App shortcuts
Gmail keyboard shortcuts for Mac
Gmail's shortcuts are off until you turn them on. That single setting is behind most of the searches that land on a page like this one.
Turn the shortcuts on first
This is the single most useful fact on the page, so it goes first: Gmail's keyboard shortcuts do not work until you enable them. Press j in a fresh Gmail account and nothing happens, which is why so many people conclude that the shortcuts are broken, or that they only work in the old interface, or that Safari is eating them.
None of that is true. There is a setting, it is off by default, and turning it on takes about fifteen seconds.
- 01
Open Gmail's settings
Click the gear icon and open the full settings page. The shortcuts option lives in the main settings, not in the quick settings panel.
- 02
Find the Keyboard shortcuts section
Google's instructions are to scroll down to the Keyboard shortcuts section on the General tab.
- 03
Select Keyboard shortcuts on
It is a pair of radio buttons — off and on. Pick on.
- 04
Save the change
Click Save Changes at the bottom of the page. Gmail reloads, and from that point j, k, e, c, r and the rest do what the tables below say.
Move through the inbox and open mail
Gmail borrows its navigation keys from terminal mail clients: j and k move down and up a list, o opens, u goes back. Once that is in your fingers, triaging a hundred messages stops involving the mouse at all.
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| j | Older conversation |
| k | Newer conversation |
| o or Return | Open a conversation |
| u | Back to the threadlist |
| n | Next message in an open conversation |
| p | Previous message in an open conversation |
| ; | Expand the entire conversation |
| : | Collapse the entire conversation |
| g then n | Go to the next page |
| g then p | Go to the previous page |
| ` | Go to the next Inbox section |
| ~ | Go to the previous Inbox section |
| ⇧Esc | Focus the main window |
| Esc | Focus the latest chat or compose window |
| , | Move focus to the toolbar |
Act on a conversation
This is where the time actually goes. e archives, # deletes, and the Shift variants of r, a and f open the reply in a separate window rather than inline.
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| x | Select the conversation |
| e | Archive |
| # | Delete |
| ! | Report as spam |
| m | Mute the conversation |
| s | Toggle star, or rotate among superstars |
| b | Snooze |
| r | Reply |
| a | Reply all |
| f | Forward |
| ⇧r / ⇧a / ⇧f | Reply, reply all or forward in a new window |
| z | Undo the last action |
| ⇧i | Mark as read |
| ⇧u | Mark as unread |
| _ | Mark unread from the selected message |
| + or = | Mark as important |
| - | Mark as not important |
| ⇧t | Add the conversation to Tasks |
| [ or ] | Archive the conversation and go to the previous or next one |
| ⇧n | Update the conversation |
Select conversations and jump between views
Two prefix keys carry this whole group. Press * and then a letter to change the selection; press g and then a letter to go somewhere. They are sequences, not chords — release the first key before pressing the second.
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| * then a | Select all conversations |
| * then n | Deselect all conversations |
| * then r | Select read conversations |
| * then u | Select unread conversations |
| * then s | Select starred conversations |
| * then t | Select unstarred conversations |
| g then i | Go to Inbox |
| g then s | Go to starred conversations |
| g then b | Go to snoozed conversations |
| g then t | Go to sent messages |
| g then d | Go to drafts |
| g then a | Go to all mail |
| g then k | Go to Tasks |
| g then l | Go to label |
| ⌘⌥, and ⌘⌥. | Switch between the Calendar, Keep or Tasks side panel and the inbox |
Compose, send, search and menus
The composing shortcuts are the ones that use Command, because they have to work while your cursor is inside a text field. ⌘; is Mac-only — Google marks it that way in its own reference.
