July 14, 2026

Gmail Shortcuts Cheat Sheet: Every Shortcut on One Page

Updated August 17, 2026

This is the complete list of Gmail keyboard shortcuts, grouped the way you use them: moving around, acting on email, composing, and selecting. Print the PDF, tape it next to your monitor for a week, and the ten shortcuts that matter will be muscle memory before it falls down.

Install CMDK for Gmail, free

Download the printable version here: Gmail shortcuts cheat sheet (PDF). One page, printer-friendly, no signup. There is also an extended edition (PDF) that adds the shortcuts the CMDK extension brings to Gmail, marked in blue so the two layers stay distinct.

Five of the highest-leverage shortcuts, in 38 seconds:

Turn shortcuts on first

Gmail ships with keyboard shortcuts disabled. Before any of this works: open Gmail, click the gear icon, See all settings, scroll to “Keyboard shortcuts” on the General tab, select “Keyboard shortcuts on”, and save.

A note on the ? key: once shortcuts are on, pressing ? anywhere in Gmail opens the built-in shortcut overlay. This page covers everything in it, plus the ones the overlay leaves out.

Every Gmail shortcut, searchable

The full list below is searchable. Filter to just the native Gmail shortcuts or the ones the CMDK extension adds, or type to find one fast.

Showing 95 of 95 shortcuts

Learn these ten first 10

cCompose

eArchive

#Delete

rReply

aReply all

j / kOlder / newer conversation

oOpen conversation (or Enter)

uBack to list

/Search

zUndo last action

Navigation 13

n / pNext / previous message in thread

`Next inbox tab

~Previous inbox tab

?Shortcut help overlay

EscLeave input field

EscSmart EscapeCMDKHotkey to close emails, popups, or go back to Inbox.

EscClose Gmail NotificationsCMDKClose Gmail's toast and success notifications using the Esc key.

→Next email or pageCMDKMove to next email or page in email list. Not available in split pane mode.

←Previous email or pageCMDKMove to previous email or page in email list. Not available in split pane mode.

↓Next message in threadCMDKJump to the next message within a conversation thread. Not available in split pane mode.

↑Previous message in threadCMDKJump to the previous message within a conversation thread. Not available in split pane mode.

TabSwitch to next CMDK TabCMDKWorks only when Tabs are enabled.

Shift + TabSwitch to previous CMDK TabCMDKWorks only when Tabs are enabled.

Go to 9

g iInbox

g sStarred

g tSent

g dDrafts

g aAll Mail

g kTasks

g cContacts

g nNext page of list

g pPrevious page of list

Reply & forward 4

fForward

⇧rReply in new window

⇧aReply all in new window

⇧fForward in new window

Actions 12

!Mark as spam

mMute conversation

sStar / unstar

bSnooze

⇧iMark as read

⇧uMark as unread

+ / -Important / not important

lLabel menu

vMove to

.More actions menu

; / :Expand / collapse thread

⇧tAdd to Tasks

Select 5

xSelect current conversation

* aSelect all on page

* nDeselect all

* r / * uSelect read / unread

* s / * tSelect starred / unstarred

Compose & send 11

dCompose in new tab

Ctrl ⏎Send

Ctrl⇧cAdd Cc

Ctrl⇧bAdd Bcc

Ctrl⇧dDiscard draft

Ctrl kInsert link

Ctrl⇧7Numbered list

Ctrl⇧8Bulleted list

Ctrl⇧9Quote

Ctrl [ ]Outdent / indent

Ctrl \Remove formatting

Bulk combos worth knowing 3

* u ⇧iMark all unread as read

* a eArchive whole page

* a #Delete whole page

Command bar 1

Cmd + K/Ctrl + KCommand barCMDKOpen the CMDK command bar to search and run any Gmail action.

Compose 7

;Insert snippetCMDKType ; to insert a reusable snippet or template with smart variables.

Cmd + Shift + L/Ctrl + Shift + LSchedule SendCMDKSchedule when to send your email.

Cmd + Shift + H/Ctrl + Shift + HFollow-up ReminderCMDKAdd or remove follow-up reminder for the email.

Cmd + Shift + S/Ctrl + Shift + SEdit SubjectCMDKEdit the subject field.

Cmd + Shift + A/Ctrl + Shift + AAttach FileCMDKOpen the file attachment picker.

QQuick QuoteCMDKQuote selected text when replying to an email.

Cmd + V/Ctrl + VPaste as LinkCMDKPaste a URL over selected text to create a hyperlink. When enabled, Cmd+K opens the command bar instead of Gmail's native link picker while composing.

CMDK enhancements 17

BackspaceDeleteCMDKDelete emails using Backspace key.

