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Use filters to surface what matters, keyboard shortcuts to select in bulk, and single-key actions to archive, label, or trash entire batches. With practice, 50 emails in 5 minutes — no mouse required.

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Core Shortcuts

ShortcutAction
j / kMove down / up
Shift+J / Shift+KSelect and move down / up
Cmd+ASelect all visible
eArchive selected
#Trash selected
lLabel selected
sStar/unstar selected
zUndo last action

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The Workflow

1

Filter

Narrow your view before selecting:
FilterShortcut
Unread onlyShift+U
Starred onlyShift+S
Important onlyShift+I
No ReplyShift+R
Press the same shortcut again to clear the filter.
2

Navigate and Select

One by one: Shift+J to select and move down. Keep pressing to select a batch. Shift+K to deselect and move back.Select all: Cmd+A to select every visible thread (great for “archive all newsletters”).Skip and select: j past threads to keep, Shift+J to start selecting the rest.
3

Act

One key applies to all selected: e archive, # trash, l label, s star, h snooze, u toggle read/unread. Made a mistake? z to undo.
Inbox with multiple threads selected via Shift+J

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Complete Daily Workflow

  1. Start with a label. Tab to your first importance label. Process it completely.
  2. Quick scan. j down through subjects to gauge the batch.
  3. Reply to urgent items. Enter to open, r to reply or Cmd+Enter for AI draft, e to archive after.
  4. Star deep-thought items. s on threads you can’t process now.
  5. Batch archive the rest. Shift+J through remaining threads, then e.
  6. Next label. Tab and repeat.
  7. Sweep. Shift+U to catch unread stragglers.

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Speed Tips

  • Process least important labels first. Clear Newsletter and Notifications (mostly bulk-archivable) before focusing on Important.
  • Don’t read every email. Scan subjects and senders. Archive anything that isn’t urgent.
  • Automate recurring patterns. If you archive the same type daily, create an automation or use block (Cmd+U) and unsubscribe (Cmd+Shift+U).
Press Shift+? anytime to see the full keyboard shortcuts reference.
Bulk actions apply to all selected threads. Always check your selection before pressing e (archive) or # (trash). Press z immediately to undo if you make a mistake.

Reach Inbox Zero

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Keyboard Shortcuts

Complete shortcut reference for every view

The Slashy Method

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AI Drafts

Generate replies while batch processing