Todoist Keyboard Shortcuts: The Complete Guide for Mac
Learn Todoist shortcuts for Mac: global Quick Add, task editing, navigation, projects, sub-tasks, multiple windows, and customizable desktop shortcuts.
Todoist for Mac is especially useful when capturing a task takes only a few keystrokes. You can add a reminder while working in another app, move through your Inbox, and organize a project without repeatedly opening task menus.
This guide covers the Mac desktop app. Todoist’s current shortcut reference supports QWERTY and QWERTZ layouts; other layouts may differ. ⌘ means Command, ⇧ Shift, ⌥ Option, and ⌃ Control.
Read G then T as two successive presses. A combination such as ⌘ + K means holding the keys together. Single-letter commands are for navigating the app or acting on a focused task, rather than typing inside a task name, description, or comment.
Essential Todoist shortcuts
Start with a small set you can use throughout the day. Todoist’s keyboard workflow guide explains how these commands fit together.
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Open Quick Add inside Todoist | Q |
| Open Quick Find | ⌘ + K |
| Search | / or F |
| Toggle the sidebar | M |
| Show the shortcut reference | ? |
| Dismiss a dialog or cancel | Escape |
| Undo | ⌘ + Z |
Pro tip: learn Q, ⌘ + K, and ? first. Together they give you a way to capture work, find it again, and look up the next shortcut when memory fails.
Global shortcuts while another app is active
With the desktop app running, these default combinations work even when Todoist is minimized. They are customizable, so check Settings → Desktop if your installation behaves differently.
| Action | Default Mac shortcut |
|---|---|
| Open global Quick Add | ⌥ + Space |
| Show or hide Todoist | ⌃ + ⌘ + T |
| Start Quick Ramble on new installations | ⌥ + ⇧ + R |
Todoist’s current reference says existing installations retain ⌥ + ⇧ + Space for Quick Ramble unless you change it. Check your assigned combination before trying voice capture.
Global Quick Add is a good habit for interruptions: capture the thought, check the task details, and return to the work already in front of you. The browser version does not provide the desktop app’s global Quick Add shortcut.
Navigate views and focus tasks
The G sequences make useful daily routes. These are also documented in Todoist’s keyboard workflow guide and current reference.
| Destination or action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Inbox | G then I |
| Today | G then T |
| Upcoming | G then U |
| Projects | G then P |
| Home | H or G then H |
| Settings | O then S |
| Notifications | O then N |
| Move task focus up or down | ↑ / ↓ or K / J |
| Move between interface controls | Tab / ⇧ + Tab |
For an Inbox review, go there first and move focus to a task before using a task command. If a letter appears in an editor instead, finish or cancel editing before continuing. Focus is part of the workflow, especially when switching between a list and an open task.
Quick Add syntax for task details
These are typed tokens inside the task name field, rather than key combinations. Todoist’s Quick Add guide explains the supported fields and suggestions.
| Detail | What to type |
|---|---|
| Date or time | Natural language, such as tomorrow at 10am |
| Project | # followed by its name |
| Section within that project | / followed by its name |
| Label | % followed by its name |
| Priority | p1, p2, or p3 |
| Assignee in a shared project | + followed by their name, after choosing the project |
For example, try Review outline tomorrow at 10am #Writing /Drafts %focus p2, choosing matching project, section, and label suggestions as you go. Check the recognized details before submitting.
Use % for new label habits. Todoist says @ still works for now, with retirement planned by the end of 2026. Older shortcut lists may therefore show a different label token.
Pro tip: if a word in the task title is mistakenly recognized as a date, click that highlighted word to keep it as ordinary text. This is useful for titles containing words such as “monthly.”
Edit, schedule, and complete tasks
Use these with a task focused in a project, filter, or label view. The distinction between a task row and its text editor matters.
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Open task details | Return |
| Edit the task | ⌘ + E |
| Save edits | ⌘ + Return |
| Complete the focused task | E |
| Set a date | T |
| Remove its date | ⇧ + T |
| Set priority | 1, 2, 3, or 4 |
| Add a label | L |
| Move the task | V |
| Add a comment | C |
| Copy its link | ⇧ + ⌘ + C |
Try a simple processing routine: read the task, decide where it belongs, set its date if needed, then move to the next item. Keep editing and completion as deliberate separate steps so a stray letter does not act on the wrong row.
Project organization and sub-tasks
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Create a project | ⌥ + P |
| Add a section | S |
| Change project layout | ⇧ + V |
| Open project actions | W |
| Indent a focused task | ⌃ + ] |
| Outdent a focused sub-task | ⌃ + [ |
Calendar layout requires Pro or Business. For indentation, follow Todoist’s sub-task instructions: open the project in list layout, remove sorting and grouping, and place the task directly below its intended parent before indenting. These shortcuts require dedicated bracket keys on your keyboard layout.
Today, Upcoming, filters, and labels are not places to rearrange that hierarchy. Open the project to restructure tasks; open a parent’s task details when you want to add a sub-task from another view.
Turn a pasted checklist into tasks
For a checklist from meeting notes, repeated manual entry is unnecessary. Todoist’s multiple-task guide documents this workflow:
- Copy a list with one item per line.
- Open Quick Add and choose the shared details, such as the project or date.
- Paste into the task name field. Use
⇧ + ⌘ + Vto avoid formatting issues. - Review the prompt and choose the option that creates a separate task for each item.
Check the proposed task count before confirming. The same prompt also lets you keep the pasted content as one task, which is useful when those lines belong together.
Multiple windows and a floating task list
The Mac desktop app can keep different views open at once. These combinations come from Todoist’s multi-window guide.
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Open the current view in another window | ⇧ + ⌘ + N |
| Open a new Home-view window | ⌥ + ⇧ + ⌘ + N |
| Float the window on top | ⌥ + ⌘ + F |
Keep a project open beside your writing or development work, or float a short task list while recording a tutorial. Use another window when you need a reference you can keep visible without repeatedly leaving your current view.
Customize and discover Todoist shortcuts
For global capture, open your avatar menu, choose Settings → Desktop, and find the Quick Add global shortcut. Clear the current assignment using its dismiss control, then record your preferred combination. Todoist’s Quick Add setup steps cover this process.
Choose a combination that does not conflict with macOS or another app. Test it while a different app is active, as well as with Todoist in front. The global shortcut settings do not imply that every single-letter task command can be remapped there.
For discovery, press ? and keep the official shortcut reference nearby. Check the macOS section, your keyboard layout, and whether a field or task currently has focus before treating a shortcut as broken.
Build muscle memory gradually: choose a capture shortcut, one navigation sequence, and one task action for the week. Add more once those feel natural.
Show Todoist shortcuts on screen
When teaching a planning system or demonstrating an Inbox review, viewers can miss the difference between a single letter, a sequence, and a modifier combination. KeyScreen shows your keystrokes on screen so they can follow the steps as you perform them.
Creators, teachers, presenters, and support teams can use it to make Quick Add, navigation, and task-editing demonstrations easier to follow. Keep the pace steady and the task list readable. You can also get KeyScreen on the Mac App Store.