DelDeleteCMDKDelete emails using Del key.

BSnooze BarCMDKShows the snooze bar to snooze emails and add reminders using natural language.

HSuperhuman Snooze & RemindCMDKAdditional keyboard shortcut to snooze and remind emails. Superhuman style.

UToggle Read/UnreadCMDKToggle the read or unread status of the selected email.

Shift + SStar and ArchiveCMDKStar and archive the selected or hovered email in one action.

EMark as read before archivingCMDKWhen you archive with E, unread emails are marked as read first.

EnterReply to email when viewingCMDKReply when viewing an email.

Cmd + Shift + I/Ctrl + Shift + IReply to IntroCMDKReply to an intro email with the introducer moved to BCC.

VMove to InboxCMDKMove selected email to Inbox (when in All Mail, Sent, etc.).

Shift + ↑↓Multi-select emailsCMDKExtend email selection up or down with Shift.

Cmd + A/Ctrl + ASelect all emailsCMDKSelect all emails in the current view.

Cmd + Z/Ctrl + ZUndoCMDKUndo the last action (e.g. archive, delete).

Cmd + U/Ctrl + UUnsubscribeCMDKUnsubscribe from the selected newsletter or mailing list. This is different from Nuke.

Cmd + O/Ctrl + OCommando (Open links)CMDKOpen the links present in the email. Great for emails with one time use links.

IAsk AICMDKOpen Google Gemini AI assistant for the current email.

Cmd + C/Ctrl + CInstant CopyCMDKCopy current message to clipboard. Press again for entire conversation.

Calendar RSVP 3

Shift + YRSVP YesCMDKRSVP Yes to calendar invites.

Shift + MRSVP MaybeCMDKRSVP Maybe to calendar invites.

Shift + NRSVP NoCMDKRSVP No to calendar invites.

No shortcuts match that search.

Gmail shortcuts need Keyboard shortcuts turned on in Gmail Settings. The CMDK shortcuts need the free CMDK extension. This whole list is an open dataset you can reuse: download the JSON (CC BY 4.0, source on GitHub).

Combine these with an action key for bulk moves: * then u, then Shift+i marks every unread email on the page as read. For the mouse and mobile-app methods, see how to select multiple emails in Gmail. For clearing thousands of emails at once, see how to clean up Gmail.

The shortcuts Gmail does not give you

Native shortcuts stop at what Gmail itself can do. A few high-value actions have no key at all: there is no shortcut to open a specific label, no command palette, no one-key snippet insertion, and nothing for tools like read receipts. That is the layer CMDK adds: a Cmd+K command bar that makes every Gmail action searchable, plus keys Gmail forgot, all working alongside every shortcut on this page. The highlights:

Cmd+K - the command bar: type any action instead of memorizing it
Del - delete with the actual Delete key (native Gmail wants #)
Shift+E / Shift+S - mark read + archive, star + archive in one stroke
h - remind me if nobody replies (follow-up reminders)
Tab / Shift+Tab - move between split inbox tabs
Shift+Y / Shift+M / Shift+N - RSVP to calendar invites from the email
g then ! or # - jump to Spam or Trash, destinations native Gmail skips
g then 1 to 9 - switch to another Gmail account

All of these are in the extended cheat sheet PDF, marked in blue.

Frequently asked questions

Why are my Gmail keyboard shortcuts not working?

Almost always because shortcuts are turned off, which is Gmail's default. Go to Settings, See all settings, General, find "Keyboard shortcuts", select on, and save. If they still fail, check that your cursor is not inside a text field, and that a browser extension is not capturing the key first.

How do I see all Gmail shortcuts without leaving Gmail?

Press ? while shortcuts are enabled. Gmail overlays the full list. This page and the PDF cover the same list in a printable format, plus the two-key sequences the overlay compresses.

Can I customize Gmail keyboard shortcuts?

Yes. Enable "Custom keyboard shortcuts" on the Advanced tab of Gmail settings, then a "Keyboard Shortcuts" tab appears in settings where you can remap keys. Most people are better served learning the defaults, which work on every Gmail account they touch.

What is the Gmail shortcut to archive an email?

Press e with a conversation selected or open. To archive in bulk, select conversations first (x per conversation, or * then a for the whole page), then press e once.

Is there a printable Gmail shortcuts cheat sheet?

Yes, this page includes a free one-page PDF designed for printing, with no signup required. It groups the shortcuts by navigation, actions, compose, and selection, and marks the ten most useful ones to learn first.

Once these are muscle memory, the ceiling is Gmail itself: CMDK adds a command bar and shortcuts for everything Gmail left out, free for 15 days.

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Turn shortcuts on first