How to create a custom view in Linear on Mac: sidebar and filter steps

A custom view is a saved version of a list or board in Linear. You set the filters once, save the view, and open it from the sidebar whenever you need it. That helps if you check the same slice of work every day, like open bugs for one team or projects close to a deadline. This guide covers the two ways to make a view on a Mac, where the view ends up, and how to change it later. The steps come from Linear's own help pages. Where those pages say nothing, this guide says so too.

Before you start

• The Linear desktop app for Mac, or the web app in a current browser.
• A workspace where you can create views. Workspace views are available to full members.
• An Enterprise plan, if you want a saved initiative view.
• At least one filter, if you plan to save from a team's list or board.
• An Apple silicon or Intel Mac. Linear's desktop app supports both.

Choose the app first. The desktop app and the web app share almost every feature. Linear's docs say nearly all desktop functionality, including offline mode, is in the web app too. The desktop app still has three advantages on a Mac. It shows OS notifications and unread alerts in the Dock. It has fewer shortcut clashes with browser shortcuts. It also gives you tabs inside the app. This guide uses the desktop app, and it flags where the web app behaves differently.

Create a view from the sidebar

Use this route when you want a view from scratch. Click Views in the left sidebar. Choose a type: Issue, Project, or Initiative. Then click New view. Linear opens a window where you set up the view. The docs do not name every field in that window, so read the labels on screen. Pick the type first, because it decides what the view lists.

Save a filtered list or board with ⌥V

This route is faster when you already see the work you want. Open a team's issue list or board. Add at least one filter. A Save view icon then appears next to the Display Options icon. Click it, or press Option V (⌥V). The filters you chose become a custom view. The shortcut only works when no text box has focus. Click empty space first if the key seems to do nothing.

Team views and the + Create new view button

Linear also lets you attach a view to a team. On a team's issues page, look next to All Issues, Active, and Backlog. You will see a + Create new view button. A view made this way belongs to that team. It appears under Issues, Projects, and Initiatives, not in the Views menu. That is the most common reason people think their view disappeared. Check those three sections before you build a second copy.

Workspace, team, and multi-team scope

Scope decides who sees a view by default, and each scope puts the view in a different place. Choose the scope on purpose. It is easy to share too widely or too narrowly.

• Workspace view. Appears under Workspace views. Available to full members.
• Team view. Appears under Team views in the team, project, or initiative you select.
• Multi-team view. Create an All teams view, then refine it with filters.

Edit, duplicate, and copy the link

Changes come after you save. Open the view and click the view name inside it. Choose Edit view to change the name or filters. Choose Duplicate view to make a copy first. That is the safer choice when you want to test a new filter without losing the old one.

• Rename or change filters: click the view name, then Edit view.
• Keep the original: Duplicate view, then edit the copy.
• Share a link: open the three-dot menu, then Copy view URL.

Who can see the view and who owns it

The owner defaults to the person who created the view. You can change the owner later. A shared link does not grant access by itself, so share the view first, then send the link. If a teammate can't open a link, check the sharing setting before you blame the link. Workspace views need full member access, so check a person's role if they can't see one.

Display options and the Set as default button

Display options control how a list or board looks. You open them with Shift V (⇧V). The command menu, which opens with ⌘K, also has a Show display options entry. Be careful with one button. Set as default saves the current display options as the default for other