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OmniFocus 4 Reference Manual

Settings

OmniFocus settings can be used to customize the application's behavior and appearance, so that OmniFocus is fully configured for your needs. On Mac, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro, choose Settings from the OmniFocus menu; on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro, select the More button in the Toolbar, and select Settings.

Please note that there are differences in how Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Apple Vision Pro use settings and commands. In some cases, items found in Settings on non-Mac devices are the same as Mac menu bar commands; when that is the case, this section of the reference manual links to the appropriate part of the Commands chapter.

Syncing Settings Between Devices

If you have enabled syncing, many settings will sync between OmniFocus devices. Settings which change the contents or structure of a perspective are synced across all devices, whenever possible. Settings which impact the level of detail and order of items within a perspective are synced between the same type of device (Mac, iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch); this allows you to present information differently, on different types of devices. Settings which only change your local appearance (such as those in Appearance Settings) or rely upon local information (such as choosing calendars in Forecast View Options) do not sync.

We refer to synced settings as having a scope that is global, device-specific, or local.

  • global — settings which sync between all devices.
  • device-specific — settings which sync between devices of the same type, such as Mac to Mac, or iPhone to iPhone.
  • local — settings which do not sync, and are only on the device that you are using.

Groups of Settings

Appearance Settings

Automation Settings

Dates and Times Settings

General Settings

Help Settings

In-App Purchases

Layout Settings

License Settings

Notifications Settings

OmniFocus Data Settings

Organization Settings

Reset Settings

Sync Settings

System Information Settings

Update Settings

Mac Settings

General (Mac)

General settings control common interactions you’ll have with OmniFocus.

Organization (Mac)

Organization settings allow you to choose when to tidy up your OmniFocus data, what type of projects you typically work with, and whether to view certain kinds of data when in specific perspectives.

Appearance (Mac)

Appearance settings control font size, colors and styles used by the app, as well as how some information is presented.

Layout (Mac)

Layout settings control the appearance of the Outline and Inspector. When using OmniFocus Pro, Outline settings can be changed for each perspective using View Options.

Outline

Inspector

Dates and Times (Mac)

Dates & Times settings control how far in advance items are considered “due soon”, which default times are used for new items, and how often new projects should be reviewed.

Default Times

Default Projects Review Schedule

Notifications (Mac)

This section needs revision, and does not fully reflect the current state of OmniFocus 4.

Notification settings control alerts that apply to all items in OmniFocus; notifications can also be set on a per-item basis using the Notifications inspector. OmniFocus can work with Mac notifications to provide useful alerts to help keep you focused on your work.

Sync (Mac)

Update (Mac Omni Store)

Update settings control how frequently OmniFocus checks for updates to itself (for non-App Store builds), and offers the option to help Omni improve future versions of OmniFocus by sending us anonymous data about your device.

System Information (Mac App Store)

System Information settings offers the option to help Omni improve future versions of OmniFocus by sending us anonymous data about your device.

iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro Settings

About (iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro)

License (iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro)

License settings control how OmniFocus is unlocked, and allow switching between Standard and Pro feature sets.

If you have not unlocked OmniFocus, tap the Omni Account row to sign in to an existing Omni Account or site license, or create a new Omni Account. On the next screen, enter the information for your current Omni Account (or tap on Sign Up to create one), or a work email address associated with a site license, and follow the instructions that present.

If you have already unlocked OmniFocus, the first row indicates whether you are licensed using an Omni Account or Site License. If you are using an Omni Account, tap on the Omni Account row for additional options. If you are using a site license, two additional buttons appear, allowing you to either Renew Session or Remove License.

In-App Purchases (iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro)

See In-App Purchases

Help (iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro)

General (iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro)

General settings control common interactions you’ll have with OmniFocus.

Organization (iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro)

Organization settings allow you to choose when to tidy up your OmniFocus data, what type of projects you typically work with, and whether to view certain kinds of data when in specific perspectives.

Appearance (iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro)

Appearance settings control colors and styles used by the app, as well as how some information is presented.

Layout (iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro)

Layout settings control the appearance of the Outline and Inspector. When using OmniFocus Pro, Outline settings can be changed for each perspective using View Options.

