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OmniFocus 4 Reference Manual

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Commands and Shortcuts

This chapter gathers the commands and shortcuts found throughout OmniFocus into a single reference.

This chapter is structured to help you easily find the information you need, with each section organized for a different purpose.

  • Bare Key Editing — Introduction to Bare Key Editing, new in OmniFocus 4!
  • Keyboard Shortcuts — Quick info about Keyboard Shortcuts.
  • Categories — Commands are grouped by category, such as Perspectives or View. This is a good place to start if you know the category of a menu, menu item, or menu command, and want to know more about it, or need to locate the command on different platforms.
  • Mac — Mac menu bar items and commands are listed in the same order as found in the app. This is a good place to start if you are looking at a menu, and want to know more.
  • iPad, Apple Vision Pro — iPad & Apple Vision Pro menus are listed in the same order as found in the app; menu items and commands are listed in alphabetical order. This is a good place to start if you are looking at a menu, and want to know more.
  • Shortcut Menus — Shortcut menu items and commands are listed in alphabetical order, grouped by type. This is a good place to start if you are looking at a shortcut menu, and want to know more.
  • Commands Reference — All commands are listed in alphabetical order. This is a good place to start if you would like more information about a command, want to see which platforms support that command, or need to locate the command on different platforms.

Commands are located in Mac, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro menu bars, as well as in Shortcut Menus on Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro.

Many commands are also available using either Bare Key Editing or Keyboard Shortcuts.

Bare Key Editing

When using Mac, iPad, or iPhone with a hardware keyboard, it is now possible to jump directly to a specific field, and begin editing.

Please note that there are some differences between devices.

When using Mac with a keyboard, it is possible to tab through the fields on a row. If you’d like to use a bare key editing shortcut to jump to a specific field, you first need to end editing of the current row, which you can do using either Return or Command-Return

In addition, the bare key editing shortcuts will only work on visible fields, as set in Layout Settings.

When using iPad or iPhone with a keyboard, it is not possible to tab through fields, as OmniFocus 4 uses Apple’s native iPad keyboard navigation, to support accessibility features.

Tabbing will move between parts of the screen (such as the Perspectives Bar, Sidebar, and Outline), instead of through fields in a row. Once you have selected a row in the Outline (by tabbing to the Outline, and then using up and down arrow keys to navigate), typing any of these bare key editing shortcuts will begin editing the field.

If field editing presents a pop-up menu, tabbing will navigate to the next part of the menu (such as from the search field to the list of projects or tags), and typing Command-Period (.) (or using the Esc key) will end editing, saving the current information.

Unlike when using Mac, it is possible to edit fields that are not currently visible.

Keyboard Shortcuts

If you’re using OmniFocus with a keyboard, whether on Mac, iPhone, or iPad, you can take advantage of the app’s built-in keyboard shortcuts for many common tasks.

Each section of the Commands Reference has keyboard shortcut(s) listed, to make them easy to find.

When using iPad, press and hold the Command key on your external keyboard to view a list of available shortcuts. The same keyboard shortcuts will work on an iPhone with external keyboard, but pressing and holding the Command key does not present the same list of available shortcuts.

When using Mac, you can create keyboard shortcuts for menu items that don’t already have one. For more information, please read the Apple User Guide article Create keyboard shortcuts for apps on Mac.

Categories

This section groups menus into categories, so you can easily find all related commands, such as those used to Edit or Organize.

Categories are listed in alphabetical order, with each section linking to information for each supported platform. Some commands are available only on specific platforms.

When there is a Shortcut Menu that matches a category, it is included here.

Automation Menu (Pro)

Edit Menu

File Menu

Format Menu

Help Menu

OmniFocus Menu

Organize Menu

Perspectives Menu

View Menu

Window Menu

Mac

This section includes a list of all Mac menu bar menus, menu items, and menu commands, in the order they appear in the app.

OmniFocus Menu (Mac)

The OmniFocus menu contains commands related to the application itself. Check for updates, view and modify your settings, and license or unlock the application.

File Menu (Mac)

The File menu contains commands related to your database. Add new items, or Quick Open others. Importing, exporting, archiving, and restoring your database also happen here.

Edit Menu (Mac)

The Edit menu contains commands related to editing actions, projects, folders, tags, and groups.

Organize Menu (Mac)

The Organize menu contains commands that change the hierarchy and structure of your OmniFocus data. This is primarily useful when working with nested projects and action groups.

View Menu (Mac)

The View menu contains commands for quickly changing the view of your OmniFocus data. Show and hide parts of the interface, and expand or collapse the details of items in the Outline.

Perspectives Menu (Mac)

The Perspectives menu holds commands for quick navigation to both the default, built-in perspectives and the Custom Perspectives available in OmniFocus Pro.

Keyboard shortcuts assigned to perspectives also appear in this list.

Format Menu (Mac)

Please note that formatting commands only work in note fields

Automation Menu (Pro) (Mac)

With OmniFocus Pro, Omni Automation can be used to automate OmniFocus.

Window Menu (Mac)

When you have multiple database windows open in OmniFocus, use the Window menu to choose between them. This menu also allows you to use Quick Entry and the Attachment List.

Help Menu (Mac)

Access a variety of support resources using the Help menu in OmniFocus, including this documentation, release notes, and contact with our friendly Support Humans.

iPad, Apple Vision Pro

This section includes a list of all possible menu bar menus, menu items, and menu commands on iPad and Apple Vision Pro.

Commands with keyboard shortcuts are also available on iPhone, though menu bars do not display on that platform.

Menu bar items and commands on iPad and Apple Vision Pro only appear when relevant, and their order may change.

They are loosely sorted in alphabetical order, while grouped by affect (such as Group and Ungroup being listed together).

OmniFocus Menu (iPad, Apple Vision Pro)

The OmniFocus menu contains commands related to the application itself, allowing you to view and modify your settings.

File Menu (iPad, Apple Vision Pro)

The File menu contains commands related to your database. Add new items, or Quick Open others.

Edit Menu (iPad, Apple Vision Pro)

The Edit menu contains commands related to editing actions, projects, folders, tags, and groups.

Organize Menu (iPad, Apple Vision Pro)

The Organize menu contains commands that change the hierarchy and structure of your OmniFocus data. This is primarily useful when working with nested projects and action groups.

View Menu (iPad, Apple Vision Pro)

The View menu contains commands for quickly changing the view of your OmniFocus data. Show and hide parts of the interface, and expand or collapse the details of items in the Outline.

Format Menu (iPad, Apple Vision Pro)

Please note that formatting commands only work in note fields

Automation Menu (Pro) (iPad, Apple Vision Pro)

With OmniFocus Pro, Omni Automation can be used to automate OmniFocus.

Shortcut Menus

Shortcut menu items and commands are listed grouped by type, in the default app order. Items and commands appear as needed, so the menu you are looking at is unlikely to match this listing.

Shortcut menus (previously referred to as context menus or contextual menus) are found through OmniFocus, and are available when using Control-click on Mac, or touch and hold on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro. They are also available from the Shortcut Menu buttons in Outline Select Mode, Sidebar Select Mode, and Sidebar Edit Mode.

Touch and hold is the same gesture required to lift an item for drag and drop. Release the item after it lifts, instead of moving it, and the shortcut menu will appear.

