Omnifocus For Mac 2
Throughout this manual you’ll find information to help you get the most out of an app designed from the ground up with your productivity in mind. OmniFocus is a great way to organize, plan, and accomplish the goals in your life, and with OmniFocus 2 for Mac there’s never been a better time to dive in and see what it’s all about. We’re glad to have you with us!
Two-week free trial! OmniFocus Standard and Pro are in-app purchases, with discounts for people who bought earlier versions of OmniFocus for Mac through the Mac App Store. Or you can get OmniFocus for iOS, Mac, and web for just one price with the OmniFocus Subscription. Download the app for details. Focus GTD is a GTD application for Android that can synchronize with OmniFocus (1 or 2) on the Mac and iOS. It supports the full GTD methodology with Tasks, Projects and Contexts. This application is in no way related to OmniGroup.
What is OmniFocus?
It all starts with a basic idea. You have something that needs to get done, and you know you’d better make a note about it somewhere, but that sticky note on your desk isn’t going to cut it anymore. You’re ready to try a more reliable system, one that can keep track of all the things going on in your head, and maybe even help them feel a bit more simple in the process.
OmniFocus is the personal task management tool that helps you keep track of all the goals, plans, errands, and aspirations that come up in your life. Whether the task at hand is something small, such as setting a reminder to swing by the bike shop after work, or the tasks are part of a bigger goal, such as making plans for that long overdue vacation, OmniFocus helps you keep track of everything you need to do throughout your day.
Available on your Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch, OmniFocus is packed full of tools to help you prioritize steps within complex projects or simply jot a quick to-do list for a weekly meeting. OmniFocus works great as a standalone productivity aid or in conjunction with whatever time- and task-management scheme suits your personal style.
Note
- OmniFocus for Mac (the subject of this manual) is available both on the Mac App Store and directly from The Omni Group.
- OmniFocus for iOS is available on the App Store, and works on all of your iOS devices as well as your Apple Watch (through the OmniFocus for Apple Watch extension).
- OmniFocus for Mac requires OS X Yosemite, while OmniFocus for iOS requires iOS 9.
OmniFocus for Mac complements OmniFocus for iPhone and OmniFocus for iOS, serving as your base of operations for productivity that extends well beyond the screen of your Mac.
For a video tour of the features of OmniFocus, check out:
Inside OmniFocus is another great resource to help you get up to speed with the wide variety of ways OmniFocus can be used to help you get things done.
What’s New in OmniFocus 2.4
OmniFocus 2.4 is the newest version of OmniFocus for Mac, packed with bug fixes and improvements along with a couple of new features. First, you can now choose Today as an option for the meaning of Due Soon in Dates & Times Preferences.
Choosing today as the meaning of Due Soon gives the status of any item due between 12:00 AM and 11:59 PM on the current day the amber 'due soon' color (this behavior also applies to other Due Soon values that are expressed as days). This is notably distinct from the 24 hours option, which considers anything within 24 hours of the current time as due soon.
Since 'Due Soon equals today' has proven to be a common conception of the meaning of Due Soon, we've adopted it as the new default setting. If you previously had 24 hours selected, you'll have to choose it again if you would prefer not to use midnight as a boundary.
The other big feature that's new to OmniFocus 2.4 is the rollout of push notification-triggered sync. We've had this feature on iOS for several months now, and we're happy to be able to bring it to the Mac and make the circle complete. Your iOS device running OmniFocus version 2.6 or later should now alert OmniFocus on your Mac shortly after you make a change.
Settings related to push notification-based sync can be found under Show Sync Details... in Synchronization Preferences, and you can learn more about how it all works in this support article.
Making the Transition: OmniFocus 1 to OmniFocus 2
If you’re a user of OmniFocus 1 for Mac, you probably have an existing database that you’d like to bring over to OmniFocus 2. Due to changes in the way OS X handles files associated with specific apps (sandboxing), you’ll need to migrate your database as the first step to using OmniFocus 2 with your existing data.
