How to Use ClickUp: A Beginner Step-by-Step Guide in 2025

Do you feel swamped trying to keep track of all your tasks?

It’s tough when you have different to-do lists everywhere.

Important notes get lost, and you’re not sure what your team is even working on. 

This can make things feel messy and slow you down.

This guide will show you how to use Clickup, so you can easily manage projects and get more done without the stress.

Getting Started with ClickUp: Your First Steps

Ready to dive into ClickUp? It’s like setting up a new organized workspace for all your tasks and projects.

This part of our tutorial will walk you through the very beginning.

1. Signing Up and First Login

First things first, you need to create an account. It’s super simple!

1. Go to the ClickUp website.
2. Click on the “Sign Up” button.
3. You’ll enter your email and create a password.
4. Follow the simple steps to confirm your account.

Once you’re signed in for the first time, ClickUp might ask you a few questions.

These questions help set up your basic workspace.

Don’t worry too much about getting everything perfect right away. 

2. Understanding the Hierarchy

Now, let’s talk about how ClickUp keeps everything organized.

Imagine your work is like a big house.

ClickUp has a special way of arranging everything inside that house. This arrangement is called the ClickUp hierarchy.

Think of it like this:

• Spaces: This is the biggest level, like a whole building or a major department in a company. Maybe you have one “Space” for your marketing team and another “Space” for your projects. Each Space is a big area where specific work happens.
• Folders: Inside your “Space,” you can have folders. These are like different rooms in that building. A “Marketing Space” might have a “Website Redesign” folder and a “Social Media Campaigns” folder. They help group-related projects together.
• Lists: Inside each “Folder” (or sometimes directly in a “Space” if you don’t need a folder), you have “Lists.” These are like the individual shelves or drawers in a room. Each “List” holds all the actual tasks for a specific project or topic. For example, your “Website Redesign” folder could have a “Design Tasks” List and a “Content Tasks” List.

Why is this important?

This hierarchy helps you keep all your tasks, notes, and projects neatly separated but still connected. 

It makes sure you can always find what you’re looking for, whether it’s a big company goal or a small to-do for today.

3. Navigating the Interface

When you log in, you’ll see a main screen. Don’t feel overwhelmed!

It’s actually pretty easy to get around once you know a few spots.

• Sidebar (Left Side): This is your main control panel. You’ll see your “Spaces,” “Folders,” and “Lists” here. It’s how you jump between different parts of your work. You’ll also find quick links to your “Home,” “Notifications,” and “Dashboards” (which we’ll talk about later).
• Top Bar: Up top, you’ll see things like search (super handy!), quick create buttons for new tasks, and your profile picture where you can change settings as a user.
• Main Content Area: This is the big space in the middle. It changes based on what you click on in the sidebar. If you click on a “List,” you’ll see all the tasks in that List here. If you’re looking at a template, you’ll see its details in this area.

Getting familiar with these main areas will make using ClickUp much smoother.

Take a few minutes to click around and see what’s where. You’ll get the hang of it quickly!

Building Your Workspace: Setting Up Your First Project

Now that you know a bit about the ClickUp hierarchy.

It’s time to build your own ClickUp Workspace and set up your very first project management area.

Think of this as getting your tools ready before you start building something cool.

1. Creating a New Space

Every big journey in ClickUp starts with a Space. This is where your major work or department lives.

Here’s how to make one:

1. Look at the left sidebar. You’ll usually see a plus sign (+) next to “Spaces” or “Add Space.” Click it!
2. Click “New Space.”
3. ClickUp will ask you to give your Space a name. Choose something clear, like “Marketing Department,” “Client Projects,” or “My Personal Tasks.”
4. You can pick a color for your Space – it makes it easy to spot!
5. Click “Next.”
6. ClickUp might ask you about certain features you want to turn on for this Space, like “Priorities” or “Tags.” Don’t worry too much about these right now; you can always change them later.
7. Hit “Create Space.”

And just like that, you have your own dedicated area!

