Within an open thread, P moves you to the previous message in the conversation. It steps back up through replies one at a time, the natural partner to the next-message key.
CMDK transforms your Gmail into a keyboard first experience, not just transforming existing Gmail keyboard shortcuts but also adding new ones for you to be 2x faster at email. CMDK also adds a command bar, natural language snooze, split inbox with Tabs, one-click email nuke, and easy account switching tools. It reduces your reliance on the mouse, getting you into a state of flow as you use Gmail everyday.
Previous message Gmail Shortcut Tutorial
To use the Gmail shortcut for the Previous message feature, you first need to enable keyboard shortcuts in your Gmail settings.
1. Open your Gmail account in a web browser.
2. Click on the gear icon in the top right corner and select “See all settings” from the dropdown menu.
3. In the Settings menu, click on the “Advanced” tab.
4. Scroll down to the Keyboard Shortcuts section and select the option to turn on keyboard shortcuts.
5. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click “Save Changes” to enable the keyboard shortcuts.
Once you have enabled keyboard shortcuts in Gmail, you can use the shortcut for the Previous message feature.
1. Open an email conversation in your Gmail inbox.
2. Press the ‘p’ key on your keyboard to go to the previous message in the conversation.
3. Continue pressing ‘p’ to navigate to previous messages in the conversation.
4. You can also use ‘j’ and ‘k’ keys to navigate up and down between messages in the conversation.
Not keen on digging through Gmail’s settings? CMDK enables keyboard shortcuts for you the instant it is installed, so Previous Message is available without any manual steps.
Turn Gmail into a faster inbox
Previous Message is one piece of a much quicker way to work. CMDK brings more than 80 keyboard shortcuts to Gmail, a command bar that runs any action by name, snooze you type in your own words, a tabbed split inbox, one-click nuke, and instant account switching. Install it from the Chrome Web Store and get through email in a fraction of the time.
Related Gmail keyboard shortcuts
- Gmail Update Conversation Shortcut
- Gmail Collapse Entire Conversation Shortcut
- Gmail Expand Entire Conversation Shortcut
CMDK adds these and 80+ more shortcuts to Gmail, along with a command bar and natural-language snooze. See how CMDK works or check CMDK pricing.