Using the keyboard to use Mail
You can use your keyboard to perform many of the same actions you perform using the mouse. With full keyboard access, you use the Tab key, arrow keys, and Space bar to move to and select or activate items on the screen.
To choose what can be accessed with the keyboard:
Choose Apple menu > System Preferences and click Keyboard & Mouse.
Click Keyboard Shortcuts.
Select the "Text boxes and lists only" button or the "All controls" button.
The full keyboard access settings affect how you navigate Mail. For example, if you select "Text boxes and lists only," repeatedly pressing the Tab key in a new message window moves the pointer through the address and subject fields in the header, then to the text field of the message, skipping over the Customize Header menu and other controls that you've added to the message header. If you select "All controls," tabbing through a new message window will include selecting each menu and control in the header so that you can operate them using the keyboard.
For more information about full keyboard access, choose Help > Mac Help in the finder and search for "full keyboard access."
