Mail keyboard shortcuts for Mac
Compose and review mail, choose the right reply, handle attachments and organize your inbox.
Documentation reviewed 2026-11-05 · 6 task guides · Mac bindings and focus notes
What do you want to do?
Archive, mark unread and filter a Mac Mail inbox
Control-Command-A archives selected emails. Shift-Command-U changes read state. Command-L toggles the current mailbox’s message filter.
Steps, keys and context ↗Attach files and quote messages in Mac Mail
Shift-Command-A attaches files to an email. Shift-Command-V pastes text as a quotation. Option-Command-I appends selected emails to a message.
Steps, keys and context ↗Compose and review a Mail message before sending
Command-N starts an email in Mail. Shift-Command-D sends it. Command-Z can undo sending only while Mail’s configured Undo Send delay is still available.
Steps, keys and context ↗Distinguish junk handling from Mail rules
Shift-Command-J moves selected emails to Junk. Control-Command-L applies active Mail rules. Option-Command-J erases junk, a more consequential cleanup action.
Steps, keys and context ↗Choose Reply, Reply All or Forward in Mac Mail
Command-R replies to the selected email, Shift-Command-R replies to all, and Shift-Command-F forwards it. Check the resulting recipients before sending.
Steps, keys and context ↗Manage Mail sidebar, viewer windows and tabs
Control-Command-S toggles Mail’s sidebar. Option-Command-N opens a viewer window, while Option-Shift-Command-N opens a viewer tab.
Steps, keys and context ↗
Quick reference
Selected bindings from the linked task guides. Check the context before pressing a key: the focused control, app version and your custom settings can change what it does. This is a documentation reference, not an exhaustive live menu reading.
| Action | Keys | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Archive selection | Control-Command-A | Acts on selected emails; inspect selection and your account’s mailbox arrangement. Source ↗Read the task guide → |
| Attach files | Shift-Command-A | From a message draft; select the precise files the recipient should receive. Source ↗Read the task guide → |
| New message | Command-N | Begins composition; confirm the recipient and subject before sending. Source ↗Read the task guide → |
| Move selection to Junk | Shift-Command-J | Classifies the selected emails as junk; confirm the intended selection. Source ↗Read the task guide → |
| Reply | Command-R | Starts a reply to the selected message; inspect the recipient field. Source ↗Read the task guide → |
| Toggle sidebar | Control-Command-S | Reveals or hides mailbox navigation. Source ↗Read the task guide → |
| Mark read or unread | Shift-Command-U | Toggles reading state; it is not a due date or a reply reminder. Source ↗Read the task guide → |
| Paste as quotation | Shift-Command-V | Pastes copied text as quoted material in the composition context. Source ↗Read the task guide → |
| Send message | Shift-Command-D | Sends the composed message; use only after a deliberate final review. Source ↗Read the task guide → |
| Apply active rules | Control-Command-L | Runs configured active Mail rules; inspect those rules before applying them. Source ↗Read the task guide → |
| Reply All | Shift-Command-R | Uses the reply-all audience from the selected message; review every address. Source ↗Read the task guide → |
| New viewer window | Option-Command-N | Creates another mail-viewing window, not an email draft. Source ↗Read the task guide → |
| Toggle mailbox filter | Command-L | Changes the current mailbox’s filtered view, not the contents of each message. Source ↗Read the task guide → |
| Append selected emails | Option-Command-I | Includes selected emails in the composed message; review the resulting material. Source ↗Read the task guide → |
| Undo Send when available | Command-Z | Applies only during the configured send delay, not as an unlimited recall mechanism. Source ↗Read the task guide → |
| Erase junk mail | Option-Command-J | A cleanup action affecting junk mail; review the mailbox before invoking it. Source ↗Read the task guide → |
| Forward | Shift-Command-F | Creates a message for a newly chosen audience with content from the selected email. Source ↗Read the task guide → |
| New viewer tab | Option-Shift-Command-N | Creates another tab in the viewer context. Source ↗Read the task guide → |
When a shortcut behaves differently
- Confirm you are using the Mac binding, and check whether the guide describes a desktop app or its web version.
- Put focus in the control named in the guide. Editing text, selecting an object and navigating a sidebar can use different keys.
- Look up the command in the app's menu or shortcut settings. Customized keys and non-US keyboard layouts can differ from documented defaults.
The cited documentation was checked for these guides; a documentation review is separate from testing your particular running app. How we verify and update guides →
Official sources
- Keyboard shortcuts in Mail on Mac — Apple Support — checked 2026-11-04
- Send email messages in Mail on Mac — Apple Support — checked 2026-11-04