Introduction to search


Search lets you pull up specific tasks, projects, filters, labels, and comments within seconds, so you can find the information you need in a heartbeat. Use this guide to create both basic and advanced search queries that fit your workflow.

Search in Todoist

Click Search in the sidebar or press the slash / hot key. A window will appear where you’ll enter keywords or search queries to find what you need.

Below the search bar are tasks, projects, or views you’ve recently viewed, and a list of keyboard shortcuts to help you navigate Todoist.

Search for completed tasks

While working on your project, you realize you need to review or reference tasks that were completed in the past. Here’s how to include completed tasks in your search:

  1. Click Search in the sidebar or press the slash / hot key.
  2. Enter keywords relevant to the completed task.
  3. Scroll down the search results.
  4. Click Search completed tasks.

A new window will appear with a list of active and completed tasks that match your search keywords. Active tasks are listed at the top of the results.

Note

Archived projects and tasks included in these projects won’t appear in the search results. To view them, you’ll need to first unarchive these projects.

Narrow down your search

If you’re having trouble finding the right information, enter search queries in the search bar to narrow down your results by date, priority level, project and more. Here’s a rundown of some queries you can use in Todoist:

Search based on:

Search queryWhat it does
search: weekendShows all tasks that contain the word "weekend"
search: DecemberShows all tasks that contain the word "December"
Search queryWhat it does
14 daysShows all tasks scheduled in the next 14 days
-5 daysShows all tasks scheduled in the previous 5 days
tomorrowShows all tasks scheduled for tomorrow
created after: -30 daysShows all tasks created in the last 30 days
today at 11amShows all tasks scheduled for today at 11am
today & date before: today at 5pmShows all tasks scheduled for today before 5pm
date before: may 5Shows tasks scheduled before May 5
date after: march 10Shows all tasks scheduled after March 10
date after: in 90 daysShows all that are scheduled after 90 days from today
overdueShows tasks that are overdue (this only refers to dates, meaning that tasks that are overdue by an hour or several hours will not be included in the search results)
recurringShows all tasks with a recurring date
-7 days & p1Shows all tasks from the last 7 days that are priority 1
tuesday & assigned to:Mary S*Shows all tasks scheduled on next Tuesday that are assigned to any collaborator whose first name is “Mary” and last name starts with an “S”
date after: in 60 days & date before: in 120 daysShows all tasks scheduled after 60 days from today and before 120 days from today
7 days & !assignedShows any tasks scheduled in the next 7 days that are unassigned
no date & #WorkShows any task without a date in the Work project
(today | overdue) & assigned to: Mary SmithShows all tasks that are either scheduled for today or are overdue and are assigned to any collaborator with the name “Mary Smith”
7 days & assigned to:JohnShows all tasks scheduled in the next 7 days and are assigned to any collaborator with the name “John”
deadline: todayShows all tasks with a deadline for today
deadline after: yesterday & deadline before: in 14 daysShows all tasks with a deadline within the next 14 days
deadline before: todaySee all tasks with overdue deadlines
due before: satSee all tasks with the date or deadline in the current working week
due after: May 5 or due after: 5/5See all tasks that have a date or a deadline after a specific date
no dateSee all tasks without a date
Search queryWhat it does
Today & p1Tasks due today with priority 1
Tomorrow & p3Tasks due tomorrow with priority 3
assigned to: John Smith & p1Tasks assigned to John Smith with priority 1
Search queryWhat it does
Assigned to: John SmithShows all tasks assigned to any collaborator with the name “John Smith”
Assigned to: Mary *Shows all tasks assigned to any collaborator whose first name is “Mary”
Assigned to: B* KingShows all tasks assigned to any collaborator whose first name starts with an “B” and last name is “King”
Assigned to: John Smith & @waitingShows all tasks assigned to any collaborator with the name “John Smith” and have the label @waiting
(today | overdue) & Assigned to: Amy MayShows all tasks that are either due today or are overdue and are assigned to any collaborator with the name “Amy May”
7 days & Assigned to: Becky K*Shows all tasks due in the next 7 days and are assigned to any collaborator whose first name is “Becky” and last name starts with an “K”
assignedShows all tasks that have been assigned to anyone (yourself and others)
!assignedShows all tasks that aren’t assigned to anyone
assigned to: othersShows all tasks that have been assigned to others
assigned by: Steven GrayShows all tasks assigned by Steven Gray
assigned by: meShows all tasks that you have assigned to others
sharedShows all tasks in shared projects

You can use search to find active projects and sub-projects. You won't be able to pull up archived projects.

Search queryWhat it does
#WorkShows all the tasks in the “Work” project.
#*WorkShows all the tasks in projects which name ends with "work". For example, #Artwork, #Network, and #Work.
##WorkShows all the tasks in the “Work” project and all its sub-projects.
##Work & tomorrowShows all the tasks in the “Work” project and all its sub-projects and due tomorrow.
##Housework & p1Shows all the tasks in the “Housework” project and all its sub-projects that are priority 1.
7 days & #Work & Assigned to: Mary SmithShows all tasks due in the next 7 days of the Work project that are assigned to any collaborator with the name “Mary Smith”.

Rikke · Customer Experience Specialist

If you need to search for a project with an emoji in its name, use an asterisk to replace the emoji. For example, #Welcome *.

Search queryWhat it does
/Bills

Shows all the tasks from all sections with the name "Bills" in their names, no matter the project.

For example, you would see tasks both from the section "Household Bills" in your "Home" project, as well as the section "Work Bills" in your "Work" project.

/Bills*

Shows all the tasks from all sections which name begins with "Bills", no matter the project.

For example, if you have a section called "Bills to pay" and a section called "Bills to reimburse", you will see tasks from both of these sections.

#Work & /BillsShows all tasks belonging to the section "Bills" in the project "Work".

Quick tip

If you have a Todoist Pro or Business plan, you can save these searches as filters for easy access.

Best practices for search

When there’s just a ton of information to wade through, search can be your powerful ally. Here are some best practices when using search in Todoist:

Check your list of recent searches

If you remember searching for a task or project in the past, chances are those keywords are still in your list of recent searches. Todoist saves up to five keywords in the Recent searches list, so it’s easy to find them in the search results.

If you want to remove them, either click Clear to remove them all, or click the dismiss icon beside the keyword to remove them individually.

Use search queries

If you need to find items that match specific criteria, you can use search queries to narrow down your search results. For example, enter p3 to see all tasks marked as Priority 3. If you scroll down further, you’ll find other relevant search results that match the keyword.

Get in touch

Ready to super charge your search skills in Todoist? Let this be your companion guide when searching for tasks, projects, comments, and the like with as little time and effort on your part.

If you’re having trouble with your search queries, get in touch with us. We— Sergio, Rikke, Nina, or any of our other teammates—are more than happy to lend a hand!