Scroll to the Top on an Email Fast in iPhone Mail

A hand above an iphone about to touch with a single finger

d3sign/Getty Images 

by Heinz Tschabitscher
An independent writer who has reviewed hundreds of email programs and services since 1997.
Updated January 19, 2019

It's easy to scroll in iPhone Mail. You simply swipe up and down the screen to scroll through the list of messages in a ​mailbox or to scroll through an individual message. But once you've scrolled down, how can you avoid swiping over and over again to reach an email's top and see its sender?

Fortunately, you don't have to swipe fast, swipe often, or swipe at all if you know the right place to tap. This trick works for iOS 8 through iOS 11.

Quickly Scroll to an Email's Top with One Tap in iPhone Mail

To go to the top of an email or mailbox quickly in iPhone Mail:

  • Tap in the ​iPhone status bar (which contains the clock, signal, and battery indicators, for example). Be sure to tap on the status bar, closer to the battery and network indicator.
  • The same works for scrolling to the top of a folder's message list, too. To get back to the top of your mailbox, tap on the top status bar.

Quick Scrolls and Jumps in iPhone Mail

  • Return to Mailbox Message List: If you have a message open, you can tap the Back link that is on the top left to go back to the message list (depending on the which inbox you're in the link may say All Messages, Mailbox, etc.). You will be returned to the screen from which you opened it rather than being sent to the top of the message list.
  • Scroll to Next or Previous Message Using the Arrows: You can also use the two arrows on the right side of the screen just under the status bar to open the next message or to return to the previous message. These arrows are an easy way to go through your mailbox without returning to the list of messages in the mailbox. These arrows are visible at the top no matter whether you've scrolled down the message or not.
  • Return to Mailbox Message List and then Jump to Top of the Message List: If you have a message open and want to return to the message list and then jump to the top of the list, you'll need two taps. First, tap on the Back link (or whatever the link is in the top left below the status bar). Then tap the status bar to be returned to the top of the message list. If you have a message string open, this behavior may not be the same.