Harvest Keyboard Shortcuts
Harvest differentiates itself from pure time-tracking tools like Toggl or Clockify by bundling invoicing directly into the same product, and that combination shapes its shortcut priorities — a meaningful share of Harvest's keyboard-driven workflow exists to move quickly from a logged timesheet entry to a generated client invoice line item, a step that doesn't exist at all in time-tracking-only competitors. The weekly timesheet grid, similar in concept to Clockify's Timesheet view, is Harvest's default and most-used entry method for many agency teams who log hours in batches at the end of a day or week rather than running a continuous live timer, which reflects the billing-and-client-reporting use case Harvest is built around more than a pure focus-tracking use case. Because invoices in Harvest are generated from tracked time and expenses rather than built from scratch, its invoice-creation shortcuts are really about selecting and confirming which already-tracked items to include, not free-form document editing. Project budgets and burn-rate tracking, which show how much of a client project's allotted hours or dollars have been consumed relative to what was scoped, are a core reason many agencies choose Harvest over a simpler timer app — that budget view updates automatically from the same tracked time entries used for invoicing, so there's no separate manual reconciliation step needed between billing and budget monitoring. Integrations with project-management tools like Asana or Trello let team members start a Harvest timer directly from a task card in those tools, which matters in practice since it removes the friction of switching apps just to begin tracking time against the right project and task. Timesheet approval matters specifically for agencies with a manager-review step in their billing process, since Harvest's approval workflow locks entries once signed off, creating a clear audit trail between what a team member logged and what actually made it onto a client invoice, which is a meaningfully different governance model than a tool where anyone can edit their own logged time indefinitely.
Timer Timesheet
| Action | Windows | Mac | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start timer (desktop/browser extension) | Toolbar/extension icon click (no default global hotkey) | — | Kicks off a running timer against whichever project and task you've selected, something Harvest expects you to trigger through its app or browser extension icon since no official global keyboard shortcut ships for it in current versions. |
| Enter hours in weekly timesheet | Click cell + type hours | — | Types a duration directly into a project/day cell of the weekly timesheet grid, Harvest's most commonly used entry method for agencies logging time in batches rather than continuously. |
| Submit timesheet | Submit button (no dedicated key) | — | Submits the completed weekly timesheet for manager approval, part of Harvest's team-billing workflow. |
| Start timer from a linked task card | Harvest button on Asana/Trello card | — | Starts tracking time directly from within a connected project-management tool's task card, avoiding the need to switch to Harvest itself just to begin timing work on that task. |
| Approve submitted timesheet | Manager view > Approve button (no keyboard shortcut) | — | Approves a team member's submitted weekly timesheet, locking those entries from further edits and marking them ready for invoicing, part of the manager-facing sign-off step Harvest builds in for teams that require approval before anything goes to invoicing. |
| Edit an existing time entry | Click entry in timesheet grid | — | Pulls up a previously logged entry so you can adjust its duration, project, task, or notes after the fact, which is a fundamentally different operation from logging a brand-new block of time from scratch. |
Expenses
| Action | Windows | Mac | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Add new expense | + New Expense button (no dedicated key) | — | Logs a new billable or non-billable expense against a project, which can later be pulled into a client invoice alongside tracked time. |
| Attach receipt to expense | Upload/drag file onto expense entry | — | Attaches a photo or scanned receipt to an expense entry, commonly done via mobile app camera capture or drag-and-drop upload on desktop. |
| Export a time/expense report | Reports > Export (CSV/PDF, no keyboard shortcut) | — | Exports a filtered time or expense report to CSV or PDF, commonly used to hand data off to external accounting software or for a client who wants a detailed backup alongside the summary invoice. |
Invoicing
| Action | Windows | Mac | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Create invoice from tracked time/expenses | New Invoice button (no dedicated key) | — | Generates a new invoice pre-populated with unbilled tracked time and expenses for a selected client, the core action tying Harvest's time-tracking and billing sides together. |
| Send invoice to client | Send button (no dedicated key) | — | Emails the finalized invoice directly to the client's billing contact from within Harvest, without needing to export and send it manually through a separate email client. |
| View project budget/burn rate | Project > Budget tab (no dedicated key) | — | Opens a project's budget view showing hours or dollars consumed against the scoped total, drawing on the identical logged hours and expenses that feed into client invoicing so nothing needs separate reconciliation. |
| Duplicate an existing invoice | Invoice list > Duplicate action | — | Creates a copy of a previous invoice's structure and line items, useful for recurring retainer-style billing where the format repeats but amounts or dates need updating. |
Frequently Asked Questions
How is Harvest different from a pure time-tracking tool like Toggl if both have timesheets?
The core difference is that Harvest bundles invoicing and expense tracking directly into the same product, letting tracked hours flow straight into a client invoice without exporting to separate accounting software. Pure time-tracking tools typically require integrating with a separate invoicing or accounting product to close that loop.
Can invoiced time entries still be edited afterward?
Once time has been included on a sent invoice, Harvest generally locks those entries from further editing to preserve billing accuracy and an audit trail; correcting a mistake after invoicing typically requires adjusting the invoice itself (a credit or revision) rather than simply editing the original time entry.
Does Harvest have a true global keyboard shortcut for starting a timer, the way some competitors do?
Harvest's timer-starting is primarily click-driven through its app, browser extension, or integrations (like a Trello or Asana button) rather than a documented dedicated global keyboard hotkey, which is a point of difference from tools like Toggl Track that specifically emphasize a memorable global start/stop shortcut as a core feature.
Does Harvest's budget tracking require a separate manual step to stay updated?
No — budget and burn-rate views calculate automatically from the same time entries and expenses already being tracked for invoicing, so there's no separate reconciliation step needed between monitoring project budget consumption and preparing a client invoice; both draw from the same underlying tracked data.
Can I start a Harvest timer without leaving the project-management tool I'm already working in?
Yes — with an active Harvest integration configured for a tool like Asana or Trello, a small Harvest button shows up directly on each task card, and clicking it starts the timer against the right project and task without ever leaving that app.
Is duplicating an invoice useful for anything besides recurring retainers?
It's most commonly used for recurring retainer billing where the structure repeats monthly, but it's also handy any time a new invoice closely resembles a past one in format or line-item structure, since editing a duplicate is generally faster than rebuilding an invoice's layout from a blank template each time.
Does Harvest support tracking time against fixed-fee projects, not just hourly billing?
Yes, Harvest supports both hourly and fixed-fee project budget types, letting you track hours for internal profitability insight even when the client is billed a flat fee rather than by tracked hours directly, which is common for agencies mixing both billing models across different clients.
What happens to a time entry once a manager approves the timesheet it belongs to?
Approved timesheet entries typically become locked against further editing by the team member who logged them, preserving billing accuracy once a manager has signed off — correcting an error in an already-approved entry usually requires the manager to reopen or unapprove the timesheet first rather than the original person editing it directly.