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Gmail

Keyboard shortcuts, filters/labels, and inbox-management reference for Gmail.

Turn these on first — they're off by default

Settings → See all settings → General → Keyboard shortcuts: On → Save Changes. Without that, none of the single-letter shortcuts below do anything. Once enabled, press ? anywhere in Gmail for the built-in overlay.

Showing 40 results
Group Action Windows / ChromeOS Mac Notes
ComposeCompose newccd opens the compose window in a full new browser tab instead.
ComposeSendCtrl + Enter⌘ + EnterFires immediately — but the Undo Send window still applies.
ComposeAdd Cc / BccCtrl + Shift + c / b⌘ + Shift + c / bJumps focus straight into the field.
ComposeInsert linkCtrl + k⌘ + kSelect text first to hyperlink it in place.
ComposeDiscard draftCtrl + Shift + d⌘ + Shift + dPermanent — discarded drafts don't go to Trash.
ReplyReplyrrCapital R replies in a separate window.
ReplyReply allaaThe muscle memory worth building deliberately, in whichever direction you prefer.
ReplyForwardffForwards the currently open message.
TriageArchiveeeRemoves the Inbox label only — the message stays fully searchable forever.
TriageDelete##Moves to Trash, auto-purged after 30 days.
TriageMark unread / readShift + u / Shift + iShift + u / Shift + iThe classic "deal with this later" move.
TriageSnoozebbHides the thread until a chosen time, then returns it to the top of the inbox.
TriageStar / cycle starsssPress repeatedly to cycle through star colors if you enabled extras in Settings.
TriageMute threadmmAll future replies skip the inbox — the correct escape from a runaway reply-all chain.
TriageReport spam!!Trains the classifier as well as removing the message.
TriageApply labelllOpens the label picker; type to filter, Enter to apply.
TriageMove tovvLabel + archive in one step, which is what "move" means in a label-based system.
NavigateNext / previous messagej / kj / kVim-style list navigation.
NavigateOpen / collapseo or Entero or EnterToggles the selected conversation.
NavigateBack to listuuReturns to the thread list from an open message.
NavigateSearch mail//Focus the search bar — pair with the operators in the first tab.
NavigateGo to Inboxg then ig then iThe g prefix starts every "go to" jump.
NavigateGo to Starred / Sent / Draftsg then s / t / dg then s / t / dNote Sent is t, not s.
NavigateGo to All Mailg then ag then aEverything including archived mail.
NavigateGo to labelg then lg then lThen type the label name.
SelectionSelect conversationxxToggles the checkbox on the focused row.
SelectionSelect all / none* then a / n* then a / nSelects the visible page; a banner then offers "select all matching this search".
SelectionSelect read / unread / starred* then r / u / s* then r / u / sBulk-select by state without touching the mouse.
UndoUndo last actionzzReverses an accidental archive, delete, or label — including an in-window send.
HelpShortcut overlay??Gmail's own always-current cheat sheet.

Filters are just saved search operators + an action

Anything you can search, you can automate. That's why the Search Operators tab comes first — a filter is literally a stored query with an action bolted on. Build and verify the query in the search bar first, then promote it to a filter.

1

Write the query in the search bar and confirm the results

Never write a filter blind. Type the query, hit Enter, and read what comes back. If it catches something it shouldn't, tighten it now — a wrong filter silently misfiles mail for months before anyone notices.

from:(newsletter@acme.com) -subject:(invoice)
2

Promote it to a filter

Click the sliders icon at the right of the search bar (Show search options) → the query is pre-filled → Create filter. Alternatively: Settings → See all settings → Filters and Blocked Addresses → Create a new filter.

3

Choose the actions

The useful ones: Skip the Inbox (archive on arrival), Apply the label, Mark as read, Never send it to Spam, Always mark it as important, Forward it to, Delete it. They stack — skip inbox + apply label + mark read is the canonical "file it silently" combo.

4

Decide about the backlog checkbox

"Also apply filter to matching conversations" retroactively processes existing mail. Leave it unchecked for a brand-new rule you want to observe first; check it when you're deliberately cleaning up years of backlog. Retroactive deletes deserve a careful look at the match count before you click.