Migrating your Database
Syncing OmniFocus 2 to your existing OmniFocus database is the recommended method for migrating from other versions. It provides a straightforward pathway for keeping your data in the up-to-date state you want, and keeps all versions of OmniFocus playing nicely together if you’re running the app on multiple devices.
However, if you choose not to sync the first time you launch OmniFocus 2, you’ll have the option to migrate an existing database from OmniFocus 1. This doesn’t remove your old database (it just copies it over), so again, we recommend syncing to avoid later confusion and conflicts between multiple versions of your database.
Migrating your Archive
After you’ve used OmniFocus 2 for a while, you’ll be prompted to archive parts of your database that aren’t relevant to your current set of projects (you can also create an archive manually by choosing Move Old Data to Archive from the File menu). If you have OmniFocus 1 installed on your Mac, OmniFocus 2 will check the default location for an OmniFocus 1 archive, and if it finds one, ask if you’d like to move it into OmniFocus 2’s sandbox and add your new archive data to it.
Changing Terminology
To help better represent their function, a few things have changed about how OmniFocus describes certain features of the app.
Start dates are now defer dates. This is to more accurately capture the intent that an item shouldn’t be considered until a later time—it’s been deferred.
Next actions are now first available actions. This helps explain view options more clearly, and helps further disambiguate sequential projects, parallel projects, and single action lists.
Project and Context-based perspectives have become Use Project Hierarchy and Don’t Use Project Hierarchy, respectively. This is to better reflect the role this choice plays in affecting other aspects of a custom perspective’s view settings.
To get started with OmniFocus you can continue browsing the help, or dive right in to the app. If you’re starting fresh with a blank slate, you’ll see the tutorial project ready to offer some initial pointers. You can add the tutorial to your database at any time with the Help ▸ Add Tutorial Project menu item.
Standard and Pro
OmniFocus 2 gives you the power to engage with OmniFocus in ways even more uniquely tailored to your needs. We made the Standard edition of OmniFocus 2 for Mac with the idea that it has everything you need to get started “out-of-the-box”, including the vast majority of features covered in this manual.
In OmniFocus 2 Standard, you’ll:
Use the powerful set of built-in perspectives to manage your projects and contexts, see what’s coming up with Forecast, set up regular project reviews, and more.
Add to and access your actions anywhere in the app with Quick Entry and Quick Open, use the redesigned sidebar and inspector to easily select and edit your data, and see the state of your items with a glance at their status circles in the main outline.
Switch between the standard fluid layout and a customizable set of columns to show just what you need in the main outline.
Extend the capabilities of OmniFocus with email input from Mail Drop, sync between your devices with Omni Sync Server (or another WebDAV server), view external calendars alongside your to-dos, and add all manner of notes and file attachments.
In the following chapters you’ll get a full look at everything OmniFocus 2 Standard offers. It’s a heck of a lot!
In addition to the Standard feature set there are some specialized tools that appeal to users who’d like more increased view flexibility and workflow customization, and that’s why we made OmniFocus Pro.
When you try OmniFocus Pro, you’ll be able to:
- Create custom perspectives, and completely configure the sidebar to display just the perspectives you want, in the order you want.
- Focus on individual projects and folders that require your undivided attention.
- Configure the layout of your perspectives to show just the data that’s most relevant. Show and hide columns on a case-by-case basis, defer to the original fluid layout, or set an app-wide default view.
- Incorporate AppleScript into your workflow to automate common tasks, or extend the inter-app functionality of OmniFocus even further.
How to Try Pro
You can download the trial version of OmniFocus from our website. At any time throughout the trial period you can switch between Standard and Pro using Free Trial Mode ▸ Try Pro/Standard Edition in the OmniFocus menu to compare features and see which is the right fit for your needs.
Likewise, if you purchased OmniFocus 2 Standard from the Mac App Store you can download the trial version and run it side by side to compare features.
If you own a Standard license from the Omni store and would like to try Pro, if you’re still within the trial period you can temporarily delete your license (Licenses in the OmniFocus menu) to revert to trial mode and give Pro a try. If you’re outside the trial period, contact us and we’ll be happy to provide a Pro trial license.
