Once you've created your Workspace, it's time to set it up!
Make sure you have all the info. Read Core ClickUp features and Customizable ClickUp features first to get an idea of available features before setting up your Workspace.
Some of the following features have plan-based limits.
Organize your Hierarchy
ClickUp is built to scale and grow with your organization. The Hierarchy is key to this flexibility. Before you dive in, take the time to organize your Hierarchy.
The following questions can help!
Does your organization mainly work inter-departmentally on separate projects or different clients?
You probably want to set up a Space for each department.
Do different departments work cross-functionally on the same recurring projects, or with the same clients?
Consider setting up Spaces by recurring project or by client.
What info and projects need to be visible to your whole team?
Make sure everyone has at least view-only permissions to these locations.
Who needs a high-level or specialized view of your team's work?
Create appropriate views for executives, upper management, project managers, and team leads.
Need some examples?
If you need some examples of how to set up your Hierarchy by industry or feature, browse the following options:
- Take a look at setup solutions for marketing, PMO, or software teams. See other set-up solutions by industry.
- Learn how to set up your Workspace to make the most of a ClickUp feature. Reporting on Time Tracking data, for example.
Configure your Space
After you create your Workspace, you have one Space to start with. To configure your Space, do the following:
Remember your Hierarchy plan when naming your Space!
- From the Sidebar, click the ellipsis ... then select More settings.
- Click All Space settings.
- From the Edit Space modal, name your Space.
- Follow the rest of the following steps.
Avatar
From the Edit Space modal, click the Avatar tab:
- Select a Space color, a Space avatar, or upload your own image.
- Click Next.
The optimal dimensions for an image are 300px by 300px.
Shared with
By default, your Space is shared with all Workspace members. You can also make it private and choose individual members to share it with. You can configure this now or later.
To configure your sharing preferences:
- Click the Shared with tab.
- To make the Space private, disable the toggle to the right of your Workspace members' avatars.
- To share with specific people from the top of the modal, click into the Invite by name or email text box.
- Type a name or email. Or, from the dropdown list, enable the toggle to the right of a member or Team.
Spaces can't be shared with guests. Spaces can only be shared with Teams on the Enterprise Plan.
Task statuses
Statuses are used to organize your team's workflow. They can be created on the Space and Folder level. We have ready-to-use status templates for use cases and workflow styles. You can also create custom statuses.
By default, your Space will have two statuses, To Do and Complete. If you're not sure yet which statuses you'll need, can edit the default statuses later!
Enable ClickApps
ClickApps are small apps that you can enable or disable. Some ClickApps can be enabled at the Workspace level. Others can be enabled for individual Spaces.
Some ClickApps are enabled by default. If you're not sure yet which ones you'll need, can add new ClickApps or edit the default ClickApps later!
If you're ready to configure them now, the following ClickApps are enabled by default on the Space level:
To disable ClickApps:
- From the Enable ClickApps modal, click to disable.
- To disable all ClickApps, click Turn off all ClickApps.
The selections available in this Enable ClickApps modal only include Space-level ClickApps and will be enabled just for this Space. You can add ClickApps you choose now to other Spaces later.
Default settings for views
Use views to display your team's tasks in a way that suits your projects. You may need some time to figure out which views work for your team. You set up views at any time!
The location where your view is applied determines which tasks you'll see. For example, if you add a view to your Space, the view will include all tasks within all the Lists in your Space.
You can also add views to Folders and Lists later.
By default, List and Board views are created at the Everything, Space, Folder, and List level. Only List view is required at every level. Learn how to make Board view optional and to set up any other view as required! You can also set up another view as the default or use a Default View Template.
Build your Hierarchy
You have a Space. Now it's time to build the rest of your Hierarchy!
Create your first Folder and List
Folders are optional but are helpful for most workflows.
To add a Folder to your Space:
Remember your Hierarchy plan when naming your Folder and List!
- From your Sidebar, click the Folder link underneath the Space.
- From the Create Folder modal, enter the Folder name.
- You can also click the Templates tab to select a Folder created for your use case.
- Click the Lists tab, enter the List name, and click Done.
- You can also share the Folder and create Task statuses. If you skip these now, you can do them later.
- Click Create Folder.
- Your Folder will open in List view with an empty task!
Create another List
Lists contain tasks of a similar type or that have a similar outcome or goal.
To add another List to your Folder to keep your tasks organized:
- From your Sidebar, click the plus icon to the right of the Folder.
- From the Create List modal, enter a List name.
- Click Create List.
- Your List will open in List view with an empty task!
Create your first task
Tasks are where you organize the actionable parts of your projects. You can create tasks from a template, or to create your first task from scratch:
- Click the ellipsis ... next to a List.
- Select Create new, then click Task.
- Name the task and click Create Task.
Configure your task's customizable options!
Set up security
ClickUp has one of the strictest security policies in our industry to ensure your data never gets into the hands of third parties. You can find articles about our compliance with regulations and policies in our Help Center's Security & Privacy section.
Workspace security
Here are our recommendations for securely setting up your Workspace:
Work with your teammates
ClickUp has several options for Workspace communication and collaboration.
Inbox: Communicate with all of the people in your organization.
We have solutions for you if you want to use email or another app, like Slack!
Comments: Ask and answer questions, get feedback, provide approval, track quick wins, and format content with rich text, embeds, and attachments. You can use comments on tasks, Docs, and attachments for Proofing.
@mention a person: In a task description or comments, type @ and a person's or Team's initials to return anyone with those initials.
Whiteboards: Whiteboards are the fastest way to collaborate with your team and bridge the gap between brainstorming and getting work done.
Reminders: Use reminders to quickly create smaller action items that don't require a task. You can create them for yourself or delegate them.
Chat view: Chat view lets you talk to your team in real time. Communicate about items outside of tasks in a specific location in ClickUp. View attachments, notifications, task links, and embeds in one place.
Clip: With the Clip ClickApp, you can record videos right from the Quick Action menu or task comments.
Proofing: Centralize feedback and expedite approval processes by assigning comments directly on task attachments.
Looking for some Workspace communication and collaboration best practices? Read Using ClickUp for team meetings and Communicate with your team using ClickUp!