Workflowy shortcuts

Workflowy is brilliant at capturing and organizing your thoughts... but the more complex your one, zoomable document gets, getting around quickly may become more challenging — that is, unless you use our new (text) shortcuts feature.

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What are text shortcuts?

A text shortcut in Workflowy is a short string of letters, numbers, or both — like bm1, tl, or ib , etc. — that you assign to a specific list or outline. Once created, you can type that shortcut in the Jump-To menu and jump instantly to the spot you had in mind.

Why they’re useful

- Speed: No need to scroll or search — type the shortcut, hit Enter, and you’re there.

- Simplicity: Shortcuts are easy to remember because you choose them.

- Focus: Less time navigating means more time working in flow.

Three ways to create a text shortcut:

1. Via the Jump-To menu

1. Open the Jump To menu (Ctrl+K on Windows / Cmd+K on Mac)
2. Search for the list you want
3. Hover over the search match → click on the Add Shortcut pill
4. Type in a short, memorable text string (e.g., ch for checklist)
5. Hit Enter

2. Via the slash command feature

1. Place your text cursor in the list you want to add a shortcut to
2. Type /shortcut
3. Enter your shortcut text string
4. Hit Enter

3. Adding shortcuts for saved searches

1. Search for something via the search box (e.g., filter by a tag or keyword)
2. Click on the lightning bolt icon in the search box
3. Assign a text shortcut to that search

Using your shortcut in the Jump To menu will instantly re-run your saved search.

But wait... there's more!

Shortcuts aren’t just for navigation — they also pair perfectly with other Workflowy features:

- Move To: Instantly send items to a shortcut-defined outline

- Mirror To: Mirror items to multiple contexts using shortcuts

Start with a handful of shortcuts for your most important outlines, and you’ll find that moving around Workflowy becomes ridiculously easy.

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