Gmail keyboard shortcuts are great timesavers and come in handy when you’re bored of toggling between the keyboard and mouse while working on Gmail. There are tons of shortcuts available to make your virtual life a little easier. With these alternate routes, you’ll be able to compose mails, open newer conversations, go to a previous message, archive and mark as important without having your fingers leave the comfort of your keyboard.
How To Get Started:
Now before you go and dive right into punching those odd buttons and alphabets while dabbling around on Gmail, you’ll first have to activate this feature through settings. So head straight to the right-hand corner of your screen and opt for the button that has a cog drawn on it. Once that’s done, select the option that reads as ‘Keyboard shortcuts on,’ scroll down and hit the ‘save changes’ button. Now you’re ready to take complete advantage of the new easy keyboard routes. And when you want to disable this case-sensitive function, simply travel down that same path and hit ‘Keyboard shortcuts off.’ According to Google, you’ll require a standard 101/102-key or natural PS/2 keyboard to enjoy the perks offered here.
Formulating And Sending Mails:
1 – Compose:
In order to compose a message in a brand new window, all you have to do is press Shift+c and you should see a compose window pop up immediately.
2 – Forward:
For forwarding mails, simply hit Shift+f. A new window will open so that you can easily punch in the name of the recipient and send it across to the allotted party.
3 – Reply/Reply All:
When you want to reply to a particular mail, let your fingers float around Shift+r or Shift+a when you need to respond to one or all addressees, respectively.
4 – Send Email:
And finally, after you finish composing a new message, reply or forward by utilizing the keyboard shortcuts, it’s time to send you email to the desired recipient. For this, you’ll have to press down on Tab and then hit Enter.
5 – Saving Drafts:
If you wish to save a draft that you’re currently working on, then quickly press Ctrl+s to transport it to the Drafts section. What’s more, the window on which you’re still typing on will remain open for you convenience.
Navigating:
6 – Search:
When you want to search for a particular name or email, simply opt for the ‘/’ sign and watch as your cursor instantly jumps to the search bar located at the top of the page.
7 – Conversations:
To move to a newer or older conversation, all you have to do is touch the ‘k’ and ‘j’ alphabets, respectively and subsequently hit Enter or ‘o’ when you get to your desired message. You can decide which conversation to settle on by scrolling a thin blue line either up or down using just the aforesaid alphabets.
8 – Select Conversation:
By pressing ‘x’ while resting on one particular message, you’ll be able to automatically check the box that’s situated next to it. From there, you can then choose to apply a label, archive, or opt for a certain action from the drop-down menu. For carrying out the former two options, simply hit on the keyboard shortcuts that read L or Y, respectively.
9 – Select Messages:
Wondering how to toggle between your messages within a particular conversation? Well, simply use the ‘n’ and ‘p’ keyboard buttons and see the thin blue line dance from one message to the other.
10 – Return or Refresh:
To return to the conversation list or inbox while glancing at your messages, you will need to hit the ‘u’ option. This can even be resorted to for refreshing your page.
11 – Mark as Important or Unimportant:
The ‘+’ and ‘-‘ buttons come into play when you want to mark a particular document as important or unimportant, respectively. However, to do so, you will first have to have the complete message in view.
12 – Delete:
Pressing ‘Shift+#’ is just the action you need to rely on when you want to delete a conversation or message and move it to the Trash section.
KeyRocket:
Now, it might be a task to remember all these keyboard shortcuts as well as many others that aren’t given a mention here. Well, you won’t have to use up all your gray matter to memorize the special routes especially when you avail of this particular program. If you’re a Chrome surfer, then all you require is the KeyRocket for Gmail application which is plucked right out from the Google Chrome store. It’s noted to be a reliable solution for learning all these shortcuts while accessing your emails.
Perplexed as to how it might work? Well, as per the scenario at hand, the software will recommend respective shortcuts which allow you to perform keyboard actions instead of various mouse clicks. You’ll be subtly notified by nifty little blue bubbles that pop up at the lower end of your PC screen. And if you wish to take a look at the entire list of convenient routes, then all you have to do is press Shift+?. It’s definitely an important plug-in to exploit, especially if you’re someone who wants to master the art of keyboard kung fu.
Conclusion:
The aforementioned Gmail keyboard shortcuts are yours for the typing. They are the alternative routes you can rely on for conducting all your email actions without even touching your computer companion – the mouse. This helps save up on quite a few milliseconds and offers an overall fast emailing experience. We’ve only covered the basic keyboard actions here but there’s practically a shortcut for every email move out there. It might take some getting used to but once you’ve got the hang of it, you’ll surely see that life isn’t that complicated, well at least on the virtual plain. And don’t forget to leave your comments in the box below.