Global Search
One search bar that finds everything - tasks, projects, notes, tags, CRM contacts, and more - with smart commands like 'today', 'overdue', and 'archived projects'.
PrimeTask has one global search bar in the App Header that reaches across your whole active Space. Tasks, subtasks, checklist items, projects, notes (both quick and project notes), tags, CRM contacts and companies, and embedded references - all findable from the same place. Type what you're looking for and it shows up grouped by type.
On top of plain text search, Global Search also understands command-style queries like today, overdue, no due date, and archived projects, which narrow the results to that specific slice of your work.
For the App Header itself, see App Header. For navigation by keyboard, see Keyboard Shortcuts.
Search is scoped to the active Space
Results come from the Space you're currently in. Switch Spaces from the sidebar to search a different context.
What you can do
Search across everything
tasks, subtasks, checklist items, projects, notes, tags, CRM records.
Use smart commands
today, overdue, due soon, active, closed, no due date, archived projects, and more.Narrow by type
tasks, projects, or contacts to scope results.Open a result straight from the suggestions
click a task, project, contact, company, or opportunity to go right to it.
Find everything about a person
type their name to see their contact, the tasks assigned to them, and the projects they are linked to.
See all results
for what you typed, split by type.
Copy a result's deep link
to paste into another app.
How to open search
- Click the search bar in the App Header.
- Press ⌘+F (or Ctrl+F on Windows) from anywhere to focus it.
- Press ⌘+K (or Ctrl+K) to open the Command Palette, which blends search with commands.
The search bar is always in view at the top of the app.
Opening results
As you type, suggestions appear under the search bar. Suggestions whose name matches what you typed come first, so searching for a person puts their contact above the tasks assigned to them.
- Click a suggestion to open it. A task, project, contact, company, or opportunity opens right away.
- Click See all results, the last line of the suggestions, to open the full results page for what you typed.
- Press Enter to open the full results page. To open a suggestion from the keyboard instead, move to it with the arrow keys first, then press Enter.
On the results page, tabs split what you found by type, such as Tasks, Projects, Comments, and Contacts. Move between them freely: each tab keeps its count, and All shows everything again.
Find everything about a person
Type someone's name and choose See all results. Their contact, the tasks assigned to them, and the projects they are linked to each appear on their own tab.
What search covers
Every query runs against all of these in the active Space:
- Tasks - by name, description, checklist item text, and the names of the people assigned to them
- Subtasks - same fields, one level deep
- Projects - by name and description, and (Pro with CRM enabled) by the names of the contacts and companies linked to them
- Notes - quick notes and project notes
- Comments - what people wrote on a task. A result names the task it belongs to, and opening it takes you there with the comment in view. See Task Comments
- Tags - find any tag you've used
- CRM (Pro with CRM enabled) - contacts and companies
- Embeds - items referenced inside notes
See License Settings for which tier your Space needs for CRM results.
Smart commands
Type one of these as your whole query to get a focused slice of results:
| Command | Shows |
|---|---|
today | Tasks due or starting today |
tomorrow | Tasks due or starting tomorrow |
overdue | Tasks past their due date |
due soon | Tasks due in the next 7 days |
active | Tasks in an active status |
closed | Tasks in a closed status |
completed | Tasks in a complete status |
not started | Tasks in a not-started status |
no due date | Tasks without a due date |
no start date | Tasks without a start date |
no date | Tasks without any dates |
archived projects | Projects that have been archived |
These appear as suggestions in the search dropdown as you start typing.
Use "today" every morning
Open search, type today, scan your list, move what you'll actually work on into your plan for the day. A 30-second morning ritual that makes the rest of the day cleaner.
Narrow by type
Start your query with a type keyword to scope results to that type only:
tasks meeting notes- find meeting notes only in tasksprojects website- find only projects with "website"contacts john- find only contacts named Johncompanies acme- find only companies
Stop words like "show", "me", "all", "the" are ignored, so phrases like "show me all tasks with deadline" work the same as "tasks deadline".
Things worth knowing
Results are grouped by type
Search results come back in groups - Tasks, Projects, Notes, Tags, Contacts, Companies - so you can scan the section that matters without hunting through one long list.
Search is instant and safe
Typing doesn't commit anything. Explore freely; nothing changes until you open a result.
CRM results require Pro and CRM enabled
Contacts and Companies appear only when PrimeCRM is enabled for your Space, and that requires Pro. Everything else - tasks, projects, notes, tags - is on every license.
Archived projects
Archived projects are included in search. On the results page, the Projects tab starts on Active Projects; choose All Projects to include archived ones. The archived projects command lists only your archived projects. For your everyday project list, use the archive filter on the Projects List Page.
Quick Notes appear in search
Notes you've captured through the Quick Notes widget, App Header, PrimeFlow node, or MCP all appear in search. See Quick Notes.
Deep links work for every result type
Right-click a search result to copy its deep link, which you can paste anywhere - the link opens PrimeTask at that exact item. See External Integrations.
Common questions
"Why don't I see CRM results?"
CRM search results require PrimeCRM to be enabled for the Space, and that's a Pro feature. Enable it in CRM Settings and see License Settings.
"Can I search across multiple Spaces at once?"
Search is scoped to the active Space. Switch Spaces from the sidebar to search a different one.
"Why don't I see archived projects?"
On the results page, the Projects tab shows active projects first. Choose All Projects to include archived ones, or type archived projects to list only those.
"How do I see every result instead of opening one?"
Choose See all results at the bottom of the suggestions, or press Enter before moving to a suggestion. Both open the full results page for what you typed.
"Can I find the tasks assigned to someone?"
Yes. Type their name, and the tasks assigned to them appear along with anything else that mentions them. For an exact list you can keep, use the Assignees filter on the Tasks page, described in Task Filters & Sorting.
"What's the difference between search and the Command Palette?"
Search (⌘+F) focuses on finding data - tasks, projects, contacts. The Command Palette (⌘+K) adds commands on top of that - actions you can run, automations, navigation. Use search when you know what you want to find; use the palette when you know what you want to do.
"Does search find text inside task descriptions?"
Yes. Task descriptions, names, and checklist items are all searched.
"Is search case-sensitive?"
No. Search is case-insensitive and ignores common stop words.
Where to go next
| If you want to… | Read this |
|---|---|
| Use the App Header's search and Command Palette | App Header |
| See all keyboard shortcuts | Keyboard Shortcuts |
| Browse tasks in List View with richer filters | List View |
| Filter tasks by assignee or by date | Task Filters & Sorting |
| Use Quick Notes capture | Quick Notes |
| Enable PrimeCRM for search results | CRM Settings |