Search and Jump Bars

Most apps have one find field. 2Do has four, each tuned for a different kind of "find me this" moment. Knowing which one to reach for — by name and by single-key shortcut — is one of the small things that makes power users feel at home in the Mac app.

Bar	Shortcut	Purpose
Global Search Bar	⌘F	Filter the task list by Smart Filter syntax — and save the filter as a Smart List.
Task Find Bar	F (bare)	Jump the selection to a task by title within the current list. No filtering.
List Jump Bar	J (bare)	Jump to a list in the Lists Panel by name.
Tag Search Bar	/ (bare)	Find a tag in the Tags panel by name.

The bare-key shortcuts work when the relevant area has focus — the Task List for F, the Lists Panel for J, the Tags panel for /. They're deliberately low-cost so you can fly through finding things without lifting your hands off the keyboard.

Global Search Bar — Filter and Save

The Global Search Bar is the magnifying-glass field in the toolbar. It's the entry point to Smart Filters — anything you can describe in the search syntax can be applied as a one-off filter or saved as a permanent Smart List.

• ⌘F — open the Global Search Bar.
• The search bar auto-collapses when you click away — it stays out of your face when you're not searching.
• Click the small magnifying-glass dropdown inside the field for Search Presets and date filters.
• Click the [+] button to the left of the field to save the current filter as a Smart List.
• ⌥⇧⌘F opens Find Options — choose whether Soundex is on, what fields are searched, and the search scope.
• ⌥⌘F toggles the Search Scope between the current list and All Lists.

With Soundex on, 2Do can find tasks even when the spelling is not exact. For example, plumver can find plumber, Steven can find Stephen, and alexnder can find Alexander.

With Soundex off, the same field supports Full Text Search. You can require words with new job, exclude words with new job -find, use capital OR with Call OR new, or use wildcards such as new*.

For the complete syntax reference and dozens of recipes, see Smart Lists, Smart Filters, and Search.

Task Find Bar — Jump to a Task by Title

When you know the task is there and you just want to navigate to it — not filter the list down to it — use the Task Find Bar.

• Bare F — opens the Task Find Bar at the bottom of the Task List. Or View > Task Find Bar... from the menu.
• Type any part of the task title.
• The selection moves to the first matching task. Press Return to keep moving through subsequent matches.
• If the matched task is a sub-task of a project or checklist, 2Do automatically expands the parent so the match is visible.
• Press Esc to close the bar — the selection stays where the match left it.

This is the fastest way to navigate inside a long list or a deep project. The list doesn't change shape; only your selection moves.

Task Find vs. Global Search

A small but important distinction:

• Global Search (⌘F) filters — the list collapses to just the matching tasks, hiding everything else.
• Task Find (F) jumps — the list keeps everything visible, the selection moves to the first match.

Use Search when you want to work on a subset. Use Find when you want to go to one specific task.

List Jump Bar — Jump to a List by Name

Got a sidebar with dozens of lists and list groups? The List Jump Bar lets you skip the scrolling and pick a list by name.

• Bare J — opens the List Jump Bar over the Lists Panel. Or View > List Jump Bar... from the menu.
• Type any part of the list name. Matches narrow as you type.
• Press Return to switch to the highlighted match. Use the up/down arrow keys to pick a different match before pressing Return.
• Esc cancels and returns focus to wherever it came from.

This works on regular lists, list groups, and Smart Lists alike — anything with a name in the sidebar is fair game.

A Companion to the Disclosure Triangle

If you frequently jump into a project or checklist rather than just to its parent list, pair the List Jump Bar with the disclosure triangle that appears next to any list containing projects/checklists. See Lists and List Groups — Disclosure Triangle.

Tag Search Bar — Find a Tag by Name

Long tag library? The Tag Search Bar narrows the Tags panel to matching tags — useful when you want to apply a tag to a task or filter on one but can't see it in the list.

• Bare / — opens the Tag Search Bar in the Tags panel. Or View > Tag Search Bar... from the menu.
• Type any part of the tag name. The Tags panel narrows to matching tags as you type.
• Click the matching tag to filter the Task List by it, or drag it onto a task / selection of tasks to apply.
• Esc clears the search and restores the full Tags panel.

Tips

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Three bare-letter shortcuts cover most "find me X" moments: F for tasks, J for lists, / for tags. Each works only when the matching area has focus — click into the Task List, Lists Panel, or Tags panel first if the shortcut isn't responding.

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The Global Search Bar lives in the toolbar; the three jump bars appear in-place over the area they search. The visual difference is intentional — the toolbar one is "filter and save", the in-place ones are "jump and go".

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Memorise just two keys to start: ⌘F for the Global Search Bar (filter), and bare F for the Task Find Bar (jump). The other two bars follow the same idea with J and /.