Shortcut menus are available for folders, projects, and tags in the Sidebar; folders, projects, tags, action groups, and actions in the Outline; and while editing text in the Sidebar, Outline, or Notes.

One major difference between menu bar items and shortcut menu items has to do with how available and unavailable commands are displayed: on Mac, menu bar items are always displayed, whether they are available or unavailable; shortcut menus (as well as iPad and Apple Vision Pro menu bars) update depending on your selection.

This section will include all possible shortcut menu items, though not all will appear in every situation.

General Shortcut Menu

Menu items found at the top level of the shortcut menu:

Edit Shortcut Menu

Please note that these are located at the top level of the shortcut menu on Mac.

  • Cut — actions, projects, folders, tags
  • Copy — actions, projects, folders, tags
  • Copy as Link — actions, projects, folders, tags
  • Copy as TaskPaper — actions, projects, folders, tags
  • Paste — actions, projects, folders
  • Duplicate — actions, projects, folders

Status Shortcut Menu

Type Shortcut Menu

Organize Shortcut Menu

Schedule Shortcut Menu

Sort Shortcut Menu

This menu is only available when using Mac.

See Sort Once.

Commands Reference

These are listed in alphabetical order, and link to where they may be found in OmniFocus. That location may be different on Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, or Apple Vision Pro.

Keyboard shortcuts are listed under each command.

If a keyboard shortcut is available only on specific platforms, those platforms are listed. If a keyboard shortcut is available on any device that can use an external keyboard, platform is not specified.

About OmniFocus

Available on Mac in OmniFocus menu
Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Settings
Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Help toolbar menu
Available on Apple Watch in About OmniFocus

View details about your copy of OmniFocus. This is good for checking exactly which version you’re using, which can be very helpful when contacting our Support Humans. Some versions of this screen also include a link to write a review on the App Store.

Add Action

Available in the Organize shortcut menu

Creates a new action.

Add Folder

Available on Mac in Project sidebar action menu
Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Project sidebar more menu
Available in the Organize shortcut menu

Creates a New Folder at the selected location in the Sidebar.

Add Inside

Available on Mac, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Organize menu
Available in the Organize shortcut menu
Shift-Command-Right Brace (})

Create a new item belonging to the selected item.

If you have a project selected, this adds an action to the project.

If you have an action selected, it turns that action into the parent of an action group, and adds an action inside.

Compare Add Outside

Add Item

Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Organize shortcut menu

Creates a new Inbox item.

Available on Mac in Edit menu

Create a hyperlink to an item within OmniFocus, or beyond.

See also Edit Link

Add Outside

Available on Mac, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Organize menu
Shift-Command-Left Brace ({)

Create a new item at the same level as the selected item’s parent, if possible.

If you have an action selected inside an action group, this creates a new action at the same level as the action group.

If you have an action selected at the top level of a project, this creates a new project.

If you have a project selected, this will either create a project at the same level, or one level higher, depending on the location of the project in your structure.

Compare Add Inside

Add Perspective (Pro)

Requires OmniFocus Pro
Available on Mac in Perspectives menu
Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Quick Open

Creates and begins editing a new Custom Perspective.

Add Project

Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Project sidebar more menu
Available in the Organize shortcut menu

Creates a New Project at the selected location in the Sidebar, with the Default Project Type (Parallel or Sequential) that you have chosen.

Once the project has been created, you can change the Project Type.

Add Parallel Project

Available on Mac in Project sidebar action menu

Creates a new Parallel project at the selected location in the Sidebar.

This has the same effect as using New Project, following by setting Project Type to Parallel.

Add Sequential Project

Available on Mac in Project sidebar action menu

Creates a new Sequential project at the selected location in the Sidebar.

This has the same effect as using New Project, following by setting Project Type to Sequential.

Add Single-Action List

Available on Mac in Project sidebar action menu

Creates a new Single Actions List at the selected location in the Sidebar.

This has the same effect as using New Project, following by setting Project Type to Single Actions List.

Add Tag

Available on Mac in Tags sidebar action menu
Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Tags sidebar more menu
Available in the Organize shortcut menu

Creates a New Tag at the selected location in the Sidebar.

Add Tutorial Items

Available on Mac in Help menu

When you first launch OmniFocus a sample project is added to your database to help you get started. If you want it back, choose this command to recreate it (it’ll be added to your existing projects non-destructively).

Always Open in a New View

Available on Mac in Perspectives List

On Mac, this command will display as either Always Open in a New Window or Always Open in a New Tab; please see the note in Open in New View about how this interacts with your System Settings.

Enable this setting to always open the perspective in a new view when you navigate to it, whether you are selecting it from the Perspectives menu, or using the Perspectives List.

Align Text

Available on Mac in Format menu

Adjust the alignment of the paragraph containing selected text:

  • Align Left — Aligns the paragraph to the left side of the view.
  • Center — Aligns the paragraph to the right side of the view.
  • Justify — Aligns the paragraph to both the left and ride side of the view, attempting to fill the view.
  • Align Right — Aligns the paragraph in the center of the view.

Anonymize Database

Available on Mac in Help menu

Create a copy of your current database with all identifying text and attachments converted to anonymous entities. This is useful for exchanges with Omni support, or for sharing your database with other OmniFocus users without divulging the details of your private goings-on.

API Reference (Pro)

Requires OmniFocus Pro
May also be named Automation API Reference or Show Automation Reference
Available on Mac in Automation menu
Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Omni Automation toolbar menu
Shift-Command-Zero (0) on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro

Command is labeled Automation API Reference on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro

Learn more about what you can do with Omni Automation in OmniFocus by viewing the available classes along with their constructors, functions, and properties.

Apply/Remove Forecast Tag (Pro)

Requires OmniFocus Pro
Available on Mac, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Edit menu
Available in the Shortcut menu
Control-Command-L

Apply (or remove) the Forecast tag to the selected action, action group, or project.

Archive Old Items

Available on Mac in File menu

Move some or all of your completed or dropped items into an Archive.

It is not possible to archive from iPhone, iPad, or Apple Vision Pro, but it is possible to Delete Old Items from Settings.

Attach File

Available on Mac in Edit menu
Available on Mac in Shortcut menu
Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in the Outline
Available in the Inspector

Choose an attachment to add to the selected action or project. When using Mac, you have the choice of either embedding a copy of the attachment, which allows you to access the attachment on Mac, iPhone, iPad, or Apple Vision Pro, or linking the attachment, which leaves it on the Mac.

Attachment List

Available on Mac in Window menu
Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Database settings

Open a list of all attachments in your database. This can be useful for finding reference material you have added to your actions and projects.

This list displays all the files in your OmniFocus data, with links to their corresponding project or action. Note that a single attachment can be linked to multiple projects or actions. Sort attachments by file size, date added, or name (on Mac), and delete any unwanted ones here.

On Mac, expand the disclosure arrow to the left of the attachment image to see a list of projects and actions that link to the attachment. Double-clicking on the attachment row, or single clicking on the name of the linked action or project, will open that action or project in a new view. With one or more rows selected, click on the Delete button to remove the attachments, or the Export button to save them outside OmniFocus.

On iPhone, and iPad, tap an individual attachment for a detail view which lists the attachment file size, the number of references to the file in your OmniFocus data, and a list of projects and actions that link to the attachment. Tap one of the linked items to go straight to where the file is attached, or tap Delete in the upper right to remove the file from your database.

Exporting Attachments

You may want to export attachments, perhaps before deleting them.

