Keyboard shortcuts & command menu

Every common Mail job has a key. Press j and k to move through the message list, e to archive, r to reply, c to write a new message. Press Ctrl K (Command K on a Mac) to open the command menu, which finds any folder, label, mailbox or action as you type. Press ? in Mail to see the full list on screen.

The shortcuts

Star, select, archive, trash and the read and unread keys act on the message under the list cursor while focus is in the message list, and on the open message otherwise. Reply, reply all and forward always act on the open message. The keys also work while a message body has focus, so you can read a message and reply without touching the mouse.

Move through the list

The arrow keys work in the message list only, so they never fight with page scrolling or a form field.

Act on a message

Archive, select and the read and unread keys work while the organizing features are on. Reply all and forward need the full composer. Both are on by default, and an administrator can switch either off under Settings → Mail → Features. A key whose feature is off does nothing.

Write and find

Go to a folder

Press g, then the second key within about a second.

Typing never triggers a shortcut

Single key shortcuts stay out of the way whenever you are typing. In the search box, an address field, the subject, the message editor, the signature editor and any settings field, j, e and # are ordinary characters. Click outside the field, or press Tab, to hand the keys back to the list. In the search box, Esc clears the search and leaves you in the box.

Turn single key shortcuts off

If keys like j, k and e clash with a screen reader or voice control, turn them off. Open Settings → Keyboard and clear Single key shortcuts. The choice is saved in this browser, so set it on each browser you use. The command menu keeps working with the shortcuts off, because it needs a modifier key. See Mail settings.

Use the command menu

Press Ctrl K (Command K on a Mac), or click the lightning bolt at the bottom of the Mail sidebar. Start typing, use the up and down arrows to pick, and press Enter to run the command. Esc closes the menu.

Matching is forgiving. Your letters only need to appear in order, so gtr finds Go to Trash, and inv finds a label named Invoices. The menu lists up to 40 matches.

Inside the message editor or the signature editor, Ctrl K (Command K) opens the link box instead of the menu, as it does in most editors. To open the menu from there, click the lightning bolt in the sidebar.

Related

• Mail overview
• Read, search & organize
• Compose & send
• Mail settings