The Ultimate Guide to ClickUp Terms & Features

Hundreds of thousands of teams around the world use ClickUp because of its power and flexibility. But we hear ya… sometimes, with all that power comes a little bit of confusion. 🤔

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed and asked yourself the question,”Where do I begin, and what does all this mean?” then we’ve got your back! 🦸

This article outlines important terms and definitions to help you hit the ground running like a ClickUp pro from the start.

Whether you’re interested in learning about hidden features, leveling up your task game, or getting familiar with admin capabilities, this is your one-stop categorized glossary shop! ✨

If you’re interested in learning more about a specific term, just click the link to see details such as where to find it and how to use it!

Table of Contents

ClickUp

ClickUp: a completely customizable work management and communication tool. ClickUp offers hundreds of features to help you and your team plan, track, and collaborate on any project—all in one place
- On-Demand Demos: a suite of educational resources for all experience levels
- Use-Case Webinars: a digital library of upcoming and recorded webinars

User Roles, Privacy, & Permissions

owner: a role that signifies that this user created the Workspace and possesses the highest level of authority regarding it. In addition to all the responsibilities possessed by admins, owners can: 1) handle billing matters, 2) change Workspace ownership, and 3) delete the Workspace
admin: a role that signifies authority second to the owner. In addition to all the responsibilities possessed by members, admins can: 1) manage integrations, imports, and exports; 2) handle billing matters; and 3) add members
member: a role in which users have full access to all public items in a Workspace and can create tasks, views, Lists, Folders, Spaces, and Dashboards, Members can also: 1) see and edit Custom Fields, 2) see Time Estimates and time tracking, 3) create and delete tags, 4) share and edit privacy, 5) see everyone in the Workspace, 6) add guests, 7) access public Spaces and be added to private Spaces
guest: a role designed for users who only need to access specific items in a Workspace. Guests cannot: 1) see or join Spaces; 2) create Spaces, Folders, or Lists; 3) see everyone in the Workspace; 4) create or be assigned Goals; 5) edit tags; 6) add users to the Workspace; 7) create Dashboards; and 8) share or edit privacy
permissions: customizable settings that determine what particular users can and cannot do within ClickUp
privacy: the ability to make a Space, Folder, List, task, or Doc not available to all or certain users within a Workspace

Plans

Free Forever Plan: a plan that is truly free forever
- storage: file storage; paid plans receive unlimited file storage
- use: a limited demonstration of a paid plan feature
Unlimited Plan: a paid plan that includes unlimited storage, Dashboards, Gantt view, and much more
Business Plan: a paid plan that comes with Workload view, Timeline view, increased exporting capabilities, 10,000 Automations per month, and much more
Business Plus Plan: a paid plan that includes all features in Free Forever, Unlimited, and Business, in addition to team sharing, subtasks in multiple Lists, custom role creation and permissions, increased API, and more
Enterprise Plan: a paid plan that includes White Labeling, increased API limits, a dedicated Customer Success Manager, and much more

Hierarchy

Workspace: the top level of the ClickUp Hierarchy that encompasses everyone within an organization, all Spaces, and everything within them
Space: the second level of the ClickUp Hierarchy that houses Folders and Lists
Folder: an optional component of the ClickUp Hierarchy that exist within Spaces and are used to organize your Lists of tasks
List: a container for tasks that must live within a Space and can optionally live within Folders
task: actionable items that are meant to progress from open to completed, using statuses. They are housed within Lists
- parent task: the top-level task that houses subtasks beneath it
- subtask: an additional layer that allows for more specified components within a task
- nested subtasks: additional layers that can be added beneath a subtask if the Nested Subtask ClickApp is enabled. At this time, a user can utilize up to 7 levels of nested subtasks

