Do you use Tapback reactions in Messages? You know, the six iconic responses: heart, thumb up, thumb down, haha, exclamation, question. Well, you can use keyboard shortcuts to react to the last message you received.

Tapback Without a Tap

No more must you long-press on a message you just received and then precisely click a reaction icon. Instead, press Command+T to reveal the Tapback reactions. Then, use a number 1 through 6, which map to the six choices from left to right.

Even if you want to Tapback on an earlier message that requires a long-press, I think it’s still more efficient to type a number rather than having to pinpoint the cursor on one of the reactions.

Bonus: No-Click Reply

You can also use Command+R to enter Reply mode on the most recently received message. Just type and send your reply like any other message.

That’s it! These shortcuts work on any Mac running macOS Big Sur or later. Plus, they also work on iPhone and iPad. You just need a dedicated (or virtual) keyboard for the device.

[Update: It’s also possible to access Tapback reactions on iPhone and iPad by double-tapping a message. On both Mac and mobile, you can also find out who has reacted to a message (and add your own) by clicking/tapping on an existing Tapback icon.

Additionally, you can click a message to select it and use Command+T to Tapback that message, Command+R to in-line reply, and Command+E to edit (if possible). Finally, as of macOS Sonoma, Tapbacks are also included in the contextual menu when you right-click a message; and starting in both macOS Sonoma and iOS 17, you can swipe right on a specific message to post an in-line reply.]