ClickUp terms, explained simply

A plain-English glossary of every ClickUp term you might encounter while working with us.

New to ClickUp? This glossary explains every term you're likely to encounter. If you see a word in ClickUp or in our messages that isn't on this list, just ask — we're happy to explain.

Quick summary

This is a reference guide — you don't need to read it all at once. Bookmark it and come back whenever you encounter a term you're not sure about. Entries are in A–Z order.

Assignee

The person responsible for completing a task. A task can have one assignee, or several if the workspace allows it. When a task is assigned to you, it appears in your personal task list and you'll receive notifications about it.

Attachment

A file uploaded to a task — for example, an image, a PDF, or a document. Anyone with access to the task can see its attachments. See How to attach files & screenshots.

@mention

Typing @ in a comment and picking someone's name to tag them directly. They get a notification. Use it when you need someone's attention. See Mentioning people to get their attention.

Checklist

A list of smaller to-do items inside a task. Checklists are used to track the steps needed to complete a task. Each item can be checked off as it's done.

ClickApp

An optional feature in ClickUp that can be turned on or off for your workspace — for example, time tracking, priorities, custom fields, or tags. Your workspace is set up with the ClickApps that suit your project.

Closed (status)

A task status indicating that work is totally complete. In ClickUp, Complete is the standard Closed status. Different from Done, which is for finished work that still needs to stay open. Closed doesn't mean archived: archiving is a separate step that hides a task from view.

Comment

A message left on a task by any team member or client. Comments are the main way to communicate about a specific piece of work. They're kept in the task's activity, in order, and are visible to everyone with task access. See How to comment on a task.

Custom Field

An extra piece of information added to a task beyond the standard fields — for example, a priority score, a budget amount, or a URL. Your workspace may have custom fields set up for your project.

Dashboard

A customizable page in ClickUp that shows an overview of your project — tasks, progress charts, upcoming deadlines, and more. Your project manager may share a dashboard with you as part of your client portal.

Dependency

A relationship between two tasks where one must be completed before the other can be completed. For example, a development task can't be completed until the design task it's waiting on is done. We manage dependencies internally so you don't need to worry about them.

Description

The main body of a task — a space for detailed notes, instructions, links, and context. When you submit a request, the description is where you write the details of what you need.

Due Date

The date a task is expected to be complete. We set due dates based on project milestones and your brief. Depending on your notification settings, ClickUp can remind you before a due date or let you know when a task is overdue.

Folder

A way to group multiple Lists together inside a Space. For example, a "Website Redesign" folder might contain lists for Design, Development, and Content. Folders are optional and help organize large projects. A Folder can also contain Subfolders.

Follower / Watcher

Someone who gets notified when a task changes, even if they're not assigned to it. Assignees follow their tasks automatically, and by default commenting on a task makes you a follower too. Depending on your access, you may also be able to follow or unfollow a task yourself. ClickUp used to call followers "watchers." See Managing your ClickUp notifications.

Guest

A ClickUp user who has limited access — they can only see the specific tasks, lists, folders, or docs that have been shared with them. Guests can't be added to a whole Space. Clients are often set up as guests so they see only their own project, listed under Shared with me in the sidebar.

Home

The Home entry in ClickUp's Global Navigation. It opens the Home Sidebar, which gives you your Inbox, My Tasks, and your favorites. My Tasks, the personal page that shows your assigned tasks and reminders, used to be called Home.

Inbox

Your personal notification center in ClickUp. All activity that involves you — @mentions, status changes, comments on your tasks — appears here. It's different from your email inbox.

List

A collection of tasks grouped together. Lists live inside Spaces (and optionally Folders or Subfolders). For example, your project might have a Requests list and a Live Work list. A list can have its own statuses and settings.

Member

A full ClickUp user in a workspace, with access to most areas. Distinguished from a Guest, who has limited access. Your project team are members; you as a client are typically a Guest.

Notification

An alert that something has happened in ClickUp. Notifications can arrive in your ClickUp Inbox, by email, as browser or desktop pop-ups, and as push notifications on your phone. See Managing your ClickUp notifications.

Priority

An optional label on a task indicating how urgent or important it is. ClickUp has four levels: Urgent, High, Normal, and Low. We use priorities internally to manage our team's workload.

Private task / Private list

A task or list that is only visible to specific people. Your project manager may use private tasks for internal planning that doesn't need to be shared with you.

Recurring Task

A task that is automatically recreated on a schedule — for example, a monthly report review or a weekly check-in. You don't need to create these yourself; we set them up.

Reminder

A quick to-do that doesn't need a full task. Reminders appear in your ClickUp Inbox. You can create them for yourself, and depending on the ClickUp plan, they can also be delegated to someone else.

Space

The second level of organization in ClickUp, inside the Workspace. A Space usually represents a client, a department, or a major project. Your project lives inside a Space. Spaces contain Lists and Folders. Guests don't get access to a whole Space, only to the items inside it that have been shared with them.

Status

A label that shows where a task is in the workflow — for example, New Request, In Progress, Needs Approval, Approved, or Done. Statuses can be customized for each Space, Folder, or List. See Task statuses explained.

Subtask

A smaller task that sits inside a parent task. Subtasks are useful for breaking a large piece of work into steps. When you open the main task, you'll find them in its Subtasks section, below the description.

Tag

A label that can be added to a task for filtering and searching. For example, tasks might be tagged with "content," "design," or "urgent."

Task

The basic unit of work in ClickUp. Everything we work on for you is represented as a task. A task has a title, description, status, assignee(s), due date, and comments. See Understanding tasks.

Thread

A reply chain within a comment. When the Threaded Comments ClickApp is turned on, you can reply directly to a specific comment to keep a conversation together in its own thread rather than in the main comment stream.

View

The way a List, Folder, or Space is displayed. Common views include List (a plain list of tasks), Board (tasks in columns by status, like a Kanban board), Calendar (tasks plotted by date), and Table (a spreadsheet-style view). We choose the most appropriate view for your project.

Watcher / Watch

See Follower / Watcher above.

Workspace

Your entire ClickUp environment — all the Spaces, Folders, Lists, and tasks for your organization. It's the top level of organization in ClickUp. When we invite you to ClickUp, you're joining our workspace (or a dedicated one set up for you).

Common questions

What's the difference between a Space, a Folder, and a List?

Think of it like folders on your computer. The Workspace is the whole drive. A Space is a top-level folder inside it (your whole project). Folders are optional sub-folders inside a Space (major areas like Design or Development). Lists are the actual files inside those folders — where individual tasks live.

What's the difference between a task being 'Done' and 'Closed'?

Both mean work is finished, but there's a subtle difference. Done means the work is complete, but the task stays open, for example because other people still need it. Closed means the task is totally complete. Neither one means the task is archived. Both are fine for completed work.

Is there a term I don't see here?

Just ask! Leave a comment in your project task or reach out to your project manager. We're happy to explain anything.

Need a hand?

If you're stuck, email support@chykalophia.com and we'll help. Include your website address and a screenshot if you can.