2. Adding Folders and Lists

Once you have a Space, you’ll want to add Folders and Lists to organize your projects.

This is where the ClickUp structure really helps keep things tidy.

• Adding a Folder: If your Space is big and has many projects, add a Folder. For example, in your “Marketing Department” Space, you might add a Folder called “Q3 Marketing Campaigns.”
  1. Click the + sign next to your Space name.
  2. Select “New Folder.”
  3. Give your Folder a name and click “Create.”
• Adding a List: Lists are where your actual tasks live. You can add Lists inside Folders, or directly inside a Space if you don’t need a Folder. Let’s say inside your “Q3 Marketing Campaigns” Folder, you need a List for “Social Media Posts.”
  1. Click the + sign next to a Folder (or your Space name).
  2. Select “New List.”
  3. Name your List and hit “Create.”

Now you’re building a clear path for your work!

3. Understanding List Views: The Way You See Your Work

ClickUp is amazing because it lets you see your tasks in many different ways.

These are called “Views.” They don’t change your tasks, just how you look at them.

This is a big part of what makes ClickUp such a flexible project management tool.

Here are some common ones:

• List View: This is the most basic and common view. It looks like a simple checklist or a spreadsheet. You’ll see all your tasks one after another, usually with their name, who they’re assigned to, and their due date. It’s great for seeing everything at a glance.
• Board View (Kanban): Imagine a whiteboard with sticky notes. That’s the Board View! Tasks show up as cards in columns (like “To Do,” “In Progress,” “Done”). You can drag and drop cards from one column to another as tasks move forward. This is super visual and popular for seeing workflow.
• Calendar View: Want to see your deadlines on a calendar? The Calendar View lays out all your tasks by their due dates. This helps you plan your week or month and spot any conflicts.
• Table View: This view is a lot like a spreadsheet. You can add columns for different pieces of information, like budgets or specific details. It’s powerful for sorting and filtering your tasks. You can even add custom fields here to track unique information important to your project.
• Gantt View: For bigger projects, the Gantt View shows tasks on a timeline, including how one task depends on another. It’s helpful for seeing the whole project management timeline at once.

You can switch between these views easily by looking for the “View” buttons at the top of your List. Try them out! 

Managing Tasks

This is where the real work happens, and ClickUp makes task management easy and clear for you and your team members.

1. Creating and Assigning Tasks

Tasks are the building blocks of any project. In ClickUp, making one is a breeze:

1. Click the “New Task” button: You’ll usually find this big, friendly button at the top of any List or sometimes a plus sign (+) in the sidebar.
2. Give your task a clear name: Something like “Write blog post introduction” or “Review website designs.”
3. Assign it: Who is responsible for this task? Click on the “Assignee” spot and pick a person (it might be yourself!). This makes it clear who needs to do the work.
4. Set a due date: When does this task need to be finished? Pick a date from the calendar. This helps everyone stay on schedule.

That’s it! Your basic task is created and ready to go.

2. Adding Task Details: Making Your Tasks Richer

A task name and a due date are good, but adding more details makes tasks super helpful.

• Descriptions: This is like the body of an email for your task. Explain what needs to be done, why it’s important, and any specific instructions. You can even link to a Doc here for more detailed information.
• Subtasks: Sometimes, a big task has smaller steps inside it. For example, “Plan Marketing Campaign” might have subtasks like “Research keywords,” “Create social media graphics,” and “Schedule emails.” Subtasks help break down big jobs so they feel less overwhelming.
• Checklists: For simple to-do lists within a task, use a checklist. If your task is “Pack for trip,” your checklist might be “Toothbrush,” “Clothes,” “Passport.”
• Attachments: Need to share a file, an image, or a document related to the task? Just attach it directly to the task. No more searching through emails!

By adding these details, you create a complete picture for anyone looking at the task, making sure nothing is missed.

3. Task Statuses: Tracking Progress

How do you know if a task is started, finished, or stuck? That’s where task statuses come in.

ClickUp usually has basic statuses like:

• Open: The task hasn’t been started yet.
• Complete: The task is finished! Great job!
• Closed: Sometimes used for tasks that are done and archived, or no longer needed.