Drilling into Tasks

assignee: a user and/or group of users that are meant to act as the primary drivers of a task
attachment: any file uploaded into ClickUp. Attachments can be added to tasks, Docs, and Chat views.
checklist: simple to-dos that do not warrant a task or subtask
comment: a communication tool that allows users to collaborate in real-time on a specific topic, such as a task or Doc
due date: the date when a task, subtask, or delegated reminder is due
mention: the utilization of the @ symbol to reference a user, team, task, or Doc within ClickUp
merge (tasks): a feature that allows two tasks to be combined; this feature is generally used when two tasks are redundantly similar, or if there are two thoughts that later become more related than anticipated
move (tasks): the ability to change the location of a task
Pulse : live overview: a feature that generates automatic activity reports that incorporate machine learning to know what you’re most focused on right now
recurrence: the ability to set repeating schedules for tasks
start date: the date when a task or subtask is started
status: steps that tasks go through, also called workflows
task dependencies: a feature that allows you to easily visualize and determine which tasks are blocking or waiting on others
task description: portion of a task that describes its purpose and other relevant information
history (task description): the ability to view past versions of a task description
time tracking: a variety of features that allow a user to track time within or in conjunction with ClickUp
Time Estimates: a ClickApp that allows users to record and track granular predictions for how long a task will take
watcher: users that are “watching” (or “following”) a task. These people receive notifications when the tasks they are watching are updated
task tray: a location that houses all minimized tasks so that a user can easily return to them at any point

Home

Home: a panoramic overview of tasks due Today, Tomorrow, Overdue, or Unscheduled. Reminders, LineUp, a Home Calendar, and a Home Agenda can also be accessed here
- LineUp: a prioritized order of tasks for each user

Views

Activity view: a view that provides an aggregated look at all activity across a Workspace or specific location
Board view: a view in which tasks are arranged in vertical columns to function as a Kanban Board with powerful drag-and-drop capabilities
Box view: a view in which a user can visualize the workload of fellow teammates
Calendar view: a view in which tasks are displayed on a calendar
Chat view: users can have a real-time discussion at the Workspace, Space, Folder, or List level
Doc view: a view that allows users to create docs, wikis, and knowledge bases. Docs are flexible, sharable, and can contain an unlimited number of pages. Users can link tasks and other Docs within, embed URLs, and tag users directly in Docs
Embed view: a view in which external materials, such as Google Docs, Google Calendars, Youtube, Miro, and Figma, can be embedded at the Workspace, Space, Folder, or List level
Form view: a view in which surveys can be created, externally distributed, and then collected within ClickUp when Form submissions are generated as tasks
Gantt view: a view in which dependencies can be visually displayed and adjusted across a timeline
- Critical path: this feature determines the chain of tasks crucial to a project’s completion and allows a user to see which tasks can be rescheduled without affecting larger deadlines
List view: a required view in which users can group, sort, and filter tasks into various lists. By default, tasks are grouped by status, but they can be arranged and viewed by virtually any variable
Map view: a view in which Location Custom Fields can be visually represented on a map
Mind Maps: a view that allows for the creation of Mind Maps in which users can visualize ideas as interconnected nodes of information. Mind Maps can be used to visualize existing tasks (Tasks Mode) or to visualize information not connected to any task structure (Blank Mode)
Workload view: a view by which to monitor your team’s work capacity and manage team resources
- capacity: a form of measurement unique to Workload view that can determine and regulate the amount of work assigned to a particular user based upon Time Estimates, tasks, or Sprint Points
Table view: a view in which task information is represented in a spreadsheet format. This view is ideal for viewing large amounts of information at once and connecting related tasks, as with a CRM or relational database
Timeline view: a view in which tasks are displayed on a timeline to produce a visual roadmap

Drilling into Views

autosave: a feature that provides the ability to continuously save and maintain view changes
calculation: the ability to calculate the sum, range, or average of a column in List view or Table view
Favorites: a feature in which frequently used views or essential views can be bookmarked for quick access
filter: a feature that allows the scope of a view to be narrowed to a specific set of task(s)
grouping: a mechanism by which tasks can be displayed in correspondence to particular pairings
search: a feature that allows a user to locate tasks throughout a ClickUp Workspace
sorting: the ability to adjust the orders in which tasks are displayed within the confines of the specified filters and groupings of a view

Templates

template: a feature that allows tasks, Lists, Folders, Spaces, Docs, and more be saved and reused throughout different levels of the Workspace
status templates: a feature that allows statuses to be saved and reused throughout different levels of the Workspace

Docs

Docs: a feature that allows a user to create docs, wikis, and knowledge bases anywhere in ClickUp. Each Doc is flexible, shareable, and can contain an unlimited number of pages
- banner: a /Slash Command that helps differentiate items in tasks and Docs
- markdown: the ability to further stylize text in areas such as comments, task descriptions, and Docs

Goals

Goal: high-level containers for collections of related key results called Targets
- Targets: measurable results, that, when completed, will also complete the Goal

