How to Send a Message Quickly in Apple Mail

There's more than one way to do things in Mail

By
Heinz Tschabitscher
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 May 28, 2022

What to Know

  • In the Mail app, press Command+Shift+D to transmit email without selecting Send Message.
  • Many other keyboard shortcuts are in the Mail app such as Command+N to start a new message.
  • Also use Command+O to open selected messages and Command+R to reply to selected email.

This article explains how to quickly send a message in the Apple Mail app, as well as other keyboard shortcuts you can use. Instructions article apply to Mail 5 (in Mac OS X Lion) and later.

How to Quickly Send an Email

Press Command+Shift+D, and Mail will transmit your email without you having to select Send Message in the upper-left corner of the window.

More Mail Keyboard Shortcuts

Once you start using keyboard shortcuts for Mail, you might appreciate adding a few more handy keystrokes to your repertoire. 

Start a new message Command+N
Quit Mail Command+Q
Open Mail preferences Command+, [comma]
Open selected message Command+O
Delete selected message Delete
Forward selected message Shift+Command+F
Reply to selected message Command+R
Reply to all Command+R
Jump to favorite inboxes Command+1-5 [up to five]
Move message to favorite inboxes Control+Command+1-5 [up to five]
Empty Junk folder Option+Command+J
Show/Hide Favorites Bar Option+Shift+Command+H
Show/Hide Toolbar Option+Command+T

Try even more keyboard shortcuts in Mail to see which will make your email time the most efficient it can be, and master Mail with other tips and tricks you may not know about.

Was this page helpful?