Outlook Keyboard Shortcuts That Save Hours
If you spend a big chunk of your day in Outlook, a few keyboard shortcuts can save you hours every month. These work in both classic and new Outlook for Windows unless noted.
On a Mac: use Command (⌘) instead of Ctrl for most of them.
Writing and replying
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + N | New email (or new item in Calendar, People etc.) |
| Ctrl + R | Reply |
| Ctrl + Shift + R | Reply all |
| Ctrl + F | Forward |
| Ctrl + Enter | Send |
| Alt + S | Send (classic Outlook) |
| Ctrl + K | Check names in the To box |
Watch out: in Outlook, Ctrl + F means Forward, not Find. To find text inside an email in classic Outlook, press F4.
Tidying your inbox
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + Q | Mark as read |
| Ctrl + U | Mark as unread |
| Delete | Delete |
| Backspace | Archive (classic Outlook) |
| Insert | Flag / unflag (classic Outlook) |
| Ctrl + Shift + V | Move to a folder |
Getting around
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + 1 | |
| Ctrl + 2 | Calendar |
| Ctrl + 3 | People (Contacts) |
| Ctrl + 4 | Tasks / To Do |
| Ctrl + E | Search (classic Outlook) |
| Alt + Q | Search (new Outlook) |
| Ctrl + . / Ctrl + , | Next / previous message (when reading) |
| F9 | Send/Receive all folders (classic Outlook) |
Calendar
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + Shift + A | New appointment |
| Ctrl + Shift + Q | New meeting request |
| Ctrl + G | Go to a date |
| Alt + 1 to 0 | Show 1 to 10 days (classic Outlook) |
Use Gmail shortcuts in new Outlook
Moving from Gmail? New Outlook and Outlook on the web let you use the shortcuts you already know.
1. Click Settings (the cog icon).
2. Go to General > Accessibility.
3. Under Keyboard shortcuts, choose Gmail (or Yahoo Mail, or Outlook.com).
4. Click Save.
2. Go to General > Accessibility.
3. Under Keyboard shortcuts, choose Gmail (or Yahoo Mail, or Outlook.com).
4. Click Save.
Now R replies, A replies all, E archives and so on.
See every shortcut
• New Outlook / web: press ? (Shift + /) to show the full list.
• Classic Outlook: press Alt to see letters on the ribbon — press them in order to reach any button.
• Classic Outlook: press Alt to see letters on the ribbon — press them in order to reach any button.
Wrapping up
Start with Ctrl + R, Ctrl + Shift + R and Ctrl + Enter for replying and sending, and Ctrl + Q to mark things as read. Once they're habit, add Ctrl + 1 and Ctrl + 2 to jump between Mail and Calendar.
