Activate Time Tracking in ClickUp

Time tracking in ClickUp lets your team record exactly how long work takes so you can plan, bill, and report more accurately across Spaces, Folders, and tasks.

This guide shows you how to enable native time tracking, who can turn it on, and how the different workspace settings affect what your team can do.

What ClickUp native time tracking is

The native time tracking feature in ClickUp is built directly into your workspace. It allows members to log time from tasks, the global timer, or the mobile and desktop apps without relying on third-party tools.

Once it is active, people can:

Start and stop timers on individual tasks.
Manually add time entries when needed.
View and manage time logs depending on permissions.
Use reports and dashboards to understand how time is spent.

Requirements to use time tracking in ClickUp

Before you activate time tracking, make sure you meet the basic requirements in your ClickUp workspace:

You must be a workspace owner or an admin to change time tracking settings.
Your plan must include native time tracking capabilities.
Members and guests need the correct permissions to track and edit time.

Without the right role or plan, you will not see the options to change these settings in your ClickUp workspace.

How to activate native time tracking in ClickUp

To turn on the built-in time tracking feature for your entire workspace, follow these steps in ClickUp:

Open your workspace and click your avatar or profile image in the lower-left corner.
Select Settings to open your workspace settings area.
In the left sidebar, find and click the Time Tracking or equivalent section under workspace-level features.
Locate the Native Time Tracking option.
Toggle the switch to On to activate native time tracking in ClickUp.
Review and adjust the detailed options for logging, editing, and viewing time.

Once this is done, timers and time tracking options will appear on tasks and in related views across your ClickUp workspace.

Configure ClickUp time tracking settings

After you activate the feature, configure the available settings so time tracking works the way your team needs in ClickUp.

Control who can log time in ClickUp

Decide which roles can create new time entries. Typical options include:

Workspace members only: Guests cannot add time.
Members and guests: Both can track time on tasks they have access to.
Specific roles or groups: Limit logging to people in certain roles.

Use this to keep your ClickUp time tracking data accurate and aligned with your billing or reporting processes.

Allow editing or deleting time entries in ClickUp

Next, define how editable your time data should be:

Allow members to edit their entries: Let people fix mistakes such as wrong durations or incorrect tasks.
Allow editing by admins only: Protect the integrity of time logs while still giving admins control.
Disallow deletion or heavy editing: Keep a strict audit trail, which is useful for billing and compliance.

These controls help maintain reliable time tracking data throughout ClickUp.

Decide who can view tracked time in ClickUp

Time tracking information can be sensitive. Review who should see which entries:

Only the person who logged time: Individuals can see their own data only.
Task assignees: People working on a task see time tracked on it.
Workspace admins and owners: Leadership can see all time tracking data for reporting.
All members: Make tracked time visible across the workspace.

Choose the visibility rules that best match your internal policies in ClickUp.

Use time tracking on tasks in ClickUp

Once native time tracking is enabled, you can start logging time directly on tasks. The exact layout may vary slightly depending on your workspace configuration, but the general workflow in ClickUp is similar.

Start and stop timers on a task

Open any task in ClickUp.
Find the Time Tracking or Timer area on the task toolbar.
Click the play button to start the timer when you begin working.
Click the stop button when you finish.
Confirm or adjust the time entry details such as description, billable status, or labels, if available.

The time entry is then saved to the task and can be viewed in time reports throughout ClickUp.

Manually add a time entry

If you forgot to start the timer or need to log work after the fact, you can add time manually in ClickUp:

Open the relevant task.
Click the Time Tracking section.
Select Add time manually or the equivalent option.
Enter the duration, start and end time, description, and any required fields.
Save the time entry to attach it to the task.

This keeps your tracking accurate even if you do not use live timers in ClickUp for every task.

Workspace-level behavior for time tracking in ClickUp

Because native time tracking is a workspace-level feature, the settings you configure apply across Spaces, Folders, and many views in ClickUp.

Admins manage the global rules and permissions.
Members follow a consistent process for logging time.
Reports and dashboards pull from the same centralized time data.

Changing a time tracking option in the workspace settings immediately affects how time can be logged and edited throughout ClickUp.

Where to learn more about ClickUp time tracking

If you want more depth on specific options or plan-related details, refer to the official documentation for native time tracking in ClickUp:

Activate time tracking in ClickUp (official help center)

For broader productivity and implementation strategies that include ClickUp, you can also explore consulting resources such as Consultevo, which covers workflow design and tool optimization.

Summary: Get started with time tracking in ClickUp

To recap, enabling native time tracking in ClickUp requires workspace-level access, a compatible plan, and a few quick configuration steps. Once activated, your team can log accurate time on tasks, and admins can refine permissions to protect data quality and visibility.

Turn on the feature, set clear rules, and encourage your team to track consistently so you can make better decisions with your ClickUp time data.

Need Help With ClickUp?

If you want expert help building, automating, or scaling your ClickUp workspace, work with ConsultEvo — trusted ClickUp Solution Partners.

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