Gmail Reply All Shortcut (A)
With keyboard shortcuts enabled, open a message in Gmail and press A to reply to everyone. Press R to reply to the sender only, or F to forward. The keys are the same on Mac and Windows.
| Action | Mac | Windows | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reply to all | a | a | |
| Reply to sender only | r | r | |
| Forward | f | f | |
| Send the reply | ⌘Return | Ctrl+Enter | |
| Compose new email | c | c | |
| Archive the conversation | e | e | |
| Search mail | / | / | |
| Turn shortcuts on | Settings ▸ See all settings | Settings ▸ See all settings | |
| Reply all in Outlook (desktop) | ⌘⇧R | Ctrl+Shift+R | |
| Open message in new window | ⇧n / Enter | Enter |
Reply to the whole thread
Open the email and press a to start a reply addressed to the sender and every other recipient. To answer only the sender, press r instead. These letter keys are identical on the Mac and on Windows because Gmail runs in the browser.
Reply, Reply All, Forward — which key
r replies to the sender only, a replies to everyone on the thread, and f forwards the message to someone new. Once your reply is open, send it with ⌘Return (Mac) or Ctrl+Enter (Windows).
Keep moving without the mouse
After you reply, e archives the conversation and drops you back to the inbox, c starts a brand-new email, and / jumps to the search box. All work from the keyboard once shortcuts are enabled.
If pressing A does nothing
Keyboard shortcuts are off by default. Go to Settings ▸ See all settings ▸ General ▸ Keyboard shortcuts ▸ Keyboard shortcuts on and save. Then A, R and F will work from an open message. Note that pressing A only replies to everyone when the message is open; from the inbox list it does nothing.
Reply all in Outlook vs Gmail
If you also use Outlook, the key is different: Ctrl+Shift+R (Windows) or ⌘⇧R (Mac) replies to everyone, while plain Ctrl+R / ⌘R replies only to the sender. Gmail reuses the single letters a and r instead, so the two apps never conflict — just remember Gmail needs an open message and shortcuts switched on.
FAQ
What is the reply all shortcut in Gmail?
Open the message and press A. It replies to the sender and all other recipients. The key is the same on Mac and Windows.
How is reply all different from reply?
A replies to everyone on the thread; R replies only to the original sender.
Why doesn't the A key work?
Keyboard shortcuts are off by default — turn them on in Settings ▸ See all settings ▸ General ▸ Keyboard shortcuts. The message must also be open, not just selected in the inbox.
How do I send the reply with the keyboard?
Press ⌘Return on Mac or Ctrl+Enter on Windows to send the open reply.
What is the shortcut to forward instead?
Press F with the message open to forward it to a new recipient.
What is the reply all shortcut in Outlook?
In the Outlook desktop app press Ctrl+Shift+R on Windows or ⌘⇧R on Mac to reply to everyone. Plain Ctrl+R / ⌘R replies to the sender only.
Does A reply all in the Gmail mobile app?
No. The single-letter keyboard shortcuts work only in Gmail on the web (desktop browser). On the Gmail mobile app you tap the Reply all option in the three-dot menu instead.
How do I reply all to a whole thread at once?
Open the conversation so the full thread is expanded, then press A. Gmail adds every original recipient (except yourself) to the reply, so one A covers the whole thread.