Navigating ClickUp as a client
How to find your project, locate specific tasks, search for things, and move around the ClickUp workspace without getting lost.
- Difficulty
- Beginner
Once you're logged in, knowing how to navigate ClickUp quickly makes a big difference. This guide shows you exactly how to find what you need.
Quick summary
Use the left sidebar to find your project, click into tasks to see their details, and press Cmd+K (Mac) or Ctrl+K (Windows) to search everything you have access to. Most clients only need to visit one or two places regularly.
Getting to your project
Look at the left side of the screen. Your workspace name is in the upper-left corner. The vertical bar down the far left is the Global Navigation. Click Home at the top of it to open your Home Sidebar, which is open by default when you log in.
Click your project name. As a guest, you'll find everything we've shared with you in the Shared with me section of your sidebar. Your project will typically be named after your business or your specific project. If you're not sure which one is yours, ask your project lead.
Browse the lists inside. Your project is divided into lists — typically one per phase (Discovery, Design, Development, Launch) or one per topic area. Expand your project to see its lists, then click a list name to see the tasks inside it.
Finding a specific task
If you know what you're looking for, the fastest way to find it is search:
- Press Cmd + K on Mac or Ctrl + K on Windows to open search (ClickUp calls it the AI Command Bar). You can also click Search in the toolbar at the top of the screen.
- Type part of the task name, or a keyword from its description. To narrow the results, use the search filters, for example by assignee or status.
- Click the result to open it directly
Search only shows items you have permission to see. You can also scroll through a list and click the Filter button at the top of the view to show only tasks in certain statuses.
Understanding the sidebar layout
| Sidebar item | What it is |
|---|---|
| Workspace name | The top-level container — the Chykalophia workspace |
| Space | A broad grouping (e.g. "Client Projects") |
| Folder | An optional sub-grouping within a space (e.g. your specific project) |
| List | A collection of tasks (e.g. "Design Phase") |
| Task | A single piece of work |
A Space itself can't be shared with a guest, so you won't be given access to one. What you'll see under Shared with me is whatever we've shared with you: folders, lists and tasks. A Space may still show up there as the container holding them, and you can expand it to reach the lists inside. As a client, you'll mostly navigate at the List and Task level.
Switching views
ClickUp lets you view your tasks in different formats. The most common are:
- List view — the most common way to work through tasks, and the most flexible way to group, sort and filter them
- Board view — tasks shown by status, good for seeing overall project flow
To switch, click a view's name in the Views Bar at the top of the list. Your project lead will set up the most useful default view for your project.
Common questions
I can't find my project. The sidebar looks empty.
Make sure you're in the correct workspace: click the workspace name in the upper-left corner and switch if needed. Then check the Shared with me section of your sidebar. If the workspace is correct but the project isn't visible, email support@chykalophia.com and we'll check your permissions.
The sidebar is really long and confusing. Can it be simplified?
Yes. To expand or hide a Space, folder or subfolder, hover over it and click the expand icon. You can also add lists you use often to your Favorites: right-click the list in your sidebar, hover over Favorite, and select Favorites. (From most other places in ClickUp, clicking the item's star icon does the same thing.) Your favorites appear in a Favorites section in your Home Sidebar, which only shows once you've favorited something.
How do I get back to the home screen?
Click Home at the top of the Global Navigation (the vertical bar on the far left). This opens your Home Sidebar, where you'll find your Inbox (your notifications) and My Tasks. My Tasks is the page ClickUp used to call Home. It can show cards such as the items you opened recently and the tasks assigned to you.
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