Calendar Overview
Use Calendar to review dated tasks, plan by day or week, time-block work, filter schedules, and connect Apple Calendar events with PrimeTask tasks.
Calendar is PrimeTask's main place for date-based planning. Use it to review upcoming work, create tasks on dates or times, reschedule tasks, time-block one day, inspect yearly activity, and work around Apple Calendar events when the integration is enabled on macOS.
This article is the Calendar hub. For detailed steps, use the linked view and feature guides.
Space-specific planning
Calendar follows the active Space. Switching Spaces changes the tasks, saved view, filters, and available integrations for that Space.
What you can do
Review upcoming work
in Agenda View
Time-block one date
in Day Planner
Plan deadlines across a month
in Month View
Plan by time
in Week and Day views
Review yearly activity patterns
in Heatmap View
Create tasks from dates and times
Drag tasks to reschedule work
Use time bars
for dated work in Month View
Filter Calendar tasks and Apple Calendar events
Use right-click actions
on tasks and Apple Calendar events
Start Focus Mode
from eligible Calendar tasks
Use keyboard shortcuts
for view switching, navigation, creation, zoom, fullscreen, and header visibility
How to open Calendar
- Navigation: Open Calendar from the main navigation.
- Command palette: Press ⌘+K (or Ctrl+K) and search for Calendar.
- From related task areas: Use Calendar links from task and schedule surfaces when you want to review dated work in the full Calendar.
Calendar views
| View | Shortcut | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Agenda | 1 | Reading upcoming dated tasks and Apple Calendar events |
| Day Planner | 2 | Time-blocking one date from inbox tasks and Quick Notes |
| Month | 3 | Reviewing deadlines, busy periods, and date ranges |
| Week | 4 | Planning several days by time |
| Day | 5 | Adjusting one date in detail |
| Heatmap | 6 | Reviewing yearly task activity and completion patterns |
Use the plain left and right arrow keys to move through Calendar views. Your selected view is remembered for the active Space.
Start with the view that matches the job
Use Agenda for review, Day Planner for time-blocking, Month for date planning, Week or Day for timed scheduling, and Heatmap for yearly patterns.
For a full comparison, see Calendar Views.
View guides
Agenda View
Agenda View is the most readable way to scan upcoming dated work. It groups tasks and Apple Calendar events by time range and is best for review rather than drag scheduling.
See Agenda View.
Day Planner
Day Planner is for building and working a time-blocked plan for one date. It can schedule inbox tasks, dated work that still needs a time, Quick Notes, and Apple Calendar events converted into tasks.
See Day Planner View.
Month View
Month View is for date planning, deadline review, and moving tasks between dates. It is also where Month View time bars help you review dated work across the days it covers.
See Month View and Time Bars.
Week and Day Views
Week and Day views are for timed planning. Use Week View to balance several days, and Day View to fine-tune one date.
See Week and Day Views.
Heatmap View
Heatmap View summarizes task activity across a year. It can compare total tasks, completed tasks, overdue tasks, and filtered results. Click a date to open it in Day View.
See Heatmap View.
Scheduling
Calendar scheduling works differently depending on the view:
| Action | Where to do it |
|---|---|
| Create a task on a date | Month View |
| Create a timed task | Week, Day, or Day Planner |
| Move a task to another date | Month View |
| Move a timed task | Week, Day, or Day Planner |
| Schedule inbox tasks | Day Planner |
| Convert a Quick Note into a task | Day Planner |
| Adjust a task date range | Month View time bars |
For the detailed scheduling guide, see Scheduling and Drag-Drop.
Filters
Calendar filters help you narrow the Calendar without editing tasks. You can filter by status, priority, tags, recurring task mode, completed work, archived project tasks, rich content in Agenda, and Apple Calendar events.
Filters are saved for the active Space. See Calendar Filters.
Filters can hide expected work
If a task or Apple Calendar event looks missing, check Calendar filters before changing the task or integration settings.
Right-click actions
Right-click a Calendar task to act on it without leaving the Calendar. Depending on the task and settings, actions include opening the task, copying a link, editing the task, editing notes, starting Focus Mode, completing, duplicating, or deleting.