But you can also create your own statuses to fit how your team works. For a design project, you might have: “To Do,” “In Review,” “Revisions Needed,” and “Approved.” Custom statuses give you an accurate look at progress and help make this your ultimate guide to workflow efficiency.

4. Priorities: What to Work on First?

Not all tasks are equally important. ClickUp lets you set priorities:

• Urgent: Needs to be done right away!
• High: Very important, work on this soon.
• Normal: Standard importance.
• Low: Can wait a bit.

Setting priorities helps you and your team know what to focus on first, especially when you have many tasks on your plate.

5. Comments and Collaboration

Talking about tasks right inside the task itself is a game-changer. This is how you collaborate effectively with your team members in ClickUp.

• Add Comments: Click on the “Comments” section within any task. You can type messages, ask questions, or give updates.
• @Mentions: Want to get someone’s attention? Type @ followed by their name (like @John Doe). They’ll get a notification, so they know you need their input.
• Attach Files to Comments: You can even attach new files or screenshots directly to comments if it helps explain something.

This keeps all discussions about a task in one place.

No more hunting through long email chains to find out what was decided!

This streamlined communication, along with features like time tracking and useful integration options.

Truly puts ClickUp at the forefront of task management.

Automating Your Workflow

Imagine having a helper who does repetitive jobs for you.

That’s what automations in ClickUp are like!

They save you time and make your project management software work smarter.

1. Understanding Automations

What are automations? Simply put, they are rules you set up in ClickUp that say: “If this happens, then do that.” It’s like setting up a chain reaction.

• Example 1: If a task’s status changes to “Complete,” then automatically move that task to a “Done” list.
• Example 2: When you create a new task in a specific List, automatically assign it to your lead designer.

Why are these so helpful? They cut down on all those little manual steps you and your team have to do.

This lets you focus on the important parts of your projects and tasks, not the busywork.

2. Creating Simple Automations

Setting up an automation is easier than you might think.

ClickUp provides many ready-to-use automation templates, or you can build your own.

Here’s a basic idea of how you’d set one up (the exact steps might vary slightly depending on your ClickUp version, but the idea is the same):

1. Go to the List or Folder where you want the automation to happen.
2. Look for “Automate” or “Automations” usually near the top or in the List settings.
3. Click “Add Automation.”
4. You’ll choose a “Trigger” (the “If this happens” part). This could be “Status changes,” “Task created,” “Due date arrives,” and so on.
5. Then, you choose an “Action” (the “then do that” part). This could be “Change status,” “Assign task,” “Move task,” etc.

ClickUp also has special features called ClickApps that let you turn on extra functions.

And some of these are tied into automations to maximize your efficiency. 

For example, if you have the “Time Tracking” ClickApp enabled, you could set an automation to start time tracking when a task status changes to “In Progress.”

3. Templates: Reusing Your Best Work

Have you ever created a project setup that worked perfectly?

With templates, you don’t have to build it from scratch every time!

ClickUp lets you save almost anything as a template:

• List Templates: If you often start similar projects and tasks, save a List with its statuses, customizable fields, and even some pre-made tasks as a template. For instance, a “Client Onboarding” List could be saved as a template.
• Folder Templates: If you have a group of Lists that always go together for a specific type of work, save the whole Folder as a template.
• Space Templates: For very large, repeatable workflows, you can even save an entire ClickUp Space as a template!

It’s much faster! This section shows you how to automate processes.

So you don’t have to keep checking your inbox for updates, as ClickUp handles it for you. 

This is an important part of any good table of contents for mastering ClickUp.

Tracking Progress and Reporting

You’ve learned how to create tasks and get work started. 

How can you see the bigger picture of your projects and team’s work?

That’s where ClickUp’s tracking and reporting tools come in. They help you see exactly where you stand.

1. Dashboards: Your Command Center

Think of a Dashboard as your personal mission control center.

It’s a single screen where you can see all the most important information about your projects and tasks at a glance.

You get to choose what shows up on your Dashboard.

Here’s how they work:

• What they show: You can add different “widgets” to your Dashboard. These widgets are like mini-reports. You could have a widget that shows:
  • All tasks assigned to you.
  • Tasks due this week.
  • How many tasks are “In Progress.”
  • A chart showing how many tasks each team member is working on.
• Why they’re great: Instead of clicking through many different lists, your Dashboard puts everything important in one spot. This helps you quickly see what’s on track and what needs your attention. You can even create different Dashboards for different purposes – one for yourself, one for your team, and one for your boss.

2. Reporting Widgets: Visualizing Your Data

Dashboards use different reporting widgets to show you pictures of your data.

This is much easier to understand than just looking at long lists of tasks.

Some common reporting widgets include:

• Task Progress Reports: These show you how many tasks are done, how many are still open, and where things might be stuck.
• Time Tracking Reports: If you track time spent on tasks, these reports show you exactly where hours are going. This is super helpful for understanding project costs or how long similar tasks might take in the future.
• Workload Management: These widgets can show if any team members have too many tasks assigned to them, or if someone has extra capacity. It helps you balance the work fairly across your team.

These visual reports help you spot problems early and make smarter decisions.

3. Time Tracking: Understanding Where Time Goes

Have you ever wondered how much time you actually spend on different tasks? ClickUp has a built-in timer that can help you figure this out.

• How it works: You can start a timer right on a task when you begin working on it, and stop it when you’re done. ClickUp automatically records the time.
• Why use it?
  • It helps you understand how long tasks really take, which is great for planning future projects.
  • If you bill clients by the hour, it makes tracking billable time simple.
  • It can help you see if you’re spending too much time on certain activities and where you could be more efficient.

4. Goals and OKRs

ClickUp isn’t just about small tasks; it can also help you keep track of your bigger goals.

• Setting Goals: You can set goals within ClickUp, like “Launch new website by December 2025” or “Increase sales by 10% this quarter.”
• Tracking Progress: You can link tasks directly to these goals. As you complete tasks related to a goal, ClickUp will show you how much progress you’ve made towards reaching it.
• How it helps: This feature helps everyone on the team see how their daily work connects to the bigger picture. It keeps everyone pulling in the same direction and makes sure you’re always working towards what truly matters.

Conclusion

We’ve covered a lot in this guide, right?

You’ve learned how to set up your workspace. 

It’s a tool that helps you bring all your work into one spot. It enables you to stay organized.

It makes it easier to work with your team. And it helps you get more done without feeling so stressed.

So, what are you waiting for? Start using ClickUp today. 

You’ll be amazed at how much clearer and more productive your work life can become.

ClickUp is ready to help you unlock your best work.

Alternatives to Clickup

Here are some alternatives to consider, each with its strengths:

• Sembly: Focuses on AI-powered meeting notes, summaries, and action items.
• Notion: Integrates AI directly into Notion for writing, summarizing, and brainstorming within your documents.
• Fireflies: Specializes in transcribing, summarizing, and analyzing voice conversations from meetings.
• Capacities: A knowledge base and note-taking tool that helps you connect your ideas and digital assets visually.
• Taskade: Offers a unified workspace with tasks, notes, and video chat, great for team collaboration and mind mapping.
• Notejoy: A fast and simple collaborative notes app designed for teams to share and organize information quickly.
• Notta: Provides AI-powered transcription and summarization for audio, video, and live conversations.
• Craft: A document editor that blends notes, docs, and wikis, offering a beautiful and structured way to organize information.
• MeetGeek: An AI meeting assistant that records, transcribes, and summarizes your meetings, highlighting key moments.
• Mem AI: A self-organizing workspace that uses AI to connect your notes, ideas, and information, making it easy to find anything.
• Evernote: A classic note-taking app that allows you to capture, organize, and find information across all your devices.
• Microsoft OneNote: A digital notebook from Microsoft for free-form information gathering and multi-user collaboration.

Frequently Asked Questions