to select/deselect emails, and 'Shift' + 'x' to select/deselect a range of emails.
4. Move to Next/Previous Email: Use 'j' to move to the next email and 'k' to move to the previous email.
5. Expand/Collapse Email: Press 'o' to open or close an email in your inbox.
6. Scroll Through Emails: Use the 'n' key to scroll to the next conversation and the 'p' key to scroll to the previous conversation.
7. Open Search Box: Press '/' to quickly focus on the search box, allowing you to start typing your search query right away.
8. Refresh Inbox: Use 'Shift' + 'r' to refresh your inbox and check for new emails.
9. Access Left Menu: Press 'g' followed by 'm' to navigate to the "More" section in the left menu, where you can access additional labels and categories.
Composing and Sending Emails
1. Create a New Email: Press 'c' to compose a new email in Gmail.
2. Send Email: Use 'Ctrl' + 'Enter' to send the email you're composing.
3. Attach a File: Press 'Ctrl' + 'Shift' + 'a' to attach a file to your email.
4. Add CC/BCC: Use 'Ctrl' + 'Shift' + 'c' to add CC recipients and 'Ctrl' + 'Shift' + 'b' to add BCC recipients.
5. Save Draft: Press 'Ctrl' + 's' to save the email as a draft.
6. Insert Link: Press 'Ctrl' + 'k' to insert a hyperlink in your email.
7. Format Text: Use 'Ctrl' + 'b' for bold, 'Ctrl' + 'i' for italic, and 'Ctrl' + 'u' for underline to quickly format your text.
8. Increase/Decrease Indent: Press 'Ctrl' + ']' to increase the indent and 'Ctrl' + '[' to decrease the indent in your email composition.
Managing Emails
1. Archive Email: Use the 'e' key to archive the selected email.
2. Delete Email: Press the '#' key to send the selected email to the Trash folder.
3. Mark as Read/Unread: Press 'Shift' + 'i' to mark the selected email as read or 'Shift' + 'u' to mark it as unread.
4. Star/Unstar Email: Use the 's' key to star or unstar the selected email.
5. Move Email to a Label: Press 'v' to open the Move to menu and select a label to move the email.
6. Report Spam: Press '!' to mark the selected email as spam.
7. Mute Conversation: Use 'm' to mute the selected conversation, which will archive future messages in the conversation unless they are sent directly to you.
8. Snooze Email: Press 'b' to snooze the selected email, allowing you to set a time for it to reappear in your inbox.
Customizing Keyboard Shortcuts
1. Access Keyboard Shortcuts Settings: Press '?' to open the Gmail Keyboard Shortcuts help window and access the settings.
2. Modify Existing Shortcuts: In the Keyboard Shortcuts settings, you can customize or disable specific shortcuts according to your preference.
3. Create Custom Shortcuts: If the default shortcuts don't meet your needs, you can create custom shortcuts for specific actions.
4. Enable/Disable Keyboard Shortcuts: In the Keyboard Shortcuts settings, you can toggle the overall enablement of keyboard shortcuts, allowing you to turn them on or off as needed.
5. Reset Shortcuts to Default: If you've made changes and want to revert to the standard shortcuts, you can reset them to their default settings in the Keyboard Shortcuts settings.
Conclusion
Gmail keyboard shortcuts are a powerful tool for boosting your email productivity. By incorporating these shortcuts into your workflow, you can save time and navigate through your inbox with ease. Take the time to practice and familiarize yourself with these shortcuts, and soon you'll be managing your emails like a pro. Learn how to optimize your search in Gmail.
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