ClickUp Keyboard Shortcuts
ClickUp markets itself on having more features than most competitors combined, and its shortcuts reflect that breadth — there's a dedicated key for nearly every major action type, from creating tasks to switching views to opening the command-style search bar it calls 'ClickUp Search.' The platform is also unusually willing to let users remap shortcuts in settings, which means the defaults below represent the out-of-box behavior most users encounter, though power users in larger workspaces sometimes customize parts of this. That remap-friendliness cuts both ways: teams that have customized their workspace-wide shortcut scheme should treat the bindings below as a starting reference rather than a guarantee, since a shared workspace's admin may have already changed several of them. Docs, ClickUp's built-in document-editing feature, extends the platform beyond pure task management into the kind of written-content territory Notion or Coda occupy, letting a team keep meeting notes, wikis, and specs in the same tool as its task tracking rather than needing a separate app for written documentation. Because ClickUp explicitly positions itself as an all-in-one replacement for several separate tools (task management, docs, goals, time tracking, chat), it inevitably carries more surface area and settings complexity than a narrower, single-purpose competitor, a trade-off some teams embrace for consolidation and others avoid in favor of simpler, more focused tools.
Task Management
| Action | Windows | Mac | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Create new task | T | T | Opens the quick task creation box from anywhere in the current view, letting you type a task name and assign it to the active list without navigating menus. |
| Assign selected task | A (with task selected) | A | Pulls up a searchable teammate picker scoped to whichever task is currently highlighted, so reassigning ownership doesn't require first opening that task's full detail panel just to find the assignee field. |
| Set due date on selected task | D (with task selected) | D | Opens a date picker scoped to the selected task, for setting or changing its due date directly from the list view. |
| Mark task complete | Click checkbox or Ctrl+Enter (in task detail) | Cmd+Enter | Marks the currently open task as complete from within its detail view, moving it to a closed status without needing to find the status dropdown. |
| Duplicate selected task | Ctrl+D (with task selected) | Cmd+D | Clones the selected task along with its assignee, dates, and other configured fields, saving the effort of manually rebuilding a nearly identical task from an empty form. |
| Start/stop time tracking on a task | Task detail > Timer icon | — | Starts or stops ClickUp's built-in time tracker scoped to the currently open task, part of the platform's all-in-one positioning that bundles time tracking alongside task management rather than requiring a separate dedicated tool. |
| Add comment to selected task | M (with task selected) | M | Opens the comment box on the currently selected task directly from the list view, letting you leave a note or mention a teammate without opening the full task detail panel first. |
| Expand/collapse subtasks | Click chevron next to task — no default key | Same | Expanding a task to reveal its nested subtasks, or collapsing it back down, is a mouse-driven click on the small chevron icon rather than a bound keyboard shortcut, useful for temporarily decluttering a list view that has many tasks with extensive subtask breakdowns. |
Navigation
| Action | Windows | Mac | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open ClickUp Search / Command Center | Ctrl+K | Cmd+K | Pulls up a universal jump-to-anything box for tasks, docs, and workspace locations — start typing a few letters of what you're after and ClickUp narrows the list live, comparable to Slack's Quick Switcher or a code editor's fuzzy file finder. |
| Go to Home | G then H | G then H | Navigates to your personalized Home dashboard showing assigned tasks and recent activity, using ClickUp's chorded 'G then [letter]' navigation pattern. |
| Go to Inbox | G then I | G then I | Navigates to your Inbox, which centralizes notifications and assigned comments across all spaces you're part of. |
| Open ClickUp Docs | G then D | G then D | Navigates to ClickUp's built-in document editor, extending the platform beyond pure task management into written-content territory similar to Notion or Coda, keeping documentation in the same tool as task tracking. |
Views Search
| Action | Windows | Mac | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Switch to List view | Ctrl+Alt+L | Cmd+Option+L | Switches the current space or folder's display to List view, one of several interchangeable view types ClickUp supports for the same underlying tasks. |
| Switch to Board view | Ctrl+Alt+B | Cmd+Option+B | Switches the current view to a kanban-style Board layout, showing the same tasks grouped into status columns instead of a flat list. |
| Open filter panel | F | F | Opens the filter panel for the current view, letting you narrow visible tasks by assignee, status, tag, or due date without navigating a separate menu. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Why doesn't pressing T always create a new task?
Single-letter shortcuts like T only fire when focus is on the task list or board itself, not inside a text field. If you've just typed a comment or are editing a task's description, ClickUp interprets T as a literal character rather than the new-task shortcut until you click elsewhere to release text-field focus.
Can I customize these shortcuts?
Yes — ClickUp exposes a keyboard shortcuts settings page where many default bindings can be reassigned, which is part of why some teams report slightly different shortcuts than what's documented as default, especially in workspaces that have been configured by an admin for consistency with another tool the team also uses.
What's the difference between Command Center and the Filter panel?
Command Center (Ctrl+K) is a universal jump-to-anything search across the whole workspace — tasks, docs, spaces — meant for navigation. The Filter panel (F) instead narrows what's currently displayed within the view you're already in, based on task properties like assignee or status, and doesn't navigate you anywhere new.
Can ClickUp replace a separate documentation tool like Notion?
For many teams, yes — ClickUp Docs provides built-in document editing for meeting notes, wikis, and specs directly alongside task management, letting written documentation live in the same tool as task tracking rather than requiring a separate dedicated app, though the depth of writing-focused features may not fully match a tool built purely around documents.
Why does ClickUp feel more complex than a simpler task tool like Todoist?
Todoist is purpose-built around one job — capturing and completing tasks — so its entire interface and shortcut set can stay narrow. ClickUp instead bundles goal tracking, a document editor, chat, and time tracking into the same workspace as its task lists, and every one of those bolted-on modules adds its own settings screen, view type, and occasionally its own shortcut conventions. The complexity isn't a bug so much as the direct cost of not needing four separate subscriptions and four separate logins to run a team.
Do I need a separate app for time tracking if I'm already using ClickUp for tasks?
No, ClickUp includes built-in time tracking scoped directly to individual tasks, letting you start and stop a timer without needing a separate dedicated time-tracking tool, consistent with the platform's broader all-in-one positioning.
Can I leave a comment on a task without opening its full detail view?
Yes — pressing M with a task selected in the list opens a comment box scoped to that task directly, which is faster for a quick note or an @mention than opening the entire task detail panel just to reach the comments section at the bottom of it.
Is there a way to see how many subtasks a task has without expanding it?
Most list and board views show a small subtask count badge directly on the parent task row even while collapsed, giving a quick sense of how much is nested underneath without needing to expand every task to check, which is especially useful when scanning a long list for tasks that still have open subtasks remaining.