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Things Shortcuts

This page is a complete keyboard shortcut reference for Things on macOS, covering all 80 shortcuts organized into 10 sections. Whether you’re new to Things or looking to master advanced features, this cheat sheet has every key combination you need — from basic editing and navigation to app-specific power-user actions.

Keyboard shortcuts are the fastest way to work in Things. Every time you use a shortcut instead of reaching for the mouse, you save a few seconds — and those seconds compound into hours over weeks and months. Start with the shortcuts you use most (copy, paste, undo, save), then gradually add app-specific ones as they become relevant to your workflow. Bookmark this page or download the PDF cheat sheet for quick reference.

Using keyboard shortcuts in Things reduces context switching between keyboard and mouse, helping you maintain focus and work more efficiently. Research shows that shortcut-driven workflows can save up to 8 working days per year compared to menu-driven navigation. On macOS, most Things shortcuts follow standard conventions — once you learn the modifier key patterns, new shortcuts become intuitive.

Tips for Learning Shortcuts

  • Practice one new Things shortcut each day. Muscle memory builds faster when you focus on a single combination at a time rather than trying to learn them all at once.
  • Print or bookmark this page for quick reference while working in Things. Having shortcuts visible nearby helps bridge the gap between looking them up and recalling them from memory.
  • Start with the shortcuts you use most. In Things, common actions like copy, paste, undo, and save are worth learning first since they apply across nearly every workflow.

General12

ActionShortcut
New To-Do⌘N
New Project⇧⌘N
Complete To-Do⌘.
Cancel To-Do⌘K
Move to Today⌘S
Move to Evening⇧⌘S
Move to Someday⌥⌘S
Show Today⌘T
Show Inbox⌘1
Search⌘F
Set Deadline⌘D
Open To-Do⌘↩

Create new items7

ActionShortcut
Create a new to-do below selectionSpace
Paste plain text to create new to-dos⌘V
Create a checklist in an open to-do⇧⌘C
New heading for selected to-dos⌥⇧⌘N
Create a new project⌥⌘N
Open Quick Entry⌃Space
Open Quick Entry with Autofill⌃⌥Space

Edit items6

ActionShortcut
Open a to-do or project↩
Save and closeEsc
Copy a to-do or project⌘C
Cancel selected items⌥⌘K
Delete selected itemsDelete
Move complete to Logbook⌘L

Select items7

ActionShortcut
Select item above↑
Select item below↓
Extend selection upwards⇧↑
Extend selection downwards⇧↓
Extend selection to the top⌥⇧↑
Extend selection to the bottom⌥⇧↓
Select everything⌘A

Move items6

ActionShortcut
Move selection to another list⇧⌘M
Move copied to-dos and projects⌥⌘V
Move selection up⌘↑
Move selection down⌘↓
Move selections to top of list⌥⌘↑
Move selection to bottom of list⌥⌘↓

Edit dates13

ActionShortcut
Start This Evening⌘E
Start Anytime⌘R
Start Someday⌘Q
Start date +1 day⌃]
Start date -1 day⌃[
Start date +1 week⌃⇧]
Start date -1 week⌃⇧[
Add a Deadline⇧⌘D
Deadline +1 day⌃.
Deadline -1 day⌃,
Deadline +1 week⌃⇧>
Deadline -1 week⌃⇧<
Make to-do or project repeating⇧⌘R

Control windows7

ActionShortcut
Open new window⌃⌘N
Cycle through open windows⌘`
Close current window⌘W
Close all windows⌥⌘W
Hide or show sidebar⌘/
Hide or show toolbar⌥⌘T
Full screen⌃⌘F

Tags5

ActionShortcut
Open tag window⌃⌘T
Acces tag picker for selected to-dos⇧⌘T
Toggle a tag for selected to-do⌃shortcut
Filter for a tag⌃⌥shortcut
Destroy previous filter⌃Esc

Frequently Asked Questions

Access Things shortcuts from your menu bar

KeyShortcut detects the active app and shows its shortcuts instantly. No memorization needed.