10 Gmail Shortcuts Everybody Ought to Know

If you’re anything like me, you spend a lot of time each day clicking through your inbox. (And, admittedly, if you’re anything like me you also walk away from the inbox with a seemingly never-ending pile of unread messages and junk mail. Does it ever stop?!) But what if there was a way to make sifting through that inbox easier? Enter Gmail shortcuts. Here are 10 essential shortcuts everyone should know. Just don’t forget to turn on your keyboard shortcuts (this option is in the “settings” tab of your account) first.

Need to send a quick email? Instead of scrolling around for that “new” option, press “c” while you’re in your inbox view instead. A new message will pop right up, ready and waiting to be mailed out to your chosen recipient.

Need to find a specific message, stat? Skip straight to the search bar by hitting the “/” key and watch your curser magically appear right where you need it. From there, enter your search query and see the results pile up.

This handy shortcut allows you to select all your unread messages in one fell swoop. Why is this useful? Well, if those messages are unread for a reason, you can archive them all instantly with our very next shortcut.

Is a clean-slate inbox your daily dream? Once you’ve selected all your unread messages (assuming you don’t need or want to read them), click a quick “e” and archive them all in the process.

Whether you have one message selected or several, it’s easy to flag them all as important. Just press “=” and your emails will be marked an essential part of your inbox for future reading or simply saving.

Streamlining your email response process with a shortcut is easy and intuitive. Click “r” and watch a blank response appear on your screen instantly.

Looking to respond to more than just one email recipient at once? Instead of hitting the “r” key on your keyboard, tap the “a” key instead. Your response will automatically include everyone on the original message.

Pass the email you’re currently reading on to someone who needs to know what it entails with, you guessed it, just one key. Click “f” to get started passing the message on stat.

Ever find yourself part of an email thread that you don’t really need to be a part of – and that never seems to end? Hit the “m” key to mute the thread, ensuring any new replies are archived before they even arrive in your inbox.

Instead of getting your mouse involved when you’re finished composing a message, use two simple keys to get that email on its way. A quick “command” and “enter” will get your message to its intended recipient in no time at all.

Did you know any of these? Which shortcut is your go-to time saver?