5

Export your filters as a backup

Settings → Filters and Blocked Addresses → select all → Export produces an XML file. This is the only real backup of filter logic you've built up over years, and it imports cleanly into another Gmail account — the fastest way to bootstrap a new work address.

Filter recipes worth stealing

Silence newsletters without unsubscribing
  • Query: list:(*) — matches anything with a List-Id header, which is essentially every legitimate bulk sender.
  • Actions: Skip the Inbox + Apply label "Newsletters" + Mark as read.
  • Result: they're all still there and searchable when you want them, they just never interrupt you. Read them on your schedule via label:newsletters.
Never lose mail from critical senders
  • Query: from:(billing@myhost.com OR alerts@monitoring.io)
  • Actions: Never send it to Spam + Always mark it as important + Apply label "Critical".
  • Why: spam classification is probabilistic and occasionally wrong about transactional senders. This is an explicit override for the handful of addresses where a false positive would actually hurt.
Auto-file receipts and invoices
  • Query: subject:(receipt OR invoice OR "order confirmation" OR "payment received")
  • Actions: Apply label "Finance/Receipts" + Skip the Inbox.
  • Pays off at tax time: one label holds the year's paper trail, and label:finance/receipts after:2026/01/01 scopes it to a fiscal year instantly.
Kill a persistent sender for good
  • Query: from:(spammer@example.com) → action: Delete it.
  • Filters run before spam classification, so this beats repeatedly clicking "report spam" for a sender that keeps getting through.
  • Gentler alternative: the "Block sender" option in a message's ⋮ menu routes them to Spam rather than deleting outright, which is safer if you might need the record later.

The settings actually worth changing

Gmail ships conservative defaults. These are the handful of changes that measurably alter day-to-day use, all under Settings (gear icon) → See all settings.

1

Extend Undo Send to 30 seconds

General → Undo Send → 30 seconds. The default is 5. There is no downside beyond a slightly delayed send, and it has saved more careers than any other checkbox in this list. Gmail genuinely holds the message locally for the whole window — nothing has left until it expires.

2

Turn on keyboard shortcuts and auto-advance

General → Keyboard shortcuts: On. Then General → Auto-advance → "Go to the next (newer/older) conversation" so archiving moves you straight to the next message instead of dumping you back to the list. Together these are the difference between clicking through an inbox and flying through it.

3

Set up Send-As for an alias or custom domain

Accounts and Import → Send mail as → Add another email address. Enter the address, provide its SMTP credentials, and confirm the verification email. Afterwards you can pick the From address per message, and set "Reply from the same address the message was sent to" so replies automatically come from the right identity.

Typical SMTP: smtp.yourhost.com · port 587 · TLS · full email as username
4

Enable Templates (canned responses)

Advanced → Templates: Enable. Then in any compose window: ⋮ → Templates → Save draft as template. Combine a template with a filter's "Send template" action (Workspace accounts) for genuine auto-responses beyond the vacation responder.

5

Fix your signature placement

General → Signature → check "Insert signature before quoted text in replies". Without it your signature lands at the very bottom of a long reply chain, below everything, which looks broken to the recipient.

6

Enable offline access

Offline → Enable offline mail (Chrome only). Choose how many days to sync and whether to keep offline data on the machine. Read, write, search, and archive with no connection; everything syncs when you reconnect. Don't leave downloaded data on a shared or public machine.

7

Delegate access instead of sharing a password

Accounts and Import → Grant access to your account. A delegate can read, send, and delete on your behalf without ever knowing your password, and sent mail is attributed ("sent by"). This is the correct answer whenever an assistant needs mailbox access — sharing credentials never is.

Inbox layouts, and who each one suits

Default (tabbed)

PrimarySocialPromotionsUpdatesForums

Google's ML sorts mail into tabs automatically. Good if you get heavy consumer/marketing volume and are happy to let a classifier make the call.

Important first / Starred first

Two panesML or manual ranking

Splits the inbox into a priority section and everything else. "Starred first" is the version you control manually; "Important first" trusts Gmail's importance model.

Multiple Inboxes

Up to 5 sectionsSearch-query drivenMost configurable

The power-user option: each panel is defined by your own search query (e.g. is:starred, label:waiting-on, to:me is:unread). Settings → Inbox → Inbox type → Multiple Inboxes.

Unread first

Zero-configTriage-friendly

Everything unread floats to a top section. The simplest option that still meaningfully improves triage, with nothing to configure.

Gotchas that trip up almost everyone

Labels are not folders — this explains most Gmail confusion
  • One message can carry many labels at once. It isn't copied; there's a single message with several tags pointing at it.
  • Archiving just removes the "Inbox" label. Nothing is deleted, nothing is moved — which is why archived mail still appears in All Mail and in every search.
  • Deleting a label does not delete the messages under it. They simply lose that tag and remain in All Mail.
  • "Move to" is really "apply label + remove Inbox label" performed as one action.
Storage is shared, and deleting isn't enough
  • The free 15 GB is shared across Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Photos — Gmail is often not the real culprit when you run out.
  • Deleted mail sits in Trash for 30 days and still counts against quota until Trash is emptied.
  • Start with larger:10M sorted by size — a handful of old attachments usually accounts for most of it.
  • When your quota is full, you stop receiving mail entirely. It's a hard stop, not a soft warning.
Confidential Mode is not encryption
  • It disables forward, copy, print, and download within the Gmail interface — and nothing more.
  • A recipient can still photograph or screenshot the screen. Treat it as friction, not security.
  • The expiry date and SMS passcode are genuinely useful for reducing casual re-sharing, which is the honest use case.
  • For real confidentiality you need actual encryption (S/MIME on Workspace, or an external tool) — not this feature.
Sending limits and attachment ceilings
  • Attachments cap at 25 MB; anything larger is auto-converted to a Google Drive link, which means recipients need permission to that file — a very common "they can't open it" cause.
  • Consumer Gmail allows roughly 500 recipients per day; Workspace accounts get about 2,000. Bulk mail belongs in a real mailing platform, not Gmail.
  • Exceeding the limit locks sending for around 24 hours, with no way to expedite it.

Habits that compound

The + address trick

Mail to you+anything@gmail.com lands in your normal inbox. Sign up for services with you+vendorname@ and you can filter on it precisely — and instantly see who leaked or sold your address when spam starts arriving to that exact tag.

Schedule send across time zones

The arrow beside Send offers "Schedule send". Writing at midnight but landing in their morning gets materially better response rates, and avoids setting an always-on expectation with your team.

Mute, don't just delete

m on a runaway reply-all thread sends every future reply straight past your inbox, permanently. Deleting only clears the current message — the next reply comes right back.

Turn a good search into a bookmark

Gmail encodes the query in the URL. Run is:unread -category:promotions, then bookmark the resulting page — a one-click custom view without touching any settings.

Check "Last account activity"

Scroll to the very bottom of the inbox → Details. It lists recent sign-in IPs, locations, and access types. A quick, free way to spot an unfamiliar session on your account.

Own your data with Takeout

takeout.google.com exports your full mailbox as standard MBOX, readable by Thunderbird or any mail client. Worth running once a year — account lockouts do happen, and there is no support line for consumer Gmail.

Official docs & further reading

Search operators reference Google's own canonical operator list — the authoritative source if an operator here ever stops behaving. support.google.com Full keyboard shortcut list Every shortcut including the rarely-used ones, kept current by Google as the UI changes. support.google.com Filters & blocked addresses Official walkthrough for creating, editing, exporting, and importing filters. support.google.com Google Takeout Export your entire mailbox as standard MBOX. Worth running once a year as a real backup. takeout.google.com Google Account security 2-step verification, app passwords, connected apps, and recent security events in one place. myaccount.google.com Gmail for Workspace admins The Workspace-specific behavior — delegation, S/MIME, routing, and org-level policy. support.google.com

Gmail ships changes continuously and some features (Templates, delegation, S/MIME, filter-driven auto-replies) are Workspace-only or admin-gated. When something described here isn't where you expect it, check whether you're on a consumer account or a managed Workspace one — that's the usual explanation.