ClickApps

ClickApp: a feature enables a Workspace owner or admin to completely customize a team’s experience within their Workspace
- Email ClickApp: a ClickApp that allows users to send and receive emails directly within ClickUp
- Time Estimate ClickApp: a projection of time that can be added to tasks to provide better predictability for Lists and Folders
- Milestone ClickApp: a ClickApp used to signify the end of a big group of tasks, such as a new feature being released
- Priority ClickApp: a ClickApp that helps classify tasks by importance.
- Relationships ClickApp: a ClickApp that allows tasks, Docs, and much more to be linked together
- Sprints ClickApp: a ClickApp that allows you to break up large projects into smaller chunks of manageable work
- Sprint Points ClickApp: a ClickApp that provides measurement for workload capacity by setting and enforcing a customized points system using any number pattern
- Tags ClickApp: a ClickApp that organizes tasks with a variety of customizable descriptors across a Space

Workspace Settings & Capabilities

avatar: an image that represents a Space or user profile within ClickUp
billing: a page located behind a user’s avatar that allows them to upgrade their Workspace, download or update past invoices, and purpose add-ons
- credit: a form of in-app currency that is automatically applied to the next transaction of a Workspace
- upgrade: the ability to change a Workspace to a higher-tiered paid plan.
- trial (free trial): a free trial that is designed to help you experience the magic of our paid plans
- seat: the number of available and/or filled spots for members and guests within a Workspace
export: the ability to send data from within a ClickUp Workspace to an external medium or format
import: the ability to bring tasks into ClickUp from existing sources such as a CSV file or a native integration
integration: an external site or capability that has been integrated for native use within ClickUp
layout: the way in which a user’s Workspace is displayed at all levels of the Workspace
mode (Light Mode/Dark Mode): a feature within the Settings menu that allows a user to determine if their Workspace has a light or dark background
two-factor authentication (2FA): the ability to add another layer of security by requiring a second form of authentication to enter a Workspace. There are two ways you can enable 2FA in ClickUp: 1) SMS Text Message (available on Business+), and 2) TOTP Authentication App (available on all plans)

Automations

Automation: a feature that allows a user and/or set of users to set up combinations of Triggers, Conditions, and Actions to help automate repetitive actions or processes
- Conditions: a criteria that must be true in order for an Automation to run
- Trigger: the criteria for what happens in order for an Automation to start
- Actions: what occurs after an Automation has been triggered

Dashboards & Widgets

Dashboard: a feature that allows high-level overviews of existing Workspace data through widgets. This feature can be used to implement and monitor sprint tracking, epics, high level initiatives, team planning, and literally anything your creative mind can do
widget (Dashboard): building blocks of Dashboards that provide valuable insights into tasks, Sprints, projects, people, and much more
- Bar Chart widget: a Custom widget that will allow you to create a visual representation of data within a bar chart
- Embed widget: a widget in which external materials: such as Google Docs, Google Calendars, Youtube, Hubspot, Lucidchart. It can be embedded within a Dashboard
- Pie Chart (Custom widget): a Custom widget in which data be can visualized as a pie chart
- Portfolio widget: a Custom widget that can categorize and track the progress of any Lists or Folders in your Workspace

Custom Fields

Custom Fields: a ClickApp that enables the ability to add a variety of rich information to views
- Date Custom Field: a type of Custom Field that allows a custom date to be added to a task
- Dropdown Custom Field: a Custom Field that provides consistent options on tasks; only one option can be selected per Dropdown Custom Field
- Formula Field: a feature in which calculations between numeric, date, and time Custom Fields can be made on a task
- Label Custom Field: a type of Custom Field that allows multiple selections to be made per Label Custom Field
- Phone Custom Field: a type of Custom Field in which a phone number can be housed

Quick Editing Features

drag-and-drop: a powerful feature that allows you to rearrange tasks, blocks of text, and much more throughout your Workspace
rich text editing: a variety of features designed to enhance communication through teammates across ClickUp. Some of these features include /Slash Commands, markdown shortcuts, syntax highlighting, colors, banners, and more
- /Slash Commands: a feature that allows users to access numerous text and formatting options by typing a slash (/) followed by any of 60+ shortcut commands
Proofing: a feature that allows adding, assigning, and resolving comments on any PNG, GIF, JPEG, WEBP, or PDF file within ClickUp