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| c | Compose |
| d | Compose in a new tab |
| ⌘Return | Send |
| ⌘⇧c | Add cc recipients |
| ⌘⇧b | Add bcc recipients |
| ⌘⇧f | Access custom from |
| ⌘k | Insert a link |
| ⌘; | Go to the next misspelled word (Mac only) |
| ⌘m | Open spelling suggestions |
| ⌃. | Advance to the next chat or compose window |
| ⌃, | Advance to the previous chat or compose window |
| / | Search mail |
| q | Search chat contacts |
| . | Open the more actions menu |
| v | Open the move to menu |
| l | Open the label as menu |
| ? | Open keyboard shortcut help |
Format a message while you write it
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| ⌘b | Bold |
| ⌘i | Italics |
| ⌘u | Underline |
| ⌘⇧5 / ⌘⇧6 | Previous or next font |
| ⌘⇧- / ⌘⇧+ | Decrease or increase the text size |
| ⌘⇧7 | Numbered list |
| ⌘⇧8 | Bulleted list |
| ⌘⇧9 | Quote |
| ⌘[ / ⌘] | Indent less or more |
| ⌘⇧l | Align left |
| ⌘⇧e | Align centre |
| ⌘⇧r | Align right |
| ⌘\ | Remove formatting |
Showing the keys on screen with Show KeyPress
Teaching someone Gmail's keyboard set is unusually hard, because most of the shortcuts are bare letters. There is no modifier to see and no menu opening — a message just vanishes from the list and the room is left guessing whether that was e or #.
Show KeyPress is a paid macOS menu bar app from the Mac App Store, for macOS 14 or later, that draws each key you press as a keycap on screen. It has no connection to Gmail: it is not an extension, it does not read your mail, and it works the same way whichever browser you use, because it draws an always-on-top window rather than integrating with anything.
For Gmail specifically, All Keys is the right content mode rather than Shortcuts Only — Shortcuts Only draws combinations, and Gmail's most useful shortcuts are single letters with no modifier at all.
- Latest mode replaces each keycap with the next, which matches the rhythm of single-letter commands like j, k, e and x.
- Stacked History groups continuous typing into readable fragments, which is the better mode when you are demonstrating composing a message rather than triaging.
- ⌘⇧K toggles all the visualization, and ⌃⌥M switches the content mode without opening Settings.
- Key events are processed on device. Keystrokes and typed fragments are never written to disk or sent anywhere.
- While macOS Secure Input is active — signing in to a Google account, for instance — the keycaps are cleared and a Keyboard hidden — Secure Input banner appears in their place.
- Input Monitoring is the only privacy permission it requests.
Sources and further reading
Product details and guidance were checked against these first-party pages on August 5, 2026. Re-check current listings before making an install or high-stakes decision.
- Keyboard shortcuts for Gmail
Google
Google's own Gmail shortcut reference, which also documents that shortcuts must be switched on in settings first.
- Control access to input monitoring on Mac
Apple
Apple's guide to the Input Monitoring privacy permission and how to grant or revoke it.
- Secure Keyboard Entry
Apple
How macOS Secure Keyboard Entry stops other apps from receiving key events.
FAQ
Questions people ask
Why are my Gmail keyboard shortcuts not working?
Almost certainly because they are switched off. Gmail ships with keyboard shortcuts disabled. Open Settings, scroll to the Keyboard shortcuts section, select Keyboard shortcuts on, and click Save Changes at the bottom of the page.
How do I see the full list inside Gmail?
Press ? with focus outside a text field. That opens Gmail's own keyboard shortcut help, which is the same set Google publishes in its support reference.
What is the difference between g then i and ⌘ shortcuts in Gmail?
Sequences beginning with g or * are two keys pressed one after the other, not held together, and they only work when focus is outside a text field. The Command chords are true combinations and are the ones that keep working while you are typing a message.
Does Show KeyPress read my email?
No. It receives key events from macOS and draws them as keycaps. It has no access to the contents of any window, requests no Screen Recording permission, and never persists or transmits what you type.
Which content mode suits a Gmail demo?
All Keys. Shortcuts Only is designed to draw modifier combinations and skip plain typing, and Gmail's core shortcuts — j, k, e, x, c, r — are single letters that Shortcuts Only would leave out.