Apple Mail keyboard shortcuts
Writing, replying, filing, and viewing email in Mail on a Mac.
25 shortcuts Mac checked September 14, 2026
Print all 25 shortcuts One sheet with every shortcut in this app, ready for the printer or a PDF.
This app has a Mac catalog in Shortivo. No other operating system is published for it yet.
- Apple Mail Documented
| Action | Keys | Row actions |
|---|---|---|
| Start a new email Anywhere | Mac CmdN | Source |
| Open a new viewer window Anywhere | Mac OptionCmdN | Source |
| Attach files to the email Writing an email | Mac ShiftCmdA | Source |
| Paste text as a quotation Writing an email | Mac ShiftCmdV | Source |
| Show the Bcc field Writing an email | Mac OptionCmdB | Source |
| Show the Reply-To field Writing an email | Mac OptionCmdR | Source |
| Get new emails Anywhere | Mac ShiftCmdN | Source |
| Erase junk mail Anywhere | Mac OptionCmdJ | Source |
| Send the email Writing an email | Mac ShiftCmdD | Source |
| Unsend the email Just after sending | Mac CmdZ | Source |
| Reply to the sender Email selected | Mac CmdR | Source |
| Reply to everyone Email selected | Mac ShiftCmdR | Source |
| Forward the email Email selected | Mac ShiftCmdF | Source |
| Redirect the email Email selected | Mac ShiftCmdE | Source |
| Show or hide the sidebar Viewer window | Mac CtrlCmdS | Source |
| Turn the mailbox filter on or off Viewer window | Mac CmdL | Source |
| Mark emails as read or unread Email selected | Mac ShiftCmdU | Source |
| Move emails to the suggested mailbox Email selected | Mac CtrlCmdM | Source |
| Move emails to the junk mailbox Email selected | Mac ShiftCmdJ | Source |
| Archive the selected emails Email selected | Mac CtrlCmdA | Source |
| Apply your mail rules Email selected | Mac CtrlCmdL | Source |
| Switch between plain and rich text Writing an email | Mac ShiftCmdT | Source |
| Show the viewer window Anywhere | Mac Cmd0 | Source |
| Show the activity window Anywhere | Mac CtrlCmd0 | Source |
| Close every Mail window Anywhere | Mac OptionCmdW | Source |
About Apple Mail and its shortcuts
Apple Mail follows macOS conventions closely, so much of its keyboard is the system's rather than the application's: the same text editing and window commands work here as everywhere else. What is particular to Mail is the triage set for marking, flagging, filing and moving between mailboxes.
Apple Mail is Mac only here. Some commands depend on which pane has focus, and others only appear when a mailbox supports the action, such as archiving on an account that has an archive folder.
Where the Apple Mail keys came from
Read from 1 documentation page published by the makers of Apple Mail. Report a key that is wrong
To see how one action is done in other apps as well as Apple Mail, browse the shortcuts by task. Shortcuts by task