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Keyboard shortcuts for Android phones

If your Android phone is equipped with a QWERTY keyboard, try using built-in shortcuts for faster navigation.

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Watch this: Use Android keyboard shortcuts

If you rely solely on your Android's touch screen for navigation, you're missing out. Instead, try using Android's built-in keyboard shortcuts for faster maneuvering. 

Not all Android phones have a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, but if yours does, check out some of these essential shortcuts in our latest How To video.

For those of you who want to fully control your Android smartphone with your keyboard, refer to the list of shortcuts below.

Shortcuts for opening Android apps

  • Search-B: Open Web browser
  • Search-C: Open contacts
  • Search-E: Open e-mail
  • Search-G: Open Gmail
  • Search-P: Open music
  • Search-S: Open text messaging
  • Search-Y: Open YouTube

You can add or change these shortcuts through Settings-Applications-Quick launch.

Typing shortcuts

  • Shift-Del: Delete the character to the right of the cursor
  • Alt-Del: Delete an entire line
  • Shift-Shift (press it twice): Activate Caps Lock; press Shift once more to exit
  • Alt-Trackball-Left: Move cursor to beginning of line
  • Alt-Trackball-Right: Move cursor to end of line
  • Alt-Trackball-Up: Move cursor to top of page
  • Alt-Trackball-Down: Move cursor to bottom of page
  • Shift-Trackball-Left/Right: Highlight text for cutting or copying

Web browser shortcuts

  • Menu-J: Go back a page
  • Menu-K: Go forward a page
  • Menu-R: Refresh current page
  • Menu-F: Find on page
  • Menu-B: Open bookmarks
  • Menu-A: Add bookmarks
  • Menu-S: Open social network sharing menu
  • Menu-H: View browsing history
  • Menu-S: Open browser settings
  • Menu-D: Downloads
  • Menu-G: Page info
  • Menu-E: Select text

Gmail Android shortcuts

  • R: Reply to current message
  • A: Reply-all to current message
  • Y: Archive message
  • Menu-U: Refresh in-box
  • Menu-C: Compose new e-mail
  • Enter: Open an e-mail
  • Alt-Trackball-Up: Jump to top of in-box
  • Alt-Trackball-Down: Jump to bottom of in-box


(Via DroidFreeApps.com)