Outline

Inspector

Dates and Times (iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro)

Dates & Times settings control how far in advance items are considered “due soon”, which default times are used for new items, and how often new projects should be reviewed.

Default Times

Default Projects Review Schedule

Notifications (iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro)

This section needs revision, and does not fully reflect the current state of OmniFocus 4.

Notification settings control alerts that apply to all items in OmniFocus; notifications can also be set on a per-item basis using the Notifications inspector. OmniFocus can work with iPad notifications & iPhone notifications to provide useful alerts to help keep you focused on your work.

Default Notifications

Sounds

Badges

Sync (iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro)

Automation (iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro)

Automation settings allow you to manage your Omni Automation Plug-Ins and turn on Developer Mode.

Reset Settings (iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro)

OmniFocus Data Settings (iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro)

This section contains commands that are related to manipulating parts of your OmniFocus data.

Attachments:

Backups:

Exporting:

These items only appear if your OmniFocus data is in a condition where it could use the help they provide. If you don’t see them here, you’re probably in good shape.

At the very bottom of the Settings screen, there is information about your OmniFocus data: the number of projects and actions in your database, as well as the number of zip files used to contain your data. If you are syncing, the number of zip files will increase as you make edits in OmniFocus, and decrease as all devices receive those changes. Syncing all of your devices frequently will improve performance, as each device has to track on fewer local changes.

Apple Watch Settings

This section needs revision, and does not fully reflect the current state of OmniFocus 4.

Settings Reference

This section lists all settings found in OmniFocus, with links back to where they can be found in the application. If something is missing from this list, or more information would be helpful, please email the documentation team.

Accent Color

Available on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro in Appearance settings
Setting has local scope

App Icon

Available on Mac in Appearance settings
Available on iPhone and iPad in Appearance settings
Setting has local scope

Select from a collection of alternate app icons, including the new OmniFocus 4 app icon as well as the original OmniFocus 1 app icons. When using a Mac, this only affects OmniFocus while it is running, and does not update the icon found in the Applications folder.

This feature is not yet available on Apple Vision Pro, as of visionOS 1.1.

App Icon Badge Counts

Setting has local scope

Choose the options in this section for items you want to include in the badge count number that appears on the OmniFocus app icon (the little red circle laid over the icon’s upper right corner). If nothing is checked, the badge won't appear.

App Lock

Available on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro in General settings
Setting has local scope

App Lock is a way to keep your work shielded from casual viewing or editing by someone with temporary access to your device. If you use OmniFocus on a device that you occasionally share (with your children, coworkers, or clients, for example), there may be times when you would prefer that your OmniFocus data be hidden. The App Lock feature prevents accidental taps and casual glances by adding a password-locked privacy screen that must be dismissed before accessing any of your OmniFocus data or settings.

A Note on Security

App Lock does not encrypt your OmniFocus data, nor does it prevent someone with physical access to your device from connecting it to another device and copying your data file or deleting OmniFocus from your device outright. The Files app can also be used to retrieve your OmniFocus data file regardless of whether App Lock is enabled.

App Lock is intended as a privacy feature to prevent accidental exposure or corruption of data when others are using your device. It is not meant to thwart serious attempts to access or compromise your data. Device-level security measures are recommended for those with additional security needs.

App Lock is turned off by default. To turn it on, tap App Lock.

When you turn on App Lock, you will be prompted to choose and confirm a new App Lock password (this is distinct from and unrelated to either your OmniFocus sync password, or encryption passphrase). If you use OmniFocus on multiple iPhones or iPads, you need to configure and set an App Lock password on each device. App Lock passwords are device-specific and do not sync across devices.

Warning

If you forget the App Lock password, OmniFocus can no longer be used on your device. If you are syncing your OmniFocus data, the easiest way to get running again is to delete OmniFocus and then reinstall the app from the App Store, log in using your existing sync credentials, and restore your database from the sync server.

If you have chosen not to sync, you can retrieve your OmniFocus data by connecting your device to the Finder or iTunes and copying your OmniFocus data (the OmniFocus.ofocus file) to a safe location. You can also use the Files app to retrieve your database file and share it (via email or other means) to another location.

