Keyboard shortcuts
Keyboard shortcuts help you save time by allowing you to never take your hands off the keyboard to use the mouse. You'll need a Standard 101/102-Key or Natural PS/2 Keyboard to use the shortcuts.
Tip: Press ? in Gmail to see a list of keyboard shortcuts.
Some keyboard shortcuts can be used immediately, and others need to be enabled before you can use them.
Shortcuts that are always turned on
These navigational and formatting shortcuts all work whether or not you've enabled the keyboard shortcuts setting.
Use arrow keys to view messages and start composing
While viewing your messages, use your keyboard’s arrow keys to move your cursor to a conversation, label or the compose button. Press Enter to select.
Move between messages in a conversation
While viewing a conversation, use n and p to go the next and previous messages in a conversation thread. Hit Enter to open or collapse a message.
Navigate in compose
Use the following combinations of keys when you have compose windows or chats open.
| Shortcut Key | Definition | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Ctrl + Enter Mac: ⌘ + Enter | Send message | After composing your message, use this combination to send it. |
| Ctrl + . Mac: ⌘ + . | Advance to next window | Use this shortcut to move the cursor to the next chat or compose window, or to the main window. |
| Ctrl + , Mac: ⌘ + , | Go to previous window | Use this shortcut to move the cursor to the previous chat or compose window, or to the main window. |
| Ctrl + Shift + c Mac: ⌘ + Shift + c | Add Cc recipients | While composing, takes you to the Cc field to add new recipients. |
| Ctrl + Shift + b Mac: ⌘ + Shift + b | Add Bcc recipients | While composing, takes you to the Bcc field to add new blind recipients. |
| Ctrl + Shift + f Mac: ⌘ + Shift + f | Change "from" address | While composing, takes you to the From field to change your sending address. This shortcut only works if you have configuredadditional sending addresses. |
To format your text quickly, check out these formatting shortcuts.
Shortcuts that need to be turned on
Before you can use these keyboard shortcuts, you’ll need to enable keyboard shortcuts in your settings:
- Click the
gear in the top right and select Settings. - Find the "Keyboard shortcuts" section and select Keyboard shortcuts on.
- Click Save Changes at the bottom of the page.
