Capture a task from anywhere

The quick-add field, the N key, the palette, the desktop shortcut that works from any app, and the Android widget and launcher shortcut: add a task in one gesture.

Capturing should take one gesture, from wherever you are. Pick the way that fits the moment.

#In Prior

• Quick-add field. On Today, and on All tasks when it is empty, type a task and press Enter. The field stays open for the next one and says "Added" with the title. It reads your words like the full sheet does: dates, times, priority, #project and repeats. Click a highlighted word to keep it as text, and press Esc to clear the field. See Create a task.
• Add task rows. Each status group on All tasks ends with an Add task row. Tasks you add there get that group's status. The row stays open after Enter for the next task, and Esc or leaving it empty folds it back.
• The N key. Press N or C anywhere, when you are not typing in a field, to open the new task sheet. The desktop app also has Cmd N and Ctrl N.
• The palette. Press Cmd K or Ctrl K, type the task and choose Create task. See The command palette.
• The phone. The + button in the middle of the tab bar opens the new task sheet.

A task from the quick-add field starts as Todo.

#From any app on your computer

The desktop app has a global shortcut: Cmd Shift Space on a Mac and Ctrl Shift Space on Windows and Linux. It opens a small window above your other apps, even when Prior is in the background.

This window takes the title only, with no date reading. The task lands in the Inbox status, ready to sort later, and syncs like any other. See Statuses and the Inbox.

To change the shortcut, open Settings → General → Quick add. Turn it off with the switch, choose Change and press the new keys (at least one modifier key is needed), or choose Reset. If another app already uses the keys, Prior says so and keeps the previous shortcut. The choice is saved per device, and the shortcut works while Prior is running.

#On Android

• Quick add widget. A button with a + that opens the new task sheet, and your next three P1 and P2 tasks for today. Tap a task to open it. Add it from your home screen's widget picker.
• Launcher shortcut. Long-press the Prior icon and choose New task.

The widgets read from your device, so they work without the app open. See Widgets for the others.

#Links

The address prior://new-task opens the new task sheet, which is how the widget and the shortcut work. In a browser, the web app accepts a page address ending in #/new-task instead. See Deep links.

#Good to know

• Everything captured is saved on your device first and syncs when you are online. See Offline use and sync.
• In your first week, Today keeps the quick-add field at the top. See Your first day in Prior.
• Assistants connected through MCP can also add tasks for you. Tasks they create start in the Inbox.

Updated 5 November 2026