Roundcube Keyboard Shortcuts: Complete List, Setup & PDF (2026)
Quick answer: Roundcube keyboard shortcuts let you compose (c), reply (r), forward (f), delete (d), and move through your mailbox without touching the mouse. They are provided by Roundcube’s keyboard_shortcuts plugin, and you can see every active key inside webmail by pressing ?. Below is the full, verified list for both mailbox view and threads view, how to turn shortcuts on, what to do when they don’t work, and a free PDF cheat sheet.
What Are Roundcube Keyboard Shortcuts?
Roundcube is a free, open-source, browser-based IMAP email client used by millions of people often through a hosting control panel like cPanel. Because it runs in the browser rather than as a desktop app, its keyboard shortcuts are single-key commands that act on whatever is currently focused: the message list, an open message, or the compose window.
Unlike Gmail, shortcuts in Roundcube are not built into the core by default on every install. They are delivered by the keyboard_shortcuts plugin maintained by Cor Bosman. Many shared-hosting and cPanel deployments ship with this plugin already enabled, which is why you’ll often see a small keyboard icon in the message toolbar. If you see that icon, shortcuts are active.
How to Enable Keyboard Shortcuts in Roundcube
If pressing ? in your mailbox does nothing, the plugin probably isn’t enabled. There are two paths depending on the kind of access you have.
If you only have webmail access (typical cPanel or shared hosting user):
- Open Roundcube and look at the toolbar above your message list.
- If you see a small keyboard icon, shortcuts are already enabled click it (or press ?) to view the list.
- If there’s no icon, you can’t enable the plugin yourself. Ask your hosting provider or administrator to enable the keyboard_shortcuts plugin.
If you administer the server (root or Roundcube admin):
- Install the plugin from its repository (github.com/corbosman/keyboard_shortcuts) into Roundcube’s plugins/ directory, or via Composer.
- Open Roundcube’s main config file (config/config.inc.php).
- Add keyboard_shortcuts to the $config[‘plugins’] array.
- Save and reload webmail. The keyboard icon should now appear.
After enabling, press ? inside webmail at any time to see the live shortcut help popup.
Roundcube Shortcuts – Mailbox (List) View
These keys work when you’re in the message list or viewing a message. They are the most-used Roundcube shortcuts day to day.
| Action | Shortcut Key |
|---|---|
| Show shortcut help popup | ? |
| Select all visible messages | a |
| Mark all visible messages as read | A |
| Compose a new message | c |
| Delete the selected message | d |
| Forward the message | f |
| Go to the previous page of messages | j |
| Go to the next page of messages | k |
| Print the message | p |
| Reply to the sender | r |
| Reply to all recipients | R |
| Jump to quick search | s |
| Check for new mail (update) | u |
Note on j and k: these page through your message list (mirroring Gmail’s navigation), not individual messages. j moves to the previous page and k to the next page.
Roundcube Shortcuts – Threads View
When your mailbox is set to display conversations as threads, three extra keys control how those threads expand and collapse.
| Action | Shortcut Key |
|---|---|
| Expand all threads | E |
| Collapse all threads | C |
| Expand only unread threads | U |
Compose Window Shortcuts
Inside the compose window, Roundcube leans on standard browser and text-editing keys rather than single-letter commands (so you can type freely). The one Roundcube-specific combination worth memorizing:
| Action | Shortcut Key |
|---|---|
| Send the message | Ctrl + Enter |
Standard editing keys Ctrl + B (bold), Ctrl + I (italic), Ctrl + Z (undo), Ctrl + A (select all) work as expected in the HTML editor.
Why Aren’t My Roundcube Shortcuts Working?
A few common reasons, in rough order of likelihood:
- The plugin isn’t enabled. This is by far the most common cause. No keyboard icon in the toolbar means no plugin. See the setup section above.
- Your cursor is in a text field. Single-key shortcuts are intentionally suppressed while you’re typing in search, compose, or a form, so they don’t fire mid-sentence. Click an empty area of the message list first.
- Case matters. r (reply) and R (reply all) are different commands, as are a and A. Watch your Shift key.
- Browser extension conflict. Some extensions capture single keystrokes. Test in a private/incognito window to rule this out.
- You’re on an old or heavily customized skin. The plugin ships skin files for Larry and Elastic; a custom skin may not load them.
Roundcube vs Gmail Shortcuts
If you’ve come from Gmail Shortcuts, several Roundcube keys will feel familiar because the plugin was deliberately modeled on Gmail and Google Reader conventions.
| Action | Roundcube | Gmail |
|---|---|---|
| Compose | c | c |
| Reply | r | r |
| Reply all | R (Shift+R) | a |
| Forward | f | f |
| Delete | d | # |
| Mark all read | A (Shift+A) | — |
| Search | s | / |
| Help popup | ? | ? |
The big overlaps c, r, f, ? mean most Gmail muscle memory transfers directly.
Download the Roundcube Shortcuts PDF
Want a printable cheat sheet to keep next to your desk? Download the full list as a one-page PDF:
Download Roundcube Shortcuts PDF →
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Roundcube keyboard shortcuts work on Mac?
Yes. The single-key shortcuts (c, r, d, etc.) are identical across Windows, Mac, and Linux because they’re handled in the browser. The only platform difference is the send combination use Ctrl + Enter on Windows/Linux; on Mac the same Ctrl + Enter works in most builds.
Why don’t I see a keyboard icon in Roundcube?
The keyboard_shortcuts plugin isn’t enabled on your install. If you’re a webmail-only user, ask your hosting provider or administrator to enable it. If you administer the server, add keyboard_shortcuts to the plugins array in config.inc.php.
Can I customize Roundcube shortcuts?
Not from the webmail settings screen. The key mappings are defined in the plugin’s source. A server administrator can edit them, but everyday users cannot remap keys through the interface.
Which Roundcube version do these shortcuts apply to?
These are verified against Roundcube 1.6.x with the Elastic skin using the keyboard_shortcuts plugin. The core key set has been stable across recent versions, but always press ? in your own webmail to confirm what’s active on your install.
Are shortcuts enabled by default in Roundcube?
Not in the Roundcube core itself. They depend on the third-party keyboard_shortcuts plugin. Many cPanel and shared-hosting setups bundle and enable it, which is why it often appears to “just work.”
What does pressing ? do in Roundcube?
It opens the shortcut help popup showing every key currently active on your install the fastest way to confirm which shortcuts you have.
Conclusion
Roundcube’s keyboard shortcuts are simple, single-key commands that make webmail noticeably faster once they’re enabled compose with c, reply with r, delete with d, and page through mail with j and k. The one thing that trips most people up isn’t the keys themselves but the plugin: if ? does nothing, enabling keyboard_shortcuts is your first step. Press ? any time to confirm the live list on your own install, and grab the PDF above to keep the full set handy.
