Usually, the keyboard is faster than the mouse. But there is one thing that is easier and faster accomplished by using mouse and keyboard in unison: selecting a range of messages in a Gmail folder.
Select Multiple Messages Quickly in Gmail
To check multiple messages fast in Gmail:
- Check the first message in the range with the mouse.
- Hold down the Shift key and
- check the last message in the desired range with the mouse.
Once the messages are all checked, you can release the Shift key and even select other, nonadjacent messages. Of course, you can also select another range as well.
Deselecting a range of messages in Gmail works exactly like that, too.