After saving a backup of your data, delete OmniFocus from your device and reinstall it from the App Store. Once you have reinstalled OmniFocus, you can set a new App Lock password and use iTunes to load your OmniFocus.ofocus file back onto your device.

After choosing a password, App Lock is turned on. The App Lock Settings screen offers the option to turn App Lock back off, change your password, or enable Touch ID, Face ID, or Optic ID as an alternative means of unlocking OmniFocus on devices that support it. To change your password, Tap Change Password... You are prompted to enter your old password, and then to choose and confirm a new one.

With App Lock turned on, the next time you open OmniFocus you will see a privacy screen with a field to enter the password you chose. Enter the password, and work resumes unimpeded. If you choose to use Touch ID, Face ID, or Optic ID, a prompt for your fingerprint, face, or eye will appear instead. You will still have the option to enter your password, or you can tap the icon next to the password field to unlock with Touch ID, Face ID, or Optic ID if you dismissed the prompt initially.

To minimize interruption when switching between apps, App Lock will not engage for a 90 second “grace period” after switching away from OmniFocus (in case you decide to switch back).

Backups Settings

Backups are handled differently on an iPhone, iPad, or Apple Vision Pro than they are on a Mac. The settings in this section are currently only on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro. More information is in the Backups of Your OmniFocus Data section of Managing Your Data.

Automatic Backups

Available on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro in OmniFocus Data settings

Choose between having OmniFocus create a new backup every 24 hours, or only making manual backups. Every time OmniFocus creates a new backup, it replaces the oldest backup.

How Many Backups Should Be Kept?

Available on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro in OmniFocus Data settings

Select the number of backups that OmniFocus will store. As each additional automatic or manual backup is made, the oldest existing backup will be replaced; a higher number of backups may provide additional confidence, but will also take more storage space.

Backup Folder

Available on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro in OmniFocus Data settings

By default, OmniFocus will save backups locally, on your device. Though this ensures that only the syncing database, which uses end-to-end encryption, is exposed to a network, it also means that deleting OmniFocus will also delete your backups.

If you would like to store backups in iCloud Drive instead, please select that option. Keep in mind that local copies of the database are not encrypted, nor are backups.

Backups List

Available on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro in OmniFocus Data settings
Available on Mac via Show Backups in Finder

OmniFocus on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro will display a list of backups, up to the number set in How many backups should be kept?. Tapping on one of the backups in the list will show information about the date of the backup, the size of the backup, and whether it was automatically or manually created.

To use this backup, replacing your current OmniFocus data, tap on the Revert to This Backup button.

Back Up Now

Available on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro in OmniFocus Data settings
Available on Mac via Export…

Tap this button to create a manual backup. Keep in mind that this will replace the oldest backup; on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro, the total number is set using How many backups should be kept?, and on Mac, there is a fixed limit of 100 backups.

By Default, Review Projects Every

Available on Mac in Dates & Times settings
Available on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro in Dates & Times settings
Setting has global scope

When a new project is created, this will be the value for how often you would like to review your progress. The review period for a specific project can be adjusted using the Inspector.

Change Email

Available on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro in Omni Account screen

Enter your current Omni Account password, and your new email address. You will receive a code at your new email address that you can enter to verify the change; once you have verified the change, the new email address will be updated across our servers.

Change Password

Available on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro in Omni Account screen

Enter your current Omni Account password, a new password, and then verify the new password. Once you have submitted your change, the new password will be updated across our servers.

Check For Updates (Omni Store Only)

Available on Mac in Update settings

OmniFocus is naturally curious about when updates are available for itself. If you’d prefer for the app not to check for updates automatically, uncheck the box for this preference; otherwise, you can choose an interval that suits you best (it’s not a very intrusive or bandwidth-heavy process). You can check for updates manually using the Check Now button, or with Check for Updates in the OmniFocus menu.

