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Get more done with keyboard shortcuts in Proton Mail

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At Proton, our core mission is to build an encrypted internet that is more safe and private for everyone. As part of this mission, we know how important it is to develop the tools you need to be efficient and productive. We are therefore very pleased to introduce keyboard shortcuts in the V4 web app available at mail.proton.me(new window).

Designed for power users, keyboard shortcuts allow you to navigate the Proton Mail(new window) interface; organize your mail; open, close, or archive your emails; and much more using a simple combination of keystrokes instead of your mouse or trackpad. 

A faster way to navigate Proton Mail

Keyboard shortcuts in our V4 web client offer a number of key improvements over the Hotkeys function offered in our V3 web app. These include:

  • Improved navigation using your keyboard’s arrow keys
  • Tooltips — when keyboard shortcuts are enabled, you can find out the shortcut for an action by hovering your mouse pointer over any action button.
Tooltips
  • Pressing the Tab key shows the keyboard shortcut focus. Press enter to perform the action focused on.
  • The Tab key can be used to cycle the focus through all keyboard actions available, starting with the currently selected element of the web interface (for example, a dropdown menu or the Composer window).

How to use keyboard shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts are not enabled by default in mail.proton.me(new window). To enable the feature, click Settings → All settingsMessages and composingKeyboard shortcuts and toggle the setting on.

Now whenever you hover your cursor over an element of the Proton Mail web interface, you will see a tooltip showing the keyboard shortcut associated with it. 

You can click the Display keyboard shortcuts button (shown above) for a full list of shortcuts available. These are also listed in our keyboard shortcuts support page(new window) and can be brought up at any time within the Proton Mail V4 web app using the ? key (Ctrl + / on many keyboards).

Where key combinations are specified (using more than one key), hold down the leftmost button first, then work your way right. For example, to go to the Inbox, hold down the G key and press I. To expand or contact the Composer window, hold down the Ctrl key, then also hold down the Shift key, then press M. 

Don’t have a Proton Mail account yet? Create a free email account today and start using keyboard shortcuts

Other features for power users

For many power users, keyboard shortcuts are a must-have feature that greatly improves productivity. Other Proton Mail productivity features that power users might also be interested in include: 

We depend on your feedback to help make Proton Mail even more useful and convenient. Send bug reports(new window) and suggestions(new window) inside the web app or contact our support team(new window). Thank you for being a part of the Proton community.


Feel free to share your feedback and questions with us via our official social media channels on Twitter(new window) and Reddit(new window).

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Douglas Crawford(new window)

Starting with ProPrivacy and now Proton, Douglas has worked for many years as a technology writer. During this time, he has established himself as a thought leader specializing in online privacy. He has been quoted by the BBC News, national newspapers such as The Independent, The Telegraph, and The Daily Mail, and by international technology publications such as Ars Technica, CNET, and LinuxInsider. Douglas was invited by the EFF to help host a livestream session in support of net neutrality. At Proton, Douglas continues to explore his passion for privacy and all things VPN.

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