Thanks to Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG), Gmail has improved and evolved over time by offering better features compared to other email service providers. Google still hasn’t stopped yet as we recently saw the all new Compose window which makes things more convenient. We can now browse the Inbox and compose a message at the same time. If you’re a Gmail user then you can speed things up by using keyboard shortcuts compared to using mouse for every task.
8 most useful shortcuts for Gmail
So let’s take a look at 8 of the most useful keyboard shortcuts for Gmail. Before you get excited and try out these shortcuts, make sure that you’ve enabled them in your Gmail settings. Click on the Gear icon and then go to Settings > General and select “Keyboard shortcuts on.” Don’t forget to click on Save Changes button. Once you’ve done this, go ahead and try out below shortcuts. Believe me, they’re great time savers.
1. Compose
Want to quickly open the new Compose window? Simply press Shift + C to open the Compose window.
2. Scrolling Up and Down
There are two ways to scroll between your messages in Inbox. The most obvious ones are the Up and Down arrow keys, but you can also try out K and J to go up and down, respectively. Selected message is displayed with a blue bar to the right of the message. To open the message, hit Enter.
3. Selecting a Message & Performing More Actions
When you’re scrolling through your messages, press X to select a message. Once selected, you can perform additional actions such as archiving, deleting, moving, labeling, etc.
4. Archive a Message
Select a message and then press E to archive. If you have already applied a label to that conversation, then the message will be archived into that folder.
5. Deleting a Message
Select a message and then press the # key to send it to the trash.
6. Save Draft
Gmail, by default, autosaves any message that you’re composing, but still if you want to do this manually, then press Ctrl + S to save as draft. It never hurts just to be on the safe side.
7. Apply Label
Select a message that you want to label and then press L. You’ll get a small drop-down box from where you can select a label that you want to apply to the message.
8. Reply & Forward
When viewing a message, press R to reply, A to reply all and F to forward.
That’s it. So which one is your favorite shortcut key in Gmail? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