Clean Up Inbox Items Which Have

Available on Mac in Organization settings
Available on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro in Organization settings

This setting controls when Inbox items are moved from the Inbox to another project. The options are:

  • A project — assigning a project will move this item to the assigned project; with an assigned project, this item will remain in the Inbox.
  • A tag — assigning one or more tags will move this item to the default Miscellaneous project, with the assigned tags; without at least one assigned tag, this item will remain in the Inbox.
  • Both a project and a tag — assigning both a project and one or more tags will move this to the assigned project, with the assigned tags; with both a project and at least one tag, this item will remain in the Inbox.
  • Either a project or a tag — assigning either a project or one or more tags will move this to the assigned project or the default Miscellaneous project, with the assigned tags; without either a project or at least one tag assigned, this item will remain in the Inbox.

Note that items will not move out of the Inbox until you either switch to another perspective, or clean up.

Clean Up Resolved Items

Available on Mac in Organization settings
Available on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro in Organization settings

If you prefer that items be cleaned up, updating their visibility to match the current View Options selection, as soon as they are completed or dropped, choose Immediately. Otherwise, resolved items will be cleaned up when you switch between perspectives or when you manually clean up.

Clippings Shortcut

Available on Mac in General settings

Use the Clippings shortcut button to open System Settings and set up your system-wide keyboard shortcut for Clippings.

Color Palette

Available on Mac in Appearance settings
Available on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro in Appearance settings

Choose between three color palette options for OmniFocus:

Color Text For Due Items

Available on Mac in Appearance settings
Available on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro in Appearance settings

Choose whether to use color for the title of projects, action groups, or actions that are Due Soon or Overdue. Due Soon items will use yellow text, and Overdue items will use red text.

It is possible to adjust Due Soon using “Due Soon” Means.

Color Text For First Available Actions

Available on Mac in Appearance settings
Available on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro in Appearance settings

Choose whether to use color for the title of actions that are First Available. First Available items will use purple text.

Columns Layout

Available on Mac in Layout settings
Setting has device-specific scope

Columns layout is designed to display all items in a single row, which allows for easy scanning of the Outline. It is only available on Mac; if you would find it helpful on iPad, please email us.

By default, all items display the assigned project, tags, due date, and flag status. Clicking on Set Columns allows you to choose columns to be displayed, as well as rearrange the columns by dragging and dropping.

Possible fields include:

  • Project — Display the assigned project.
  • Flag — Display the flagged (or unflagged) status.
  • Tags — Display some or all assigned tags. See note below regarding the Tags shown setting.
  • Estimated Duration — Display the estimated duration.
  • Defer Until Date — Display the defer until date.
  • Due Date — Display the due date.
  • Completion Date — Display the completion date.
  • Repeat — Display the configured repetition.
  • Note Icon — Display the note icon, which also indicates whether the item note contains any text.
  • Notifications — Display any notifications.

Additional options include:

  • Tags shown — Display the number of tags chosen, or choose the infinite symbol to show all assigned tags.
  • Show full project path — By default, project display includes only the name of the project. Enabling this will also show any folders above the project in the hierarchy.
  • Hide project when redundant — By default, the assigned project is not displayed when in Projects, or in a custom perspective which is organized by projects. Enabling this setting will force all perspectives to respect the setting from Display Fields.

Default Notifications

This section needs revision, and does not fully reflect the current state of OmniFocus 4.

Default Notification for Deferred

  • Deferred—Turn this on to automatically schedule a notification for when a deferred item becomes available.

Latest Start Notification

  • Latest Start—Turn this on to automatically schedule a notification for an item’s latest possible start time (its due date minus its estimated duration).

Due Notification

  • Due—Turn this on to automatically schedule a notification for when an item becomes due.

Location Notifications

This setting is only available on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro:

Default Notification Sounds

  • Sounds—This includes controls for setting sound notifications for items based on due date, scheduled notifications, and location-based notifications.

Default Row Layout

Available on Mac in Layout settings
Setting has device-specific scope

Choose between using Fluid or Columns as the default layout for all your perspectives.

This will be the default layout for all Macs, as it has a device-specific scope. When using OmniFocus Pro, Outline settings can be changed for each perspective using View Options.

Default Project Type

Available on Mac in Organization settings
Available on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro in Organization settings

Select the default type when creating a new project or action group. Sequential projects and action groups require actions to be completed in a specific order, while parallel projects and actions groups can have actions completed in any order.

