Tired of laboriously navigating mouse and cursor to do anything in Gmail? Eager to save time and be more productive with email? Find out here how to enable keyboard shortcuts in Gmail so you can browse and act on your emails without taking the hands off the keyboard.
First, Cook It Again
Take any milk and make any cheese.
Now cook again what’s left behind, and with good caseicultural skills, you will get the delicious again-cooked or, in its original Italian, ri-cotta.
Usually, a dollop of fresh milk is added back in before the second cooking to get the deliciously simple and just a bit curdy cheese we love.
Now, if you add just a little setting to Gmail, you get a big scoop of keyboard shortcuts at whose simple speed you can marvel again and again:
How to Enable Keyboard Shortcuts in Gmail
Starting with a Gmail Keyboard Shortcut
Time needed: 2 minutes
To enable operating Gmail fast using keyboard shortcuts in a browser:
- Press ? (question mark) anywhere in Gmail.
Nothing happens: See below for enabling Gmail keyboard shortcuts using an alternative method in settings.
- Click Enable under The following keyboard shortcuts are currently disabled..
- Click Close.
Now, you can use the whole host of convenient Gmail keyboard shortcuts.
Enable Keyboard Shortcuts in Settings
To turn on keyboard shortcuts using Gmail settings:
- Click the Settings gear icon (⚙︎) in Gmail.
- Select See all settings in the menu that appears.
- Go to the General settings tab.
- Select Keyboard shortcuts on for Keyboard shortcuts:.
- Click Save Changes.
How to Enable Keyboard Shortcuts in Gmail: FAQ
Can I use keyboard shortcuts in Basic HTML Gmail?
No.
Basic HTML Gmail, alas, does not include keyboard shortcuts.
Can I disable an individual shortcut?
Yes.
To turn off an individual Gmail keyboard shortcut (to avoid accidentally hitting it, for instance):
- Enable custom Gmail keyboard shortcuts (see below).
- Delete the default key in the Key(s) column on the Gmail Keyboard Shortcuts tab (also see below).
Can I change the default Gmail keyboard shortcuts?
Yes.
To change which key performs what action in Gmail or add an additional key for an action (if your keyboard layout makes one of the standard key combinations hard to reach, for instance):
- Select See all settings from the Gmail settings gear menu.
- Go to the Advanced tab.
- Select Enable for Custom keyboard shortcuts.
- Click Save Changes.
- Return to Gmail settings.
- Go to the Keyboard Shortcuts tab.
- To change default Gmail key bindings, overwrite the existing key under Key(s).
Here’s how: Select the existing shortcut, then press the key or key sequence to use instead.
Key combinations: Key combinations (like Command U) are not possible; use keys that produce a printable character.
Key sequences: You can use two or more keys in sequence; to use such a shortcut, press the keys one after the other (e.g.,
Upper and lower: Upper and lower key characters are treated as separate shortcuts (U and Shift U are two different shortcuts in Gmail).
Empty key: To disable a shortcut action, delete its shortcuts and leave the fields blank.
Example: Type A for Archive and another key for Reply all to change these shortcuts. - To add a keyboard shortcut alternative, type the additional shortcut under or.
- Click Save Changes.
Even with custom keyboard shortcuts enabled, no shortcuts work in Gmail; what can I do?
If no shortcuts work at all:
- Check Gmail keyboard shortcuts are enabled overall (see above). Custom keyboard shortcuts will not work without the main shortcut setting also enabled.
In a particular key combination does not work:
- Check that a key sequence does not start with a key that is itself a shortcut.
Example: If M is the shortcut for muting, M U will not work for marking unread.
(How to enable keyboard shortcuts in Gmail tested in a desktop browser; updated April 2024)