Keyboard Shortcuts

Aerion is designed for efficient keyboard navigation. Use these shortcuts to manage your email without touching the mouse.

Global Shortcuts

These work anywhere in the application (unless you're typing in a text field).

Application

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl+Q	Quit application
Ctrl+N	Compose new message
Ctrl+S	Focus search bar
Ctrl+Shift+A	Sync all accounts
Ctrl+Shift+S	Sync selected folder

Pane Navigation

Shortcut	Action
Alt+Left / Alt+H	Focus previous pane (viewer → list → sidebar)
Alt+Right / Alt+L	Focus next pane (sidebar → list → viewer)

Folder Navigation

Shortcut	Action
Alt+Up / Alt+K	Navigate to previous folder
Alt+Down / Alt+J	Navigate to next folder
Alt+Enter	Expand/collapse focused account folder tree
Alt(L)+Alt(R)	Brings up context menu for the focused folder

Message Actions

When a message is selected or viewed:

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl+R	Reply to message
Ctrl+Shift+R	Reply All
Ctrl+F	Forward message
Ctrl+U	Mark as read
Ctrl+Shift+U	Mark as unread
Ctrl+K	Archive
Ctrl+J	Mark as spam
Ctrl+L	Load remote images
Ctrl+Shift+L	Open "Always Load Images" options

Pane-Specific Shortcuts

These shortcuts work within the currently focused pane.

Sidebar (Folder List)

Shortcut	Action
Up / K	Navigate to previous folder
Down / J	Navigate to next folder
Alt + Enter / Space	Expand/collapse account
Alt(L) + Alt(R)	Brings up context menu for the focused folder

Message List

Shortcut	Action
Up / K	Select previous conversation
Down / J	Select next conversation
Shift+Up / Shift+K	Select previous + toggle checkbox
Shift+Down / Shift+J	Select next + toggle checkbox
Space	Toggle checkbox on current conversation
Enter	Open selected conversation in viewer
CTRL+A	Select all messages in folder
Alt(R)	Brings up context menu for the selected message(s)

Conversation Viewer

Shortcut	Action
Up / K	Scroll up
Down / J	Scroll down
Tab	Cycle through messages when focused on conversation viewer
Delete / Backspace	Delete focused message when focused on conversation viewer
Ctrl + A	Select all text of message in viewport
Alt(R)	Brings up context menu for the message focused

Single-Key Shortcuts

These quick actions work when you're not in a text field. They apply to checked messages (bulk) or the keyboard-focused message.

Shortcut	Action
S	Toggle star
Backspace / Delete	Move to trash
Shift+Backspace / Shift+Delete	Permanently delete
Escape	Clear checkboxes (first press), close conversation (second press)

Composer Shortcuts

When the composer is open:

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl+Enter	Send message
Alt+T	Activate/Deactivate toolbar mode
Alt+A	Attach a file
Alt+P	Toggle PGP security mode (S = sign, E = encrypt)
Alt+S	Toggle S/MIME security mode (S = sign, E = encrypt)
Ctrl+D	Pop out/detach composer to separate window
Escape	Close composer (prompts to save draft if unsaved)

Text Formatting

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl+B	Bold
Ctrl+I	Italic
Ctrl+U	Underline
Alt+T	Toggle toolbar and follow hint to choose

Quick Reference Card

NAVIGATION
  Alt + Arrow Keys    Pane focus (Left/Right) or Folder nav (Up/Down)
  Alt + H/J/K/L       Vim-style: pane (H/L) or folder (J/K)
  Alt(L) + Alt(R)     Brings context menu up for the focused folder
  Alt + Enter         Expand/collapse account
  Arrow Keys / HJKL   Navigate within focused pane
  Enter               Open conversation / Expand account
  Space               Toggle checkbox / Expand account

COMPOSE & REPLY
  Ctrl + N            New message
  Ctrl + R            Reply
  Ctrl + Shift + R    Reply All
  Ctrl + F            Forward
  Ctrl + Enter        Send (in composer)
  Ctrl + D            Detach composer
  Alt  + T            Toggle format toolbar mode
  Alt  + P            PGP mode (S/E to toggle sign/encrypt)
  Alt  + S            S/MIME mode (S/E to toggle sign/encrypt)

SELECTION
  Ctrl + A            Select all messages (list) / text (viewer)

MESSAGE ACTIONS
  S                   Star/Unstar
  Ctrl + U            Mark read
  Ctrl + Shift + U    Mark unread
  Ctrl + K            Archive
  Ctrl + J            Spam
  Delete              Trash
  Shift + Delete      Permanent delete
  Alt(R)              Context Menu

OTHER
  Ctrl + Shift + A    Sync all accounts
  Ctrl + Shift + S    Sync selected folder
  Ctrl + S            Search
  Ctrl + L            Load images
  Ctrl + Q            Quit
  Escape              Clear/Close

How Focus Works

Aerion has three main panes:

1. Sidebar - Account and folder list
2. Message List - Conversations in the current folder
3. Conversation Viewer - The selected conversation

A visual indicator shows which pane is focused. Use Alt+Left/Right or Alt+H/L to move focus between panes.

Bulk Selection

To apply actions to multiple messages:

1. Navigate to a message with J/K
2. Press Space to check it
3. Navigate to more messages and check them
4. Apply an action (e.g., Delete, Ctrl+K for archive)

Or use Shift+J/K to select while navigating.

Press Escape to clear all selections.

Action Priority

When you use an action shortcut:

1. If any messages are checked, the action applies to all checked messages
2. Otherwise, the action applies to the keyboard-focused message in the list

This lets you quickly act on single messages or perform bulk operations.