This setting does not apply when creating a new Single Action List project, or when choosing to create a specific type of project; it only applies when the type is not specifically chosen.

Default Time For Defer Dates

Available on Mac in Dates & Times settings
Available on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro in Dates & Times settings
Setting has global scope

When you create an action or project with a defer date but without choosing a specific time, this default time will be used.

Default Time For Due Dates

Available on Mac in Dates & Times settings
Available on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro in Dates & Times settings
Setting has global scope

When you create an action or project with a due date but without choosing a specific time, this default time will be used.

Default Time For Scheduled Notifications

Available on Mac in Dates & Times settings
Available on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro in Dates & Times settings
Setting has global scope

When you create a scheduled notification for an action or project with a date but without choosing a specific time, this default time will be used.

Delete Old Items

Available on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro in Settings

This tool appears when you have over 1000 items that have been completed for six months or longer. Use this to lighten the load on your database by removing those old items.

If you have OmniFocus for Mac, we recommend using Archive Old Items… instead. More information about archiving can be found in Archiving in OmniFocus, and we also have a Find and reduce the size of your database in OmniFocus 4 support article, for help keeping your database size manageable.

Developer Mode (Pro)

Available on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro in Automation settings

Turn the Developer Mode switch on to add the Omni Automation menu to the top Toolbar. This also enables access to the Automation Console and Automation Reference, both of which are tools that you can use to create your own Omni Automation automations.

“Due Soon” Means

Available on Mac in Dates & Times settings
Available on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro in Dates & Times settings
Setting has global scope

OmniFocus displays actions and projects that are due soon with an amber status circle. Choose when you would like OmniFocus to consider items due soon: Today, 24 hours, 2 days (default), 3 days, 4 days, 5 days, and 1 week. Except for 24 hours, all options are based on full calendar days. With 24 hours selected, only the part of tomorrow within the next 24 hours will be included.

Enable Pro Features

Available on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro in License settings

This allows you to choose between the Standard or Pro feature set when running a trial license, Pro license, or site license.

A similar function is available on Mac in the OmniFocus menu, using the Free Trial Mode sub-menu.

Export to CSV

Available on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro in Data settings
Available on Mac via Export….

As part of our commitment to your complete ownership of your data, we offer the ability to export your OmniFocus data in the open CSV format. Your data is available this way whenever you need it, presented in a tabular format viewable in just about any text editor.

Fluid Layout

Available on Mac in Layout settings
Available on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro in Layout settings
Setting has device-specific scope

Fluid layout is designed to always show the information that is most important to you in a row under the title, with the additional flexibility of quickly editing other fields. This is accomplished by having two sets of fields: one for display, and another for editing. By default, all items display the assigned project, tags, due date, and flag status. Selecting a row allows you to edit those fields, as well as the item’s note.

Clicking or tapping on Set Display Fields allows you to choose fields that are always displayed for each item, whether or not they are selected. Fields can also be rearranged by dragging and dropping into your desired order.

Possible fields include:

  • Project — Display the assigned project.
  • Tags — Display some or all assigned tags. See note below regarding the Tags shown setting.
  • Estimated Duration — Display the estimated duration.
  • Defer Until Date — Display the defer until date.
  • Due Date — Display the due date.
  • Completion Date — Display the completion date.
  • Repeat — Display the configured repetition.
  • Notifications — Display any notifications.

Additional options include:

  • Preview notes in Outline — Display all notes. (iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro only)
  • Tags shown — Display the number of tags chosen, or choose the infinite symbol to show all assigned tags.
  • Show full project path — By default, project display includes only the name of the project. Enabling this will also show any folders above the project in the hierarchy.
  • Hide project when redundant — By default, the assigned project is not displayed when in Projects, or in a custom perspective which is organized by projects. Enabling this setting will force all perspectives to respect the setting from Display Fields.

Clicking or tapping on Set Editing Fields allows you to choose additional fields that are displayed only when an item is selected, to allow editing of fields that are not always visible. This set will automatically include all Display Fields, and disabling Mirror Display Fields allows you to add fields to the set. Field order is based on that set for Display Fields.

  • Show note automatically — When selecting an item, the note will automatically be shown. (Mac only)
  • Notes — When selecting an item, the note will automatically be shown. Note that this overrides the Preview notes in Outline setting above, but only for the selected note. (iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro only)

Font Size

Available on Mac in Appearance settings

This slider allows you to adjust the font size used in OmniFocus, to find the right balance between comfortable reading and optimal layout of information.

When using an iPhone, iPad, or Apple Vision Pro, OmniFocus will respect the settings found in Settings > Display & Brightness, as well as related Accessibility settings. For more information, see the Apple User Guide articles about Make iPhone text easier to read with accessibility features, Make iPad text easier to read with accessibility features, and Adjust the display and text size on Apple Vision Pro.

Hide Projects And Action Groups

Available on Mac in Organization settings
Available on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro in Organization settings

By default, the Tags and Flagged perspectives will show flagged projects and action groups, when they match the selected View Option filter. To always hide projects and action groups from these perspectives, focusing exclusively on actions, enable Hide projects and action groups.

Include Items from On Hold Projects

Available on Mac in Organization settings
Available on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro in Organization settings

By default, the Forecast perspective will hide projects that are On Hold, as well as any actions or action groups that are part of that project. If you would like these items to show in Forecast instead, to help with your planning, enable Include items from On Hold projects.

Keep Sidebar Hidden

Available on Mac, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro in View Options for most perspectives

On a Mac or iPad, navigating to a different perspective via Perspectives Bar or Quick Open will show the Sidebar in the most recent state. If during your last visit to a given perspective you left the Sidebar showing (such as showing the Calendar in Forecast), then the next time you visit that perspectives, the Sidebar will still be showing; the same is true if the Sidebar was hidden. By default, OmniFocus will respect the Show/Hide Sidebar command.

Enabling this setting will change the behavior, but only for that perspective: instead of respecting the most recent state, you will always start with the Sidebar hidden.

When using an iPad, this setting only impacts Regular view; when using Compact view (iPhone width, displayed on an iPhone) you will always visit the Outline first.

This setting does not affect the use of Forward or Back navigation, which should always show you the most recent view of whichever perspectives you visit.

Show Sidebar First is the related setting on an iPhone.

Layout Settings for Inspector

Available on Mac in Layout settings
Available on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro in Layout settings
Setting has device-specific scope

By default, the Inspector displays the item title, item status, project or action group type, assigned project, assigned tags, defer until date, due date, repeat schedule, last and next review dates, note, and tag location fields, when appropriate for the selected item.

These settings allow you to enable or disable fields to show by default, as well as rearrange them by dragging and dropping.

Select which of these fields show in the Inspector:

Omni Account

Available on Mac in OmniFocus menu
Available on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro in License settings

Log in to or sign out of your Omni Account, unlock OmniFocus (if you have a current license or subscription), or update your account information.

Options include:

Creating an Omni Account is free, and is required for syncing with the Omni Sync Server, or using OmniFocus for the Web.

Open Calendar Events In

Available on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro in General settings
Available on Mac in the Calendar application

Choose whether tapping the calendar icon next to events in Forecast opens Apple Calendar or Fantastical.

Please feel free to request support for your favorite calendar application.

When using a Mac, OmniFocus will read this setting from Apple’s Calendar application. More information is available in the Calendar User Guide article Change General settings in Calendar on Mac.

Outlining Mode

Available on Mac in General settings

Choose between two different styles of outlining, which change the behavior of common keyboard actions when items in the outline are selected.

When in Modern Mode:

  • Tab begins editing
  • Return confirms editing
  • Escape cancels editing
  • Press return twice to create a new item

When in Classic Mode:

  • Escape begins editing
  • Escape confirms editing
  • Return always creates a new item

This setting only applies when using a Mac, as iPads and iPhones use a different style of keyboard navigation. More information about that style of navigation can be found in Use shortcuts on an Apple external keyboard with iPad.

Perspectives Bar Shows Badges

Available on Mac in Notifications settings
Available on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro in Notifications settings

The Perspective Bar badge count for each default perspective is focused on the intended purpose of the perspective:

Neither Projects nor Tags use Perspectives Bar badges, but they can both Show Sidebar Badges.