On Mac, select one or more attachments in the list, and click Export. An export panel appears, where you can choose a location on your Mac to store the attachments. Navigate to the directory you would like to use, and click Export again to save copies of the files.

On iPhone, iPad, or Apple Vision Pro, tap the linked attachment to open the location where it is linked. Press and hold on the attachment, then select Share.

AutoFill

Available on Mac in Edit menu
Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Editing menu

This is a system-level command, which allows autofilling either Contacts or Passwords. It is not available on macOS Ventura, but is available on macOS Sonoma, iPadOS 17, and iOS 17.

Automation API Reference

See API Reference

Automation Console

See Show Console

Back Up Now

Available in Database settings
Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro

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 of backups is set using How many backups should be kept?.

On Mac, a manual backup can be created using the Export… command.

Baseline

Available on Mac in Format menu

Adjust the baseline of body text:

  • Use Default — Places selected text at the same level as body text.
  • Superscript — Move selected text above the body text.
  • Subscript — Move selected text below the body text.
  • Raise — Move selected text up.
  • Lower — Move selected text down.

Begin/End Select Mode

Available on iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Edit menu
Shift-Command-E on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro

Begins or ends Outline Select Mode or Sidebar Select Mode.

Bigger

Available on Mac, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Format menu
Command-Plus Sign (+)

Increase the size of the selected note text.

Bold

Available on Mac, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Format menu
Command-B

Apply (or remove) the bold style to the selected note text.

Bring All to Front

Available on Mac in Window menu

Gather all of your OmniFocus windows up in front of other applications’ windows.

Clear Console (Pro)

Requires OmniFocus Pro
Available on Mac in Automation menu

Clears the Automation Console display.

Clear Style

Available on Mac in Format menu
Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in editing format menu
Control-Command-Delete on Mac

Applies only to selected text in the note field.

Re-formats selected text in notes.

Removes all styles, such as bold, italic, underline, bulleted lists, custom fonts, text and background colors, and sizes.

Result should be clean text, with no apparent formatting.

Attachments and links are preserved.

Contrast with Simplify Style

Clean Up

Available on Mac, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Organize menu
Available in the Toolbar
Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro when pulling to sync
Command-K

Force OmniFocus to clean up after itself, so that all items obey your View Options settings. Also moves any Inbox items with assigned projects or tags to the appropriate location in the hierarchy.

This command may not be needed, depending on your settings for Cleaning Up Resolved Items and Clean Up Inbox Items Which Have.

Regardless of those settings, switching perspectives will always clean up the view, as will pulling down to sync on an iPhone, iPad, or Apple Vision Pro.

Changed

Available on Mac in Perspectives menu
Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Quick Open

Open the built-in Changed perspective in the current OmniFocus window to view recent changes you’ve made. Unlike other built-in perspectives, Changed doesn’t stay in the Perspectives Bar once closed, unless you favorite it.

Check for Updates

Available on Mac in OmniFocus menu. (Direct Download version only)

See if there is a new version of OmniFocus available to download. You can also configure automatic checking in Update settings. Versions of OmniFocus from the App Store use Apple’s process for updates.

Clear Flag

See Set/Clear Flag

Close

Available on Mac in File menu
Command-W on Mac

Close the front most window. Even if you close the last remaining OmniFocus window, you can always open a new one.

Close Account

Available on Mac in Manage Omni Account and Purchases… menu item
Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Omni Account screen

Sends an email requesting to close your Omni Account. You will receive an automatic email response at the registered email address for the Omni Account, which you then need to reply to, in order to actually close your account. Accidentally tapping this button will not close your account.

Collapse Item(s)

Available on Mac, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in View menu
Command-Zero (0)

Hide the children of the selected items.

Compare Expand Item(s)

Collapse Item(s) Completely

Available on Mac, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in View menu
Option-Command-Zero (0)

Hide all descendants of all selected items in the Sidebar or the Outline.

Compare Expand Item(s) Completely

Collapse All

Available on Mac, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in View menu
Control-Command-Zero (0)

Hide all descendants of all items in the Sidebar or the Outline.

Compare Expand All

Compact Database

Available on Mac in File menu
Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Database settings

Rewrites your OmniFocus into a simple structure, which can be helpful for increasing performance if OmniFocus appears to be slow or unresponsive. This command is only available when not syncing; if you are syncing, compacting happens automatically when all of your devices are up-to-date.

Complete

Available in the Shortcut menu

Marks the selected action(s) completed.

See also Completed

Complete with Last Action

Available in the Project or Group Type inspector
Available in the Type shortcut menu

With this option enabled, completing the last action inside a project or action group will automatically complete the containing project or action group. With this option disabled, the project or action group will need to be manually marked completed.

Only available for projects or action groups set to Parallel or Sequential.

Completed

Available on Mac in Perspectives menu
Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Quick Open

Open the built-in Completed perspective in the current OmniFocus window to view your completed actions and projects. Unlike other built-in perspectives, Completed doesn’t stay in the Perspectives Bar once closed, unless you favorite it.

Configure (Pro)

Requires OmniFocus Pro
May also be named Manage Plug-Ins
Available on Mac in Automation menu
Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Automation settings

Opens Automation Configuration, where you can add, remove, and manage your Omni Automation Plug-Ins, as well as change scripting-related security settings.

For sample Omni Automation Plug-Ins and to learn more about scripting OmniFocus, visit the Omni Automation website.

For information on installing Omni Automation Plug-Ins, see the Omni Automation article Installing Plug-Ins.

Contact Omni

Available on Mac in Help menu
Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Help toolbar menu
Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Help settings

Compose an email to the OmniFocus support team. We’d be happy to give advice, answer questions, or listen to your feedback. This email will also include information about the version you’re running, which operating system you’re running it on, and what type of license you have; leaving this information in place helps us quickly assist you.

If you see a “The operation couldn’t be completed. Not authorized to send Apple events to Mail.” error when you select Contact Omni, you can grant OmniFocus authorization to send email.

Open System Settings, then navigate to Privacy & Security > Automation, and click on the triangle next to OmniFocus to view additional options. Make sure that Mail is enabled (along with any other apps that you would like), then select Contact Omni again.

System authorization can also affect using Clippings on Mac

Convert to Action

Available in the Inspector toolbar
Available in the Organize shortcut menu

Convert the selected project into an action group (if the project contains actions), or an action (if the project doesn’t contain actions).

The newly created action or action group will be placed in either the Inbox, or the default Miscellaneous project, depending on your setting for Clean up Inbox items which have.

Compare Convert to Project

Convert to Project

Available on Mac, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Edit menu
Available in the Inspector toolbar
Available in the Organize shortcut menu
Command-Exclamation Point (!)

Convert the selected action or action group into a project.

The newly created project will be placed at the bottom of the Projects Sidebar.

Compare Convert to Action

Copy

Available on Mac, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Edit menu
Available in the Edit shortcut menu
Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Editing menu
Command-C

Put a copy of the selected text or item(s) on the clipboard, so you can copy the selection somewhere else.

Available on Mac in Edit menu
Available on Mac in Perspectives List
Available in the Edit shortcut menu

Put a link to the selected item(s) on the clipboard; when you paste it, you get links for each selected item, to allow easy reference from another location.

Copy as Taskpaper

Available on Mac in Edit menu
Available in the Edit shortcut menu

Copy the selected items with the tag syntax used by Hog Bay Software’s TaskPaper to-do list app.

See our OmniFocus TaskPaper Reference Guide support article for more information.

Copy Style

Available on Mac in Format menu
Option-Command-C on Mac

Copy the style of the selected text, so that you can apply it elsewhere with the Paste Style command. This uses a special style clipboard, so you don’t lose the data on the normal clipboard.

Customize Toolbar

Available on Mac in View menu

Choose which controls appear in the main window’s Toolbar.

Cut

Available on Mac, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Edit menu
Available in the Edit shortcut menu
Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Editing menu
Command-Z

Remove the selected text or item(s), while saving them on the clipboard, so you can move the selection somewhere else.

Defer until Tomorrow

Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Schedule shortcut menu

Only available for actions and projects that are not set to repeat.

Sets the Defer Until date for an item to Tomorrow, without changing any assigned time. This option presents if the action or project has a Defer Until date in the past, or no assigned Defer Until date.

See also Due Today/Tomorrow

Delete

Available on Mac, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Edit menu
Available in the Inspector toolbar
Available in the Shortcut menu
Command-Delete

Remove the selected item(s) or text from your database.

On Mac, you can enable Delete items without requiring the Command Key, which allows you to use Delete.

Deselect All

Available on Mac, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Edit menu
Shift-Command-A

Clear the selection completely, so that nothing is selected.

Drop

Available in the Shortcut menu

Marks the selected action(s) dropped.

Drop Completely

Available in the Shortcut menu

Only available for actions that are set to repeat.

Drops the selected action(s), but does not create the next repetition; this results in the entire repeating action being dropped.

Compare Skip

Due Today/Tomorrow

Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Schedule shortcut menu

Only available for actions and projects that are not set to repeat.

Sets the Due date for an item to either Today or Tomorrow, without changing any assigned time. If the item is already Due either Today or Tomorrow, then only a single choice will be offered.

See also Defer until Tomorrow

Compare Reschedule to Today/Tomorrow

Duplicate

Available on Mac in Edit menu
Available in the Edit shortcut menu
Command-D on Mac

Make a copy of a selected item, placing it immediately below the selected item.

Edit Completion Date

May also be named Show Completion Date Editor
Available on iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Edit menu
C

Assign a completion date to an action, action group, or project, or edit the currently assigned completion date.

Edit Defer Until

May also be named Show Defer Until Editor
Available on iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Edit menu
Shift-D

Assign a Defer Until date to an action, action group, or project, or edit the currently assigned defer until date.

Edit Due

May also be named Show Due Editor
Available on iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Edit menu
D

Assign a due date to an action, action group, or project, or edit the currently assigned due date.

Edit Estimated Duration

May also be named Show Estimated Editor Duration
Available on iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Edit menu
Shift-T

Assign an estimated duration to an action, action group, or project, or edit the currently assigned estimated duration.

Edit Inspector Layout

Available in the Inspector toolbar

Choose this command to open Layout Settings for Inspector.

Available on Mac in Edit shortcut menu

Edit a hyperlink to an item within OmniFocus, or beyond.

See also Add Link

Edit Title/Edit Note

Available on Mac, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Edit menu
Command-Apostrophe (') to switch between fields
E to begin editing title
N to begin editing note

Using E or N will begin editing, but will not toggle between fields.

Using Command-Apostrophe (') will switch between editing the item title and the item note.

Edit Notifications

May also be named Show Notifications Editor
Available on iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Edit menu
Shift-N

Assign a notification to an action, action group, or project, or edit the currently assigned notifications.

Edit Project

May also be named Show Project Editor
Available on iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Edit menu
P

Assign a project to an action or action group, or edit the currently assigned project.

Edit Repeat

May also be named Show Repeat Editor
Available on iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Edit menu
R

Assign a repeat to an action, action group, or project, or edit the currently assigned repeat.

Edit Tags

May also be named Show Tags Editor
Available on iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Edit menu
T

Assign tags to an action, action group, or project, or edit the currently assigned tags.

Emoji and Symbols

May also be named Emoji
Available on Mac, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Edit menu
Control-Command-Space bar
Globe key on Mac
Globe-E key on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro

Open the Character Viewer to insert emoji or other special characters.

More information about the Character Viewer is available in Use emoji and symbols on Mac, part of the Apple User Guides.

Enter/Exit Full Screen

Available on Mac in View menu
Control-Command-F on Mac
Function (Fn)-F on Mac
Globe-F on Mac

View OmniFocus using your full screen, or return it to single window.

Expand Item(s)

Available on Mac, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in View menu
Command-9

Show the children of the selected items.

Compare Collapse Item(s)

Expand Item(s) Completely

Available on Mac, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in View menu
Option-Command-9

Show all descendants of all selected items in the Sidebar or the Outline.

Compare Collapse Item(s) Completely

Expand All

Available on Mac, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in View menu
Control-Command-9

Show all descendants of all items in the Sidebar or the Outline.

Compare Collapse All

Export

Available on Mac in File menu

We believe that your data belongs to you; read Exporting from OmniFocus to learn more.

Multiple formats are available when exporting on your Mac.

On iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro, you can use the Export to CSV command, available in Database settings.

Export to CSV

Available in Database settings
Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro

We believe that your data belongs to you; read Exporting from OmniFocus to learn more.

CSV (Comma Separated Values) export is available on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro.

Additional export formats are available on Mac, using the Export… command.

Favorite/Unfavorite

Available on Mac in Perspectives List
Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Quick Open

Set your favorite perspectives, which will display in the Perspectives Bar.

Click or tap on the empty Favorite button to add a favorite perspective.

Click or tap on the filled Favorite button to remove a favorite perspective.

Find (iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro)

Available on iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Edit menu
Command-F on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro

This command is named Go to Search Field on Mac, and Find on iPad and Apple Vision Pro.

See Go to Search Field

Find (Mac)

Available on Mac in Edit menu

The Find menu contains the standard Find commands found in many applications: Find (which opens a window where you can use regular expressions and search-and-replace), Find Next, Find Previous, Use Selection for Find (which enters the selected text as the text to search for), and Jump to Selection.

Unlike searching using the toolbar (which narrows what you see in the outline), the Find dialog looks through all the fields currently visible in the outline and highlights results instead, providing a theme for them which you can browse through until you find what you need.

The Find dialog supports the use of regular expressions to match more complex text strings and combinations. See the NSRegularExpression developer documentation for technical details on the regex syntax, including a list of supported characters and operators.

Find/Go to Search Field

Available on Mac, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Edit menu
Option-Command-F on Mac
Command-F on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro

This command is named Go to Search Field on Mac, and Find on iPad and Apple Vision Pro.

The Toolbar at the top of the Outline contains a Search field .

On Mac, this field is always visible, unless the toolbar has been customized to hide the field.

On iPhone or iPad, you need to drag down from the top of the Outline, in order to show the field.

On Apple Vision Pro, you need to tap the Search button .

Search Scope

Available on Mac, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Edit menu
Control-Command-1 for Search Here
Control-Command-2 for Search Remaining
Control-Command-3 for Search Everything

On Mac, you can change scope by clicking on the arrow next to the Search field , after beginning a search.

On iPhone, iPad, or Apple Vision Pro, you can start a search using a specific scope using these keyboard shortcuts, when using an external keyboard.

Search finds text matching the keywords in item titles, notes, and tags, and displays results in the Outline. Click or tap into the Search field and enter keywords to find in one of the following scopes.

  • Search Here — Search includes all items currently visible in the Outline. For many perspectives this includes the entire content of the perspective, but for perspectives grouped by project it may not. If you have selected a specific folder or project in the Sidebar, items in projects outside that selection will not be shown in the results.
  • Search Remaining — Search includes items in your OmniFocus data that are Remaining (neither Completed nor Dropped).
  • Search Everything — Search includes all items in your OmniFocus data, regardless of status or location.

Flag

See Set/Clear Flag

Flagged

Available on Mac in Perspectives menu
Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Quick Open
Command-5

Open the built-in Flagged perspective in the current OmniFocus window.

Focus on Selected Projects/Unfocus (Pro)

Requires OmniFocus Pro
May also be named Focus/Unfocus
Available on Mac, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in View menu
Available in the Shortcut menu
Shift-Command-F

If you’re using OmniFocus Pro and you want to concentrate for a while on a particular project, folder, or combination of items, the Focus feature can get everything else out of your way.

To Focus:

  • Select an action, project, or folder (or any combination of those items) in the sidebar or outline; if you select an action, the containing project will also be considered selected.
  • Click the Focus button , or choose Focus on (Selected Items) from the View menu.

Everything outside your selected items is hidden, and a Focus notice bar appears at the top of the outline, to indicate that you’re in a special view. OmniFocus will continue to show you only the selected items while you move between perspectives.

When you’re done focusing, choose the Unfocus menu item, or click the x in the Focus notice bar; this will restore the full view of your OmniFocus data.

If you find yourself frequently using the same combinations of tags, Focus, or View Options, you might want to save them as a Custom Perspective.

Using Focus inside a Custom Perspective that includes a Focus as part of its parameters will display the intersection of the two Focus areas.

Forecast

Available on Mac in Perspectives menu
Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Quick Open
Command-4

Open the built-in Forecast perspective in the current OmniFocus window.

Free Trial Mode

Available on Mac in OmniFocus menu

This allows you to choose between the Standard or Pro feature set when running a trial license, in order to see which edition is best for your needs.

A similar function is available on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro in License settings, using the Enable Pro features switch.

Go Back/Forward

May also be named Back/Forward
Available on Mac, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in View menu
Command-Option-Left Bracket ([) for Back
Command-Option-Right Bracket (]) for Forward

Allows you to navigate back and forward through the locations you have recently visited in OmniFocus.

Go Back reviews from newest to oldest, while Go Forward reviews from oldest to newest.

Using Go Back to return to an earlier point in your navigation history, and then making a different choice before using Go Forward, will reset your Go Forward history.

Go to Inspector

Available on Mac in View menu
Option-Command-3 on Mac

Use the keyboard to navigate to the Inspector (Tab, Return, Esc, and other keys affect fields in the inspector).

Go to Outline

Available on Mac in View menu
Option-Command-2 on Mac

Use the keyboard to navigate to the Outline (Tab, Return, Esc, and other keys affect items and fields in the outline).

Go to Sidebar

Available on Mac in View menu
Option-Command-1 on Mac

Use the keyboard to navigate to the Sidebar (Tab, Return, Esc, and other keys affect items and fields in the sidebar).

Group

Available on Mac, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Organize menu
Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Organize shortcut menu
Option-Command-G

In the Sidebar, group projects and folders into newly created folders, or group tags into newly created tag groups.

In the Outline, group actions into action groups. Grouping a project will convert it from a project to an action group, and place it inside a new project.

Compare Ungroup

Hide OmniFocus

Available on Mac in OmniFocus menu
Command-H on Mac

Temporarily hide all of OmniFocus’s windows.

Hide Others

Available on Mac in OmniFocus menu
Option-Command-H on Mac

Temporarily hide windows of all other applications, so you can concentrate on OmniFocus.

Import OmniOutliner Document

Available on Mac in File menu

Import an OmniOutliner document to your OmniFocus database, with its rows converted to OmniFocus items and columns to metadata fields associated with those items.

It is not currently possible to import an OmniOutliner document on iPhone, iPad, or Apple Vision Pro. If you are using iPhone or iPad, parts of an OmniOutliner document may be dragged and dropped into OmniFocus.

Read the OmniOutliner section of Capture Methods, to learn more.

In-App Purchases

Available on Mac in OmniFocus menu (App Store version only)
Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in License settings

Open the In-App Purchases window to unlock OmniFocus features by subscribing, purchasing either the Standard or Pro edition of the app, or restoring a previous purchase.

Inbox

Available on Mac in Perspectives menu
Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Quick Open
Command-1

Open the built-in Inbox perspective in the current OmniFocus window.

Indent/Outdent

Available on Mac, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Organize menu
Available in the Organize shortcut menu
Command-Right Bracket (]) for Indent
Command-Left Bracket ([) for Outdent

See Move Down, Right, Up, Left.

Insert Time Stamp

Available on Mac in Edit menu

Automatically insert the current date, time, or date and time, using the format from the system settings.

  • Short Date
  • Short Date and Time
  • Time
  • Long Date
  • Long Date and Time

Installed Plug-Ins (Pro)

Requires OmniFocus Pro
Available on Mac in Automation menu
Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Automation settings
Available in the Omni Automation shortcut menu

Any Omni Automation Plug-Ins that you have installed are displayed in a list at the top of the menu. Choose one of them from the list to run the plug-in.

Italic

Available on Mac, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Format menu
Command-I

Apply (or remove) the italic style to the selected note text.

Kern

Available on Mac in Format menu

Adjust spacing between characters:

  • Use Default — Automatically adjust spacing between selected characters.
  • Use None — Disable spacing adjustments between selected characters.
  • Tighten — Reduce the spacing between selected characters.
  • Loosen — Increase the spacing between selected characters.

Learn About Pro

Available on Mac in OmniFocus menu, when using a Standard or Trial license

Opens a feature comparison page for Standard vs. Pro, on the Omni Group’s website.

Ligatures

Available on Mac in Format menu

Adjust the use of ligatures to join two characters, in the selected text:

  • Use Default — Use the default ligatures from the font you are using.
  • Use None — Use none of the available ligatures from the font you are using.
  • Use All — Use all available ligatures from the font you are using.

Main Window

Available on Mac in Window menu

Foreground the main OmniFocus window (instead of a secondary window like the Attachment List or Preferences). If multiple OmniFocus windows are open, the closest one to the front is considered main for purposes of this command.

Manage Omni Account and Purchases

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

Open the Omni Account window, where you can manage your Omni Account and your OmniFocus licenses. This command appears after you have signed in to your Omni Account using Unlock OmniFocus….

You can also close your Omni Account from this screen.

Manage Plug-Ins

See Configure

Mark Reviewed

Available on Mac, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Edit menu
Available in the Shortcut menu
Shift-Command-R

Indicate that you’ve reviewed the selected project, and set its next review date.

Merge All Windows

Available on Mac in Window menu

With OmniFocus open in multiple windows, merge all of them into a single window with multiple tabs.

Migrate Database

Available on Mac in File menu
Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Database settings

This command is only available when an updated OmniFocus data format is released. You will normally be prompted to migrate your database as soon as all of your synced Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Apple Vision Pro devices are running versions which support the updated data format. If for some reason you aren’t prompted, you can begin a data format migration here. You will be warned if some syncing OmniFocus versions are not compatible with the new format.

More information about Migrating Your Database is in the Managing Your Data chapter.

Minimize Window

Available on Mac in Window menu
Command-M on Mac

Shrink the front most window down into the Dock.

More information can be found in Move and arrange app windows on Mac, part of the Apple User Guides.

Move

Available in the Inspector toolbar
Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Organize shortcut menu

Move the currently selected action, action group, project, folder, or tag to a new location in the OmniFocus structure.

Possible destinations depend on the selected item:

  • Action or Action Group — Move the action or action group within the currently assigned project (or Inbox). To move the action or action group to a different project, use the Project field in the Inspector.
  • Project — Move the project to a different location within the project hierarchy. To move a project inside another project, first use Convert to Action, then drag the action group inside the destination project, or use the Project field in the Inspector.
  • Folder — Move the folder anywhere within the project hierarchy.
  • Tag — Move the tag anywhere within the tag hierarchy.

Move Down, Right, Up, Left

Available on Mac, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Organize menu
Control-Command-Down Arrow for Move Down
Control-Command-Right Arrow for Move Right
Control-Command-Up Arrow for Move Up
Control-Command-Left Arrow for Move Left

These commands rearrange the currently selected item in the Outline structure without affecting deselected items.

Move Up and Move Down change an item’s location relative to its siblings.

Move Right (Indent) and Move Left (Outdent) increase or decrease an item’s level, moving their descendants with them.

Move Tab to New Window

Available on Mac in Window menu

With OmniFocus open in multiple tabs, move the current tab to a new OmniFocus window.

Move to Display

Available on Mac in Window menu

This sends the front most window to the selected display; it only appears if you have an external monitor or iPad connected.

Nearby

Available on Mac in Perspectives menu
Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Quick Open
Command-6

Open the built-in Nearby perspective in the current OmniFocus window.

New Action

Available on Mac, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in File menu
Available on Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Toolbar
Command-N

Create a new action in the currently selected project or tag, or create a new Inbox item.

Add Action/Item has the same function, and is available in the Organize shortcut menu.

New Folder

Available on Mac, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in File menu
Shift-Option-Command-N on iPad, iPhone

Create a new folder for organizing projects, in Projects or in a Custom Perspective which groups by Entire Project.

See Add Folder for the related Projects Sidebar button.

New Project

Available on Mac, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in File menu
Shift-Command-N

Create a new project, in Projects or in a Custom Perspective which groups by Entire Project, using the Default Project Type (Parallel or Sequential) that you have chosen.

Once the project has been created, you can change the Project Type.

See Add Project for the related Projects Sidebar button.

New Single-Action List

Available on Mac in File menu

Create a new list, for keeping track of related actions that don’t fit into projects, in Projects or in a Custom Perspective which groups by Entire Project.

This command is also available by using New Project, and setting project type to Single Actions List, on Mac, iPad, iPhone, and Apple Vision Pro.

See Add Single-Action List for the related Projects Sidebar button.

New Tab

Available on Mac in File menu
Option-Command-T on Mac

Open a new tab in the current window, displaying the same content as the current tab.

New Tag

Available on Mac, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in File menu
Control-Command-N

Create a new tag in Tags, Flagged, Nearby, or in a Custom Perspective which groups by Individual Actions.

See Add Tag for the related button in the Tags Sidebar.

New Window

Available on Mac in File menu
Option-Command-N on Mac

Open a new window, displaying the same content as the current window.

Omni Automation (Pro)

Requires OmniFocus Pro
Available in the Shortcut menu

The Omni Automation menu provides access to installed OmniFocus Plug-Ins.

On iPhone, iPad, or Apple Vision Pro, Omni Automation menu will only display if Developer Mode has been enabled in Automation settings.

News

Available on Mac in Help menu
Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Help settings

View the latest information from the Omni Group about changes to OmniFocus or Apple’s operating systems that may affect your use of the app. This item only appears when there is news to share.

OmniFocus Forums

Available on Mac in Help menu

Stop by the official OmniFocus forums to view and share insights with other users.

OmniFocus Help

Available on Mac in Help menu
Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Help toolbar menu
Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Help settings

View this help documentation.

OmniFocus Product Page

Available on Mac in Help menu

Visit the OmniFocus page on the Omni Group website.

OmniFocus Windows

Available on Mac in Window menu

At the bottom of the Window menu is a list of all of your OmniFocus windows; choose one to bring it to the front.

Open Archive

Available on Mac in File menu

Open your OmniFocus archive for viewing and editing.

Open in New Window/Tab

Available on Mac in Perspectives List
Available in the Perspectives Bar shortcut menu, except for iPhone
Available in the Shortcut menu

On Mac, this command will display as either Open in New Window or Open in New Tab. Please see the note below about how this interacts with your System Settings.

On Mac, this command can also be applied to an action, in which case it affects the containing project.

On Mac or Apple Vision Pro, this opens the selected perspective, folder, or project in a new window, instead of replacing the current window.

On iPad, this will open the selected perspective, folder, or project in a new split screen window.

On iPhone, this command is not available.

This command will either open in a new window or a new tab, depending on how you have configured System Settings. More information about the appropriate setting is available in the Apple User Guide article Use tabs in windows on Mac.

Available on Mac in Edit shortcut menu
Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Editing menu

Opens the selected link in a web browser.

Open Scripts Folder (Pro)

Requires OmniFocus Pro
Available on Mac in Help menu

Open the designated Finder folder for storing AppleScript scripts that you want to access from the toolbar.

Parallel

Available in the Type shortcut menu

Sets the Project Type or Action Group Type to Parallel.

See also Complete with Last Action

Page Setup

Available on Mac in File menu
Shift-Command-P on Mac

Open the standard macOS Page Setup window, where you can change some settings for printing, or exporting to a PDF file. These settings are saved even if you quit OmniFocus.

Paste

Available on Mac, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Edit menu
Available in the Edit shortcut menu
Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Editing menu
Command-V

Inserts a copy of whatever is currently on the clipboard. The contents of the clipboard will be pasted as (a) new item(s). If the clipboard contains only text (rather than whole items, such as actions or projects), and you are already editing the text of another item, the clipboard contents are pasted at the insertion point, using a simplified style.

Paste Style

Available on Mac in Format menu
Option-Command-V on Mac

Apply the style on the style clipboard (obtained using Copy Style) to the selected text.

Paste and Match Style

Available on Mac, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Edit menu
Option-Shift-Command-V

Ignore any styles that have already been applied to text on the clipboard, and match the styles of the location you’re pasting. Styles are only available in notes, so this command is primarily useful there.

Paste with Original Style

Available on Mac in Edit menu
Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Editing menu
Control-Option-Shift-Command-V on Mac

Preserve styles from the original source, ignoring the styles of the location you’re pasting. Styles are only available in notes, so this command is primarily useful there.

Print

Available on Mac in File menu
Command-P on Mac

Open the standard macOS Print window, with a variety of options for printing, or creating a PDF file.

Printing is not currently supported on iPhone, iPad, or Apple Vision Pro. Please contact our Support Humans if you would find this useful.

Projects

Available on Mac in Perspectives menu
Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Quick Open
Command-2

Open the built-in Projects perspective in the current OmniFocus window.

Quick Open

Available on Mac, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in File menu
Available in the Toolbar or Window
Command-O

Please read about Quick Open on Mac and Quick Open on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro for more information.

Quit OmniFocus

Available on Mac in OmniFocus menu
Command-Q on Mac

Stop using OmniFocus and put it away for now. Your database is automatically saved.

Rebuild Database

Available on Mac in File menu

Check and consolidate all of your OmniFocus data, to make sure it is consistent and valid. This is almost the same as backing up and then restoring your database, and will also rebuild the local cache. If you are having problems with your database, this may help.

Redo

Available on Mac in Edit menu
Shift-Command-Z

Re-create the last change, that you just used Undo to reverse. You can keep redoing edits, allowing you to return to a later point in time.

Release Notes

Available on Mac in Help menu
Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Help toolbar menu
Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Help settings

Read the release notes for the current version of OmniFocus.

Rename

Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Shortcut menu

Rename the selected folder, project, or tag in the Sidebar. This allows in-place renaming, without opening the Inspector.

Replace Tiled Window

See Split View (Mac)

Reschedule to Today/Tomorrow

Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Schedule shortcut menu

Only available for actions and projects that are set to repeat.

Sets the Due date for an item to either Today or Tomorrow, maintaining the current difference between the Due date, and any assigned Defer Until date, without changing any assigned times. If the item is already Due either Today or Tomorrow, then only a single choice will be offered.

Compare Due Today/Tomorrow

Reset Database and Settings…

Available on Mac in File menu

Press Option to reveal this menu command, which replaces Rebuild Database. This command completely removes your existing OmniFocus data and settings, and returns you to First Launch for OmniFocus.

If you would like to reset some of your settings, rather than all of your settings, please read the Mac Settings note about Reset and Reset All.

On iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro you can use Reset Database, which is part of the Reset OmniFocus settings.

Revert to This Backup

Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro when viewing Backup list
Available on Mac when using Show Backups in Finder

After confirming that you want to replace your current OmniFocus data with the backup being viewed, your local OmniFocus data will be replaced. If you are syncing, the server data will also be replaced, which will prompt all of your currently syncing devices to replace their data from the server.

Review

Available on Mac in Perspectives menu
Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Quick Open
Command-7

Open the built-in Review perspective in the current OmniFocus window.

Select All

Available on Mac, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Edit menu
Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Editing menu
Command-A

Select everything in the outline, or if you are editing an item’s text, all text in the cell.

Select Forecast Day

Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in View menu
Command-Left Arrow for Select Previous Day
Command-T for Select Today
Command-Right Arrow for Select Next Day

Navigate between days while viewing Forecast.

Sequential

Available in the Type shortcut menu

Sets the Project Type or Action Group Type to Sequential.

See also Complete with Last Action

Services

Available on Mac in OmniFocus menu
Available on Mac in Shortcut menu

Access system-wide macOS services offered by other applications.

This menu is only available in the Outline on Mac.

Set/Clear Completed Status

Available on iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Edit menu
Space bar

With one or more items selected, press Space bar to toggle between Completed and Active.

Set/Clear Dropped Status

Available on iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Edit menu
Option-Space bar

With one or more items selected, Press Option-Space bar to toggle between Dropped and Active.

Set/Clear Flag

Available on Mac, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Edit menu
Available in the Shortcut menu
Shift-Command-L
F

Flag the selected item(s), adding it to the Flagged perspective, or remove an assigned flag.

Settings

Available on Mac, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in OmniFocus menu
Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Toolbar
Available on Apple Watch by tapping Settings button
Command-Comma (,)

Open OmniFocus Settings, where you can customize how the application works for you.

Share

Available in the Toolbar
Available in the Inspector toolbar
Available in the Shortcut menu

Send selected items from OmniFocus to another application, using the built-in macOS, iOS, iPadOS, or visionOS dialog. The item is sent in a format based on its destination, with a link back to the original item in OmniFocus.

With OmniFocus Pro for iPhone, iPad, or Apple Vision Pro, any installed OmniFocus Plug-Ins also appear as options in the Share dialog. Tap a scripted action in the list to run it.

Show “OmniFocus.ofocus” in Finder

Available on Mac in File menu

Press Option to reveal this menu command, which replaces Show Backups in Finder. Instead of showing the Backups folder, the folder containing your main OmniFocus document (OmniFocus.ofocus) opens instead.

This can be useful when troubleshooting with the help of Omni Support. Under normal circumstances you should not interact with your primary OmniFocus document directly.

Show All

Available on Mac in OmniFocus menu

Show all windows of all applications.

Show All Inspector Fields

Available in the Inspector toolbar

Enable this command to show all Inspector fields that apply to the current selection, regardless of which fields are enabled in the Layout Settings for Inspector.

Disable this command to show only those fields enabled in Layout Settings for Inspector.

Show All Tabs/Exit Tab Overview

Available on Mac in View menu
Shift-Command-Backslash (\) on Mac

Switch to a view that displays thumbnail views of each tab as a tile in the OmniFocus window, or return to the standard full view.

Show/Hide All Notes

Available on Mac in View menu
Control-Command-Apostrophe (') on Mac

Show or hide all notes with content.

Show Backups in Finder

Available on Mac in File menu

If you have trouble with your OmniFocus database, you can always go back to an older, backed up version. With this command you can browse to the backup file you want, then open and inspect it. If it looks good, click Revert to This Backup, and your entire database is reverted to how it looked at the time you made the backup.

More information about this, as well as iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro backups, is in the Backups of OmniFocus Data section of Managing Your Data.

Show/Hide Colors

Available on Mac in Format menu
Shift-Command-C on Mac

Show or hide the Colors window.

Show Console (Pro)

Requires OmniFocus Pro
May also be named Automation Console or Show Automation Console
Available on Mac, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Automation menu
Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Omni Automation toolbar menu
Shift-Command-C on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro

Opens the Automation Console, for Omni Automation development and testing.

Item is labeled Automation Console on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro

Show/Hide Fonts

Available on Mac in Format menu
Command-T on Mac

Show or hide the Fonts window.

Show in Inbox/Projects/Tags

Available on Mac, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in View menu
Available in the Shortcut menu
Option-Command-R

Switch to Projects, Tags, or Inbox.

Your current selection of items will be preserved in the new perspective.

Show/Hide Inspector

Available on Mac, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in View menu
Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Toolbar
Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Shortcut menu
Option-Command-I

Show Inspector for the selected items, or hide it again.

Show Next/Previous Tab

Available on Mac in Window menu

With OmniFocus open in multiple tabs, navigate to the next or previous tab in the bar.

Show/Hide Note(s)

Option-Command-Apostrophe (') on Mac

Show or hide the note of the selected item(s).

Show/Hide Perspectives Bar

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

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/Hide Perspectives List

Available on Mac in Perspectives menu
Control-Command-P on Mac
Command-O

Show or hide the Perspectives List, where you can add or modify keyboard shortcuts, rearrange or favorite perspectives, and create or edit new Custom Perspectives.

The same function is available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Quick Open.

Apple Watch supports selecting favorite perspectives, either to display on the main screen of OmniFocus 4 for Apple Watch or to use on a watch face, in Perspectives List settings.

Show/Hide Quick Entry

Available on Mac in Window menu
Available on iPad, Apple Vision Pro in File menu
Shift-Control-Option-S on Mac
Control-Option-Space bar

Show or hide the Quick Entry window.

Keyboard shortcuts work differently, depending on which device you are using:

  • Shift-Control-Option-S works only on Mac, when OmniFocus is the front most application.
  • Control-Option-Space bar works on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro, when OmniFocus is the front most application. The shortcut can not be customized.
  • Control-Option-Space bar works on Mac, even if OmniFocus is not the front most application, as long as it is running. The shortcut can be customized in General settings.

Show/Hide Sidebar

Available on Mac, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in View menu
Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Appearance settings
Option-Command-S

Show or hide the Sidebar.

Show/Hide Tab Bar

Available on Mac in View menu
Shift-Command-V on Mac

Show or hide the macOS tab bar on the current OmniFocus window.

Show/Hide Toolbar

Available on Mac in View menu

Show or hide the Toolbar.

Show/Hide View Options

Available on Mac, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in View menu
Shift-Command-V

Open the View Options for the current perspective.

Single Actions

Available in the Type shortcut menu

Sets the Project Type to Single Actions List.

Skip

Available in the Shortcut menu

Only available for actions that are set to repeat.

Drops the selected action(s), while creating the next repetition; this results in the repeating action continuing.

Compare Drop Completely

Smaller

Available on Mac, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Format menu
Command-Minus Sign (-)

Decrease the size of the selected note text.

Sign Up for the Omni Newsletter

Available on Mac in Help menu
Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Help settings

Visit the Omni Newsletter web page, where you can subscribe to our email newsletter. You’ll get nothing but the latest news and tips for OmniFocus and the other apps in the Omni Group family.

Simplify Style

Available on Mac in Format menu

Re-formats selected text in notes or text within selected actions or projects.

Removes custom fonts, text and background colors, text size, and text alignment, while keeping styles such as bold, italic, underline, and bulleted lists.

Result should be clean readable text, that maintains the intent of the original formatting.

Attachments and links are preserved.

Contrast with Clear Style

Site License

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

Open the Site License window, which allows you to renew or sign out of a site license.

On Mac, this menu command only appears if you are signed in to a site license, and replaces Unlock OmniFocus… and Manage Omni Account and Purchases….

On iPhone, and iPad, this appears as a row within the License settings screen.

Sort Once

Available on Mac in Organize menu
Available on Mac in Sort shortcut menu

Using one of these properties, sort the selected items in the Sidebar or Outline, as long as you’ve selected something that can be reordered.

  • By Name
  • By Status
  • By Date Added
  • By Date Completed
  • By Date Due
  • By Defer Date
  • By Date Dropped

Speech

Available on Mac in Edit menu

The Speech submenu contains the Start Speaking and Stop Speaking commands, which you can use to make the macOS text-to-speech system say the selected text out loud.

  • Start Speaking
  • Stop Speaking

A similar feature can be enabled on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro, using Accessibility settings, in the Settings app.

Spelling and Grammar

Available on Mac in Edit menu

The Spelling and Grammar menu contains the standard Spelling commands for the macOS spell checking system: Show Spelling and Grammar (which opens the Spelling and Grammar window), Check Document Now (which checks spelling in the document once), and the ability to turn on or off Check Spelling While Typing, Check Grammar With Spelling, and Correct Spelling Automatically

  • Show/Hide Spelling and Grammar (Command-Colon (:) on Mac)
  • Check Document Now (Command-Semicolon (;) on Mac)
  • Check Spelling While Typing
  • Check Grammar With Spelling
  • Correct Spelling Automatically

Split View (Mac)

Available on Mac in Window menu

These menu commands are provided by the operating system, and may include:

  • Tile Window to Left of Screen
  • Tile Window to Right of Screen
  • Replace Tiled Window

More information can be found in Use apps in Split View on Mac, part of the Apple User Guides.

Stage Manager (Mac)

Available on Mac in Window menu

This menu command is provided by the operating system:

  • Remove Window from Set

More information can be found in Organize your Mac desktop with Stage Manager, part of the Apple User Guides.

Start Dictation

May also be named Dictation
Available on Mac, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Edit menu
Globe-D key on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro

With dictation enabled for Mac, iPhone, iPad, or Apple Vision Pro, select an editable text field and use this command to enter text by speaking.

A separate shortcut key can also be set in Keyboard system settings.

Status

Available on Mac in Edit menu
Available in the Status shortcut menu

Choose from this submenu to change the status for the selected item(s):

It is also possible to update between Active, Completed, and Dropped using a keyboard. See Set/Clear Completed Status and Set/Clear Dropped Status for more information.

Strikethrough

Available on Mac in Format menu

Apply (or remove) the strikethrough style to the selected note text.

Substitutions

Available on Mac in Edit menu

The Substitutions submenu allows you to choose which macOS text substitutions will be used in OmniFocus.

More information about substitutions and text editing is available in Replace text and punctuation in documents on Mac, part of the Apple User Guides.

Sync Now

Available on Mac, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in File menu
Available in the Toolbar
Command-S

Compare your local OmniFocus data with the server data, and make sure that both sides have all the recent changes you’ve made.

Only available if you are Syncing OmniFocus.

Available in the More Menu on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro; can be added to the Mac Toolbar by using customization.

Available on Mac in Help menu
Shift-Command-Question Mark (?)

On Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro, search OmniFocus menu items in order to find a specific command.

On Mac, the same command will also search OmniFocus Help (this document). Results appear as a list of menu items and help topics respectively.

Tags

Available on Mac in Perspectives menu
Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Quick Open
Command-3

Open the built-in Tags perspective in the current OmniFocus window.

Tile Window to Left of Screen

See Split View (Mac)

Tile Window to Right of Screen

See Split View (Mac)

Transformations

Available on Mac in Edit menu

The Transformations submenu contains commands that apply to selected text in the outline, sidebar, and inspector, to convert it to upper case, lowercase, or capitalize each selected word.

  • Make Upper Case
  • Make Lower Case
  • Capitalize

Underline

Available on Mac, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Format menu
Command-U

Apply (or remove) the underline style to the selected note text.

Undo

Available on Mac in Edit menu
Available in the Toolbar
Command-Z

Reverse the most recent change that you made. You can keep undoing edits, allowing you to return to an earlier point in time.

Ungroup

Available on Mac, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Organize menu
Option-Command-U

Move all the child items out of the selected group, and remove the group from OmniFocus.

Compare Group

Unlock OmniFocus

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

Sign in to your Omni Account to unlock this copy of OmniFocus, or add a license.

On Mac, this menu item will update based on the current licensing state, to either Manage Omni Account and Purchases… or Site License….

Writing Direction

Available on Mac in Format menu

Adjust the writing direction of the selected text, or of the paragraph containing the selected text.

Paragraph:

  • Default — Writing direction of paragraph matches the default for the selected language.
  • Left to Right — Writing direction of paragraph is left-to-right. May override the selected language.
  • Right to Left — Writing direction of paragraph is right-to-left. May override the selected language.

Selection:

  • Default — Writing direction of selected text matches the default for the selected language. May override the above setting for Paragraph.
  • Left to Right — Writing direction of selected text is left-to-right. May override the above setting for Paragraph.
  • Right to Left — Writing direction of selected text is right-to-left. May override the above setting for Paragraph.

Zoom

Available on Mac in Window menu

Switch the front most window between the biggest size possible and the last size you set.

More information can be found in Move and arrange app windows on Mac, part of the Apple User Guides.