This page is a complete keyboard shortcut reference for Mail on macOS, covering all 40 shortcuts organized into 3 sections. Whether you’re new to Mail or looking to master advanced features, this cheat sheet has every key combination you need — from basic editing and navigation to app-specific power-user actions.
Keyboard shortcuts are the fastest way to work in Mail. Every time you use a shortcut instead of reaching for the mouse, you save a few seconds — and those seconds compound into hours over weeks and months. Start with the shortcuts you use most (copy, paste, undo, save), then gradually add app-specific ones as they become relevant to your workflow. Bookmark this page or download the PDF cheat sheet for quick reference.
Using keyboard shortcuts in Mail reduces context switching between keyboard and mouse, helping you maintain focus and work more efficiently. Research shows that shortcut-driven workflows can save up to 8 working days per year compared to menu-driven navigation. On macOS, most Mail shortcuts follow standard conventions — once you learn the modifier key patterns, new shortcuts become intuitive.
Tips for Learning Shortcuts
- Practice one new Mail shortcut each day. Muscle memory builds faster when you focus on a single combination at a time rather than trying to learn them all at once.
- Print or bookmark this page for quick reference while working in Mail. Having shortcuts visible nearby helps bridge the gap between looking them up and recalling them from memory.
- Start with the shortcuts you use most. In Mail, common actions like copy, paste, undo, and save are worth learning first since they apply across nearly every workflow.
General20
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| New Message | ⌘N |
| Send Message | ⇧⌘D |
| Reply | ⌘R |
| Reply All | ⇧⌘R |
| Forward | ⇧⌘F |
| Go to Inbox | ⌘1 |
| Mark as Unread | ⇧⌘U |
| Delete Message | ⌘Delete |
| Search Mailbox | ⌥⌘F |
| Attach File | ⇧⌘A |
| New Tab | ⌘T |
| Mark as Read | ⇧⌘L |
| Show/Hide Message Preview | ⌘I |
| Get new emails | ⇧⌘N |
| Enable or disable the message filter | ⌘L |
| Erase junk mail | ⌥⌘J |
| Close all Mail windows | ⌥⌘W |
| Hide or show the Mail sidebar | ⌃⌘S |
| Show the Mail Activity window | ⌃⌘0 |
| Show the Mail viewer window | ⌘0 |
Compose10
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Open a new Mail viewer window | ⌥⌘N |
| Show the Bcc address field | ⌥⌘B |
| Open a new tab in Mail viewer | ⌥⇧⌘N |
| Show the Reply-To address field | ⌥⌘R |
| Attach files to your email | ⇧⌘A |
| Send emails | ⇧⌘D |
| Paste text as a quotation | ⇧⌘V |
| Unsend email | ⌘Z |
| Start a new email | ⌘N |
| Append selected emails to your email | ⌥⌘I |
Reading10
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Redirect the selected email | ⇧⌘E |
| Apply active Mail rules | ⌃⌘L |
| Mark emails as read or unread | ⇧⌘U |
| Format as Plain Text or Rich Format | ⇧⌘T |
| Reply to the selected email | ⌘R |
| Move selected emails to Junk | ⇧⌘J |
| Reply All to the selected email | ⇧⌘R |
| Archive emails | ⌃⌘A |
| Forward the selected email | ⇧⌘F |
| Move emails to predicted mailbox | ⌃⌘M |
Frequently Asked Questions
Access Mail shortcuts from your menu bar
KeyShortcut detects the active app and shows its shortcuts instantly. No memorization needed.