How to Delete Emails With a Keyboard Shortcut in Gmail GA S REGULAR Menu Lifewire Tech for Humans Newsletter! Search Close GO Email, Messaging, & Video Calls > Email 70 70 people found this article helpful

How to Delete Emails With a Keyboard Shortcut in Gmail

Use this keyboard combination to power through your inbox

By Heinz Tschabitscher Heinz Tschabitscher Writer University of Vienna A former freelance contributor who has reviewed hundreds of email programs and services since 1997. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on October 12, 2021 Reviewed by Jon Fisher Reviewed by Jon Fisher Wichita Technical Institute Jonathan Fisher is a CompTIA certified technologist with more than 6 years' experience writing for publications like TechNorms and Help Desk Geek. lifewire's editorial guidelines Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Email Gmail Yahoo! Mail

What to Know

Select email or emails > Shift+3. Or you can open an email and then press Shift+3.Turn on Keyboard shortcuts: Settings > See all settings > General > Keyboard shortcuts > Save Changes. This article explains how to send unwanted email messages to the trash with a quick keyboard shortcut.

Deleting With a Keyboard Shortcut

Select the email or emails you want to delete by checking the box to the left of each one in your Inbox or any other Gmail mailbox. Press the Shift+3 keyboard shortcut. That's it. The emails are history. You can also open an email first if you need to see what is inside and then use the Shift + 3 shortcut. Poof! It's gone. Either way, you see this notice: Conversation move to Trash. So, if you make a mistake, you know where to go to find a mistakenly deleted email. However, this shortcut only works if keyboard shortcuts are turned on in Gmail's settings.

How to Turn on Keyboard Shortcuts in Gmail

If the Shift+3 shortcut doesn't delete emails for you, you likely have keyboard shortcuts turned off. They are turned off by default in Gmail. Activate Gmail keyboard shortcuts with these steps: In the upper-right corner, select Settings (gear icon). Select See all settings. Select the General tab. Scroll down to the Keyboard shortcuts section. Select Keyboard shortcuts on. Scroll to the bottom of the page and select Save Changes. Now the Shift+3 keyboard shortcut is active for deleting emails.

More Gmail Keyboard Shortcuts

With keyboard shortcuts enabled in Gmail, you have access to a vast selection of shortcut options. You won't be able to memorize them all, so explore which keyboard shortcuts are most useful to you and put them to work. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Retrieve Archived Emails in Gmail How to Recover Missing Emails in Gmail The Best Windows Keyboard Shortcuts in 2022 How to Send Email to Undisclosed Recipients From Gmail How to Go to the Next or Previous Message in Gmail How to Send a Reply and Archive With One Click in Gmail The 30 Best Gmail Keyboard Shortcuts for 2022 How to Create a Gmail Alias How to Add an Image to Your Gmail Signature How to Delete Gmail Emails Faster on Android How to Remove the Email Signature From Gmail How to Forward Multiple Emails in Gmail How to Mark Email Read in Gmail How to Undo Actions in Gmail Set Up an Out-of-Office Vacation Response in Gmail How to Open a Gmail Message in Its Own Window Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies