Quick Add lets you add tasks to Todoist no matter which project or view you may be on at the moment. Always within reach, always handy, until it stops appearing when you use your keyboard shortcut, or the Quick Add window keeps popping up on your fourth desktop. If you're experiencing any of these issues in the Todoist desktop app, these troubleshooting steps will help you resolve them.
Restart and update Todoist
Restarting Todoist lets it download the latest version, which may include improvements and fixes for Quick Add. Closing the window isn't enough, as Todoist keeps running in the background.
- Open Todoist and press Cmd ⌘ + Q to quit the app.
- Open Todoist again.
- Right-click the Todoist icon in the system tray.
- Select Quit Todoist.
- Open Todoist again.
Then, click your avatar. If you see a green button above the version number, select it:
- Restart to update: Todoist restarts and installs the new desktop app version.
- New version available: Todoist reloads with the latest version.
If you installed Todoist from the Mac App Store or Microsoft Store, update the app from the store.
Then, try Quick Add again by pressing Q in Todoist, or by using your global Quick Add shortcut.
Add or change the global Quick Add shortcut
The global Quick Add shortcut lets you open Quick Add while you're working in other apps, and it's available in Todoist for macOS and Windows. If Quick Add doesn't appear when you press your shortcut, the shortcut may be turned off, or another app may be using the same one. Todoist needs to be running, and you need to be logged in, for the shortcut to work. To add or change it:
- Open the Todoist desktop app.
- Click your avatar.
- Select Settings.
- Click the Desktop tab.
- Click the dismiss icon next to the Quick Add Task shortcut. The existing shortcut is replaced by "Record shortcut".
- Click the Quick Add Task field.
- Enter your preferred shortcut. It needs at least one modifier key, like Control ⌃, plus one other key.
- Click Update to confirm.
Reload Quick Add after each use on macOS
If you actively use multiple desktops or Spaces on your Mac, and global Quick Add periodically opens in the wrong one, turning on this setting may help. The issue may be related to long-running sessions, or to adding or removing desktops. With this setting on, global Quick Add may take longer to open.
- Open Todoist for macOS.
- Click Help in the menu bar.
- Select Troubleshooting > Quick Add.
- Select Reload after each use. Todoist restarts to apply the change. If you installed it from the Mac App Store, Todoist closes instead, so open it again.
To turn it off, repeat the same steps.
Download the logs
If you're experiencing any other issue with Quick Add that isn't covered by the scenarios above, download the logs to your computer to help with troubleshooting:
- Open the Todoist desktop app.
- Click Help in the menu bar.
- Select Troubleshooting > Download logs. You'll see a dialog box to save the logs as a
.txtfile. Rename the log file, if needed. - Click Save to save it to your computer.
- Right-click the Todoist icon in the system tray.
- Select Troubleshooting > Download logs. You'll see a dialog box to save the logs as a
.txtfile. Rename the log file, if needed. - Click Save to save it to your computer.
Get in touch
After saving the logs to your computer, get in touch with us and describe the issue in detail. Attach the logs you saved and include these details:
- Where you installed the Todoist desktop app from (the Downloads page, Mac App Store, or Microsoft Store).
- A screen recording of what happens when you use Quick Add.