How-to guide
How to use Gmail keyboard shortcuts
Turn on keyboard shortcuts in Gmail’s settings, then press ? to see them all. Or press ⌘K with TabCmdr and type an action, such as archive or go to sent.
Quick answer
Run a Gmail action in three steps
- ⌘K
Step 1
Open the palette
On mail.google.com. Ctrl+K on Windows and Linux.
- archive
Step 2
Type the action
Gmail actions show under Commands.
- ↵
Step 3
Press Enter
TabCmdr opens the folder or clicks the button.
Gmail’s own shortcuts
Gmail has keyboard shortcuts, but most of them only work after you turn them on:
- In Gmail, click Settings at the top right, then See all settings.
- In the Keyboard shortcuts section, select Keyboard shortcuts on.
- Click Save Changes at the bottom of the page.
| To do this | Press |
|---|---|
| See all shortcuts | Shift+/ |
| Compose | C |
| Archive | E |
| Delete | # |
| Mark as read | Shift+I |
| Mark as unread | Shift+U |
| Go to Inbox | G then I |
| Go to Starred | G then S |
| Go to Sent | G then T |
| Go to Drafts | G then D |
| Search mail | / |
Source: Google’s Gmail keyboard shortcuts help page, checked in October 2026.
TabCmdr's way
Run Gmail actions by name with TabCmdr
TabCmdr is a keyboard launcher that lives in your browser. On mail.google.com it adds 23 Gmail actions to its search box. They don’t press Gmail’s shortcut keys: TabCmdr opens the folder’s address or clicks the matching button, so you don’t have to turn anything on in Gmail first.
Before you start: add TabCmdr from the Chrome Web Store. It has a 7-day free trial and needs no account.
Step 1: Open the palette in Gmail
Press ⌘+K on a Mac or Ctrl+K on Windows and Linux, with Gmail open.
Step 2: Type the action
Type a word from the action’s name. go to lists the folders and pages you can jump to. Gmail actions sit under Commands, marked Page command.
go to lists the Gmail folders TabCmdr can open.Step 3: Press Enter
For a folder, TabCmdr opens it in the tab you’re on. For a message action such as Mark as Read, it clicks Gmail’s button for you.
mark as finds Mark as Read and Mark as Unread.Message actions click the button you’d click yourself, so select a message first by checking the box next to it.
All 23 Gmail actions
| Group | Actions |
|---|---|
| Folders | Go to Inbox, Go to Starred, Go to Sent Mail, Go to Drafts, Go to All Mail, Go to Spam, Go to Trash |
| Other pages | Go to Gmail Settings opens Gmail’s general settings. Go to Contacts opens Google Contacts in a new tab. |
| Writing | Compose New Email, Send Email, Discard Draft, Attach Files |
| Messages | Archive, Delete, Mark as Read, Mark as Unread, Snooze, Move to…, Label as…, Report Spam, Select All |
| Search | Focus Search Mail puts the cursor in Gmail’s search box |
Turn Gmail actions off
Open TabCmdr’s settings, choose Sites and find Site Shortcuts, which is marked Experimental. Untick Gmail to keep its actions out of the palette, or turn off Enable Site Shortcuts to hide the actions for every site.
Try it on your own tabs
Works in Chrome, Edge, Brave, Arc, Vivaldi and Opera.
Install for Chrome