Right-click an Apple Calendar event to convert it into a PrimeTask task.
Focus Mode
Calendar can start Focus Mode from incomplete tasks scheduled for today or earlier. Future tasks need to be rescheduled before they can start from Calendar.
Day Planner has an extra timing rule: Focus is available when the selected scheduled task is active and incomplete.
See Focus Mode from Calendar and Task Focus Mode.
Apple Calendar and Reminders
On macOS, Apple Calendar events can appear in Calendar when the integration is enabled and available for the active Space. Events stay separate from tasks unless you convert them.
Apple Reminders sync is managed from integrations settings and appears in its own PrimeTask surfaces, such as the Dashboard Reminders widget.
Apple Calendar is macOS-only
Apple Calendar events appear only on macOS and only when the integration is enabled for the active Space.
Open Settings -> Integrations to configure integrations. See Apple Calendar Integration, Apple Reminders Integration, and Integrations Settings.
Recurring tasks
Recurring tasks appear on Calendar when their occurrences have dates. When you move a recurring task from Calendar, PrimeTask treats the move as a change to the current occurrence first and gives you a way to apply it to future occurrences when needed.
Recurring changes need care
When you reschedule recurring work, review the prompt carefully so you know whether you are changing only the current occurrence or future ones too.
See Recurring Tasks.
Keyboard shortcuts
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
1 | Agenda View |
2 | Day Planner |
3 | Month View |
4 | Week View |
5 | Day View |
6 | Heatmap View |
← | Previous Calendar view |
→ | Next Calendar view |
T | Today |
Cmd + ← / Ctrl + ← | Previous period |
Cmd + → / Ctrl + → | Next period |
N | Create task |
+ | Zoom in for Week, Day, or Day Planner |
- | Zoom out for Week, Day, or Day Planner |
F | Toggle fullscreen |
H | Toggle header visibility |
Shortcuts are disabled while typing, while a task form is open, or while Focus Mode is active. See Keyboard Shortcuts.
Space behavior
Calendar follows the active Space. Switching Spaces changes the tasks, saved Calendar view, filters, and integration availability for that Space.
Use Spaces when you want separate planning contexts, such as work and personal task schedules.
Common questions
"Which Calendar view should I start with?"
Start with Agenda when you want to read what is coming up. Start with Day Planner when you are planning today. Start with Month when you need to review deadlines across several weeks.
"How do I create a task on a specific date?"
Use Month View to create a dated task, or use Week, Day, or Day Planner to create a timed task. See Scheduling and Drag-Drop.
"How do I reschedule a task?"
Drag the task in Month, Week, Day, or Day Planner. Use Month for date changes and the timed views when the start time matters.
"Why is a task missing from Calendar?"
Check whether the task has the date needed for that view, whether you are in the right Space, and whether Calendar filters are removing it from view.
"Why are Apple Calendar events missing?"
Check Settings -> Integrations, confirm Apple Calendar is enabled for the active Space, and make sure Calendar filters are not removing Apple Calendar events from view.
"What is the difference between Calendar and Task Calendar View?"
Calendar is the full planning area with Agenda, Day Planner, Month, Week, Day, Heatmap, Apple Calendar events, and Calendar-specific tools. Task Calendar View is the Calendar-style view inside the Tasks page. See Task Calendar View.
Where to go next
| If you want to… | Read this |
|---|---|
| Compare Calendar views | Calendar Views |
| Review upcoming work | Agenda View |
| Time-block one date | Day Planner View |
| Review a month | Month View |
| Plan by week or day | Week and Day Views |
| Review yearly activity | Heatmap View |
| Filter Calendar | Calendar Filters |
| Schedule and drag tasks | Scheduling and Drag-Drop |
| Use time bars | Time Bars |
| Use right-click actions | Right-Click Context Menu |
| Start Focus Mode from Calendar | Focus Mode from Calendar |
| Configure Apple Calendar | Apple Calendar Integration |
| See task-side Calendar view | Task Calendar View |