Note
Unsure whether you have Pro installed? Check About OmniFocus in the OmniFocus menu for details on the current version and licensing status of the app; with Pro installed you’ll see a purple bar below the Omni address indicating your purchase.
Using This Book
One of the beauties of having OmniFocus’s documentation available in electronic form is that it’s always available whenever you need it. We have built the documentation right into the Help menu. We have put all of the documentation on our website where it can be searched and bookmarked. And we’re continuing the ongoing trend of creating EPUB versions of the docs and making them freely available on the iBooks Store.
Tell Us What You Think
We’re constantly working on updates for our documentation. Whether it’s CSS work, correcting the occasional typo (yeah, they do sometimes slip through), or adding details or clarification for a specific feature based on something we’ve heard from a customer, we’re always trying to make our documentation better and more useful for you.
If you have any specific comments you’d like to send us about the documentation, please do. You can drop us an email message via our Support queue, or you can ping us on Twitter; we’re @OmniWranglers.
Finally, we’d like to thank you for taking the time to read the docs.
Mac Ii
If you own a previous version of OmniFocus for Mac, it’s possible to get a discount when upgrading to version 2. The upgrade process is different depending on where you purchased OmniFocus in the first place; you’ll want to use the directions that are appropriate for your specific situation. If you’re not sure which store your purchase was made through, here’s how to find out.
This article walks through the process of upgrading to OmniFocus 2 from a previous version. If you have already purchased OmniFocus 2 Standard and would like to upgrade to OmniFocus 2 Pro, Omni Store customers can do so at a discount at any time by upgrading a license through our web store. Mac App Store customers can upgrade at any time within the OmniFocus 2 application by clicking Menu Bar > OmniFocus > In-App Purchase.
Omni Store
If you purchased OmniFocus 1 from anywhere other than the Mac App Store, here is how to get a discount when upgrading to OmniFocus 2. Please note that we can not migrate customers from our store to the Mac App Store or vice versa. If you purchased OmniFocus 1 from the App Store, follow the Mac App Store instructions at the bottom of this page.
Go to the Omni Store at store.omnigroup.com and choose OmniFocus from the list of products.
Scroll down to the Upgrade an existing license section. Enter your license owner name and license key into the text fields, then click View Upgrades to see which upgrade options are available for you. If you’ve misplaced your license key, you can enter your registered email address at our Lost Licenses page and we’ll send you another copy.
Click the Buy button next to the upgrade you wish to purchase to add it to your cart.
After adding the OmniFocus 2 upgrade to your cart, you can either proceed to checkout or add additional items to your cart to receive an automatic bundle purchase discount.
Omnifocus For Mac 2 Download
Mac App Store
Omnifocus 2 Mac Download
While we’re not able to offer discounts on the Standard version of OmniFocus 2 in the App Store, we are able to reduce the price of the Pro upgrade (an in-app purchase) for those who purchased OmniFocus 1. Please note that we can not migrate customers from the App Store to our store or vice versa. If you did not purchase OmniFocus 1 from the Mac App Store, your upgrade needs to come from our store; follow the Omni Store instructions at the top of this page.
Omnifocus For Mac 2 Mac
Make sure the copy of OmniFocus 1 that you purchased from the App Store is installed on your Mac. If you need to reinstall, you can do so from the Purchases area of the App Store application.
Purchase and download OmniFocus 2 from the App Store. There’s only one download for both Pro and Standard users; we’ll unlock the Pro features in the next step.
Open OmniFocus 2 and choose In-App Purchase… from the OmniFocus application menu.
In the window that opens, select the Pro Upgrade (with discount for prior purchase) option and click Verify. You’ll be asked to locate the copy of OmniFocus 1 that’s installed on your Mac; using the search field may be the fastest way to find it.
After your copy of OmniFocus 1 has been verified, the Verify button changes to Buy, with the discounted price option available. Click to unlock the Pro features.
If you have to reinstall OmniFocus 2 down the line, you can reactivate the Pro features by selecting Restore Purchase in this In-App Purchase window.
Omnifocus 2 Mac
Last Modified: Jul 15, 2020