Perspectives Bar Shows Titles

Available on Mac in Appearance settings
Available on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro in Appearance settings

Choose to show or hide titles in the Perspectives Bar. Showing titles (the default setting) provides more information, while hiding titles fits more items in the Perspectives Bar.

Quick Entry Shortcut

Available on Mac in General settings

Set a custom keyboard shortcut for Quick Entry here (the default is Control-Option-Space).

See also Show Quick Entry

Reminders Capture

Available on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro in Automation settings

Enabling this setting allows you to choose a specific Reminders list to continuously import into the Inbox.

Earlier versions of OmniFocus relied on this for communication with Siri, and the feature is still available for customers that find it useful. Please note that Reminders Capture is no longer the preferred method for OmniFocus to interact with Siri. Instead, use Siri terminology to add items to OmniFocus directly.

Reset OmniFocus

For more information about global, device-specific, or local settings, please see the notes regarding scope at the beginning of this chapter.

You can reset parts of OmniFocus using these options:

  • Reset iPad/iPhone/Apple Vision Pro Layout Settings -- This resets device-specific layout and inspector field settings back to default, for all perspectives.
  • Reset All Settings -- This resets global, device-specific, and local settings back to the default. This will affect all syncing Macs, iPads, iPhones, and Apple Watches, but does not affect layout settings on different kinds of devices.
  • Reset Database -- This removes your local OmniFocus data, and starts OmniFocus back at First Launch. If you are not syncing your database, be aware that this will erase your data. Depending on your Backups settings, you may not be able to recover your data.

Send Anonymous System Information To The Omni Group

Available on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro in General settings
Available on Mac in Update settings or System Information settings

If you’d like to help us improve future versions of OmniFocus, for you and others, you can choose to send us anonymous information about your OmniFocus data and device. All the information that will be shared is visible in this Settings screen on iPhone, iPad, or Apple Vision Pro; click on Learn more about what kind of information is sent if you are using a Mac.

Show Full Item Title

Available on Mac in Appearance settings

  • Always — Titles are always displayed at full length in the Outline, whether or not it is selected. This is the default setting, and allows you to see all relevant information.
  • When Selected — Titles are truncated to the first link in the Outline, unless they are selected. This setting allows you to see more items at the same time.

Show Perspectives Bar

Available on Mac, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro via View menu.
Available on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro in Appearance settings.
Option-Command-P on Mac, iPhone, and iPad

Show or hide the Perspectives Bar. This is available as a setting on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro, as well as a keyboard command.

Show Sidebar Badges

Available on Mac in Notifications settings
Available on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro in Notifications settings

Show badges for the number of items which are overdue (red badge) or due soon (yellow badge), in the Projects, Tags, or Review Sidebars.

Show Sidebar First

Available on iPhone in View Options for some perspectives

This setting will be displayed as Show Project list first, Show Tag list first, or Show Calendar first, depending on which perspective you are viewing.

On an iPhone, navigating to a different perspective via Perspectives Bar or Quick Open will always show the Outline first. Enabling this setting will change the behavior, but only for that perspective: instead of always starting with the Outline, you will always start with the Sidebar.

This setting does not affect using an iPad in Compact view (iPhone width, displayed on an iPhone); when using Compact view on an iPad, you will always visit the Outline first.

This setting does not affect the use of Forward or Back navigation, which should always show you the most recent view of whichever perspectives you visit.

Keep sidebar hidden is the related setting on a Mac or iPad.

Siri Shortcuts

Available on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro in Automation settings

Tap to open a list of your OmniFocus perspectives, then tap a perspective to open the Siri Shortcuts recording dialog. Record a custom phrase here that can be used with Siri to open the perspective directly from anywhere on your device.

Strike Resolved Items

Available on Mac in Appearance settings
Available on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro in Appearance settings

Choose whether to strike through the title text for resolved projects and actions.

Support Center

Available on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro in Help settings

Tap to open a web view containing the official OmniFocus support page, with a search field for troubleshooting articles and links to the online reference manuals and other resources.