Google Calendar Keyboard Shortcuts – A List & Guide

Google Calendar is a handy tool right out of the box. It’s a productivity booster that helps you stay organized using the Calendar’s great functionality. But there’s no app that can’t be made better and more functional with some keyboard shortcuts.

Fortunately, Google thought of that aspect as well. That’s why Google Calendar has an entire suite of hotkeys to make your experience with the tool as smooth as possible.

This article will show you how to use Google Calendar keyboard shortcuts on Windows and Mac computers.

Google Calendar Shortcuts for Windows

There are three aspects of Google Calendar that you can control via keyboard shortcuts:

• Calendar navigation
• Calendar view
• Event changes

Calendar Navigation Shortcuts

1. j or n – move between calendar date ranges
   
2. r – refresh the calendar
   
3. t – go to the current date
   
4. + – Create a new calendar section
   
5. / – move the cursor to the search box
   
6. s – open Settings
   
7. g – navigate to a particular date
   

Calendar View Shortcuts

1. d or 1 – view by day
   
2. w or 2 – view by week
   
3. m or 3 – view by month
   
4. x or 4 – view custom range
   
5. a or 5 – view your agenda
   

Event Changes Shortcuts

1. c – new event
   
2. e – event details
   
3. Delete or Backspace – delete event
   
4. z – undo
   
5. Ctrl + s – save the event (accessible from “Event Details”)
   
6. Esc – go back to the main calendar grid
   

In addition to these shortcuts, you can also use your keyboard to bring up Tasks and Keep. These will appear in a side panel, so you can use them simultaneously with other Calendar options.

The shortcut for this function is Ctrl + Alt + comma (,) or Ctrl + Alt + dot (.)

Google Calendar Shortcuts for Mac

Since Google Calendar is designed for seamless use on Mac as well as Windows PC, the keyboard shortcuts on Mac will mostly be the same as on Windows.

These shortcuts will also apply to three categories: navigating around the calendar, changing the view, and changing events.

Shortcuts for Navigating Around the Calendar

1. Go to the following date range: n or j
   
2. Refresh the calendar page: r
   
3. Snap to today: t
   
4. Add a new section: +
   
5. Move the cursor to the search box: /
   
6. Open the page with Calendar settings: s
   
7. Move to a specific date: g
   

Shortcuts for Changing the View

1. View daily calendar: d or 1
   
2. View weekly calendar: w or 2
   
3. View monthly calendar: m or 3
   
4. Custom calendar view: x or 4
   
5. Agenda view: a or 5
   

Shortcuts for Changing Events

1. Make a new event: c
   
2. See the details of an event: e
   
3. Delete selected event: Delete or Backspace
   
4. Undo last action: z
   
5. Save event changes (works only in “Event Details”): Control + s
   
6. Leave “Event Details” and return to the grid: Esc
   

Like in Windows, you can use a keyboard shortcut to bring up a side panel with Tasks and Keep. The shortcut for this action is Control + Option + comma (,) or Control + Option + dot (.)

Keyboard shortcuts will come in very handy if you’re always using Google Calendar on your computer. But if you need to take your organization on the road and use the mobile version, the transition could be a bit clunky.

In that case, it would be best to master not only the keyboard shortcuts for Google Calendar, but also the mobile version of this excellent tool. That way, you’ll be able to switch from one device to the other smoothly.

Let’s look at the most important Google Calendar commands for mobile browsers.

Switching to Google Calendar the Mobile Version

If you want to keep using Google Calendar on your phone but with all of the ease provided by keyboard shortcuts, this guide for mobile users will be a good addition to the computer techniques we described earlier.

Once you open Google Calendar on your mobile browser and sign in with Google, your events will be synced automatically. Then, you can continue using the main functions of the app with the following methods:

Calendar View

• Tap “Month” or “Day” to go between the monthly and daily calendar view. This option will be at the top of your main Google Calendar page.
  
• Tap “Today” icon to go back to the current day.
  

Editing Events

• Tap the “Create” button to create a new event. This option is represented with a plus (+) sign, located in the top right.
  
• After writing the event date, time, and title, you can enter the email addresses of the people you want to invite. Use the “Add a person to this meeting” field for this function.
  
• Tap “Save” to keep the event you’ve created. Once you do that, the email invitations to the event will be sent out to people whose addresses you entered.
  
• Tap an existing event to bring up “Edit” and “Delete” options. If you want to remove the event, choose “Delete,” then “Ok.” Tap “Edit” to make changes to the event. Once you’re satisfied with the changes, choose “Save.”
  

Showing or Hiding Multiple Calendars

Many of us have several calendars on our accounts. If that’s the case with you as well, the initial calendar view when you open the app might look a bit confusing. Fortunately, you can adjust the calendar view to display only the content you want. This option will be critical on the smaller screen of a smartphone.

Follow these steps to show or hide calendars:

1. Tap on “Settings.”
   
2. You’ll see a list of calendars. Tap the calendar.
   
3. By pressing the toggle icon next to “Sync,” you can alternate between showing and hiding the calendar.
   

Reading Notifications

If you want to receive notifications from Google Calendar on your phone, the mobile browser version won’t be enough. This version of Google Calendar doesn’t have notification support. However, you can download the official Google Calendar app for Android or iOS.

Once you download the app on the platform of your choice, you’ll have access to extended functions of Google Calendar, including event notifications.

Get the Most Out of Google Calendar

Google Calendar is one of those tools that get more efficient the more you learn about them. Even if you already know all of the basic (or even advanced) functions of Google Calendar, learning how to use them faster will certainly be helpful.

Keyboard shortcuts will allow you to do just that. With this feature, you’ll become more productive with Google Calendar, and daily, monthly, and yearly organization will become a breeze. And when your new keyboard skills are combined with the mastery of mobile use, nothing will be able to get in your way.

Follow the instructions from this article, and your Google Calendar experience will turn into an absolute joy.

Did you manage to use keyboard shortcuts in Google Calendar? Were the shortcuts easy to learn by heart? Let us know in the comments below.