How to be a Gmail ninja: Learn these shortcuts

Using Gmail can be tricky sometimes, but if you know these shortcuts, you can get through your tasks in a jiffy. Know how to quickly compose, reply, forward, and more.

From starting a new email to muting a thread, these are the best Gmail keyboard shortcuts we found. (Pixabay)

When it comes to professional communications, Gmail is a go-to for many, including us. But it is not easy to master. However, if you want to turn into a Gmail ninja, then we have some tips just for you. Navigating from 'Compose email' to 'Forward email' daily is a tedious trackpad routine. Despite honing this skill, it's inefficient — especially with a flood of incoming emails. But this is where Gmail keyboard shortcuts emerge as a game-changer. These commands are straightforward and easy to use, significantly cutting down the time taken to get through the tasks. Let us take a look at the most quintessential Gmail shortcuts that you should be using.

Gmail shortcuts to boost your efficiency

Before starting to use these shortcuts, you have to turn them on - the process is extremely simple. Go to Gmail and log in if you haven't already done so. Next, locate the gear icon for Settings at the top of the window.

Go to ‘See all settings' and scroll down till you find Keyboard shortcuts. Then simply click the ‘keyboard shortcuts on'. Go to the bottom and save changes. That's it. Now, you are ready to use them.

Best Gmail shortcuts

1. Compose email: Save yourself the couple of seconds it takes to locate and drag the cursor to the big ‘Compose' icon on the top left. Simply press C and a new email window will pop open.

2. Reply to email: When you're in an email thread, press R to reply to the last person who replied. To reply to all, simply press A.

3. Forward email: While you are inside an email, just press F to forward it to people.

4. Archive email: When you want to archive an email and remove it from the inbox, you can simply press E to get the job done.

5. Labeling email: In case you want to categorize an email to organize it, you do not have to move your finger on the trackpad. Just pressing L gets it done. You can also press V to label it and move it.

6. Star an email: To star an email, pressing S is enough while you're inside the email.

It should be noted that the full list of Gmail keyboard shortcuts is pretty long and they can be used to do pretty much any task on the platform. But if you are new to using shortcuts, you can simply press [SHIFT] + [?] within Gmail to see the entire command list.