ClickUp Quickstart Guide

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ClickUp Quickstart Guide for New Workspaces

ClickUp is a flexible productivity platform that helps teams organize work, collaborate in real time, and track progress in one place. This step-by-step guide walks you through the essential setup steps so you can confidently launch your first workspace and start managing projects effectively.

The instructions below are based on the official getting started resources in the ClickUp Help Center and are organized in a practical order you can follow from setup to everyday use.

1. Understand the ClickUp hierarchy

Before you create anything, it is important to understand how work is structured. ClickUp organizes information using a clear hierarchy so you always know where tasks belong.

  • Workspace: The top-level container for your company or team.
  • Spaces: High-level sections inside a workspace, usually by department, client, or project group.
  • Folders: Optional containers that group similar Lists within a Space.
  • Lists: Collections of tasks, often representing projects, sprints, or workflows.
  • Tasks and Subtasks: Actionable work items with assignees, due dates, and details.

Thinking through this hierarchy will help you design a structure that matches how your team already works.

2. Create and configure your ClickUp workspace

When you first sign up, you will be prompted to create a new workspace. This is the central hub where all your work will live.

  1. Sign up or log in using your email or single sign-on options.
  2. Name your workspace after your company, organization, or team.
  3. Choose your primary use case if prompted, such as project management, software development, or marketing.
  4. Invite teammates by email so they can join as members or guests.

After the initial setup, review workspace settings to adjust permissions, notification defaults, and any required security options.

3. Set up ClickUp Spaces for your teams

Spaces are the main way to separate work within your organization. Each Space can have its own views, statuses, and settings.

  1. Open your workspace sidebar and select the option to create a Space.
  2. Name the Space to match a team, department, client, or major project category.
  3. Choose a color and icon so it is easy to recognize in the sidebar.
  4. Configure Space settings, including default task statuses, ClickApp features, and access permissions.

Common examples include Spaces for Product, Marketing, Operations, HR, or Client Projects.

Customize ClickUp Space features

Within each Space you can enable or disable specific tools, often called ClickApps, to fit your workflow. Examples include:

  • Time tracking
  • Sprints and points
  • Tags and custom fields
  • Dependencies
  • Priorities

Turn on only what your team needs to keep things simple at the beginning, then expand as you grow more comfortable.

4. Organize Folders and Lists in ClickUp

Once Spaces are ready, you can create Folders and Lists to map work more precisely.

Plan your Folder structure

Folders are optional, but they are useful when you manage many projects or workflows inside one Space. For example:

  • In a Marketing Space, use Folders such as Campaigns, Content, and Events.
  • In a Product Space, use Folders such as Roadmap, Backlog, and Releases.

Create a Folder from the sidebar and give it a clear, descriptive name that everyone understands.

Create Lists for projects and workflows

Lists contain your tasks and represent the real projects or workflows your team manages every day.

  1. Select a Space or Folder and choose New List.
  2. Name the List after a project, client, sprint, or process step.
  3. Set default statuses to match your workflow, such as To Do, In Progress, and Complete.
  4. Add any required custom fields to track information like budgets, priority levels, or owners.

When your Lists match how work actually progresses, your team will adopt the platform more easily.

5. Create and manage tasks in ClickUp

Tasks are the core units of work. They can hold all the context your team needs, including descriptions, comments, and files.

Add your first tasks

  1. Open a List and click New Task.
  2. Name the task clearly so anyone can understand what needs to be done.
  3. Assign the task to one or more people.
  4. Set due dates and, if needed, start dates.
  5. Add details in the description, such as checklists, instructions, or links.

You can also use subtasks to break larger pieces of work into smaller, trackable items.

Use ClickUp views to see tasks your way

Each List and Space can include multiple views so you can choose how to visualize tasks.

  • List view for a compact, spreadsheet-like layout.
  • Board view for a Kanban-style workflow with drag-and-drop columns.
  • Calendar view to see tasks by due date.
  • Gantt view to manage timelines and dependencies.
  • Table view to work with many custom fields at once.

You can save favorite views, filter by assignee or status, and sort tasks by priority, due date, or custom fields.

6. Collaborate with your team in ClickUp

Real-time collaboration features help keep conversations and decisions close to the work.

Use comments and mentions

Inside each task you can communicate with teammates through comments.

  • Use @mentions to notify people or reference tasks and documents.
  • Convert comments into tasks when a follow-up action is required.
  • Attach files, screenshots, or recordings directly to keep everything in context.

This reduces scattered communication across email and chat tools.

Share views and control access

Share specific views, Lists, or Spaces with teammates or guests as needed. Role-based permissions make it easy to control who can view, edit, or manage tasks.

For external clients or partners, you can grant limited access so they can follow progress without seeing internal work.

7. Personalize your ClickUp experience

Everyone can tailor the interface to match their preferences without changing core workspace settings.

  • Set your Home or Inbox to highlight work that needs your attention.
  • Customize notifications so you only receive relevant alerts.
  • Pin favorite views and Lists for quick access.
  • Adjust theme and layout to make the interface more comfortable to use daily.

Spending a few minutes on personalization makes it easier to stay focused and avoid information overload.

8. Learn more and extend ClickUp

Once your basic structure is live and the team is using tasks regularly, you can explore more advanced features like automation, integrations, and templates.

  • Review the official getting started resources on the ClickUp Help Center.
  • Explore templates for sprints, content calendars, client projects, and more.
  • Connect integrations such as calendars, storage tools, and communication platforms.

If you need strategic help designing a scalable structure or implementing workflows, you can also work with a productivity consultancy like Consultevo to refine your setup.

9. Next steps

To put this guide into action, follow these steps in order:

  1. Define your hierarchy: workspace, Spaces, Folders, and Lists.
  2. Create at least one Space and one List for your first project.
  3. Add a small set of tasks, assign them, and set realistic due dates.
  4. Experiment with different views until you find one that fits your style.
  5. Invite your team and show them how to create and update tasks.

With a thoughtful structure and consistent usage, your team can quickly turn this platform into a single source of truth for projects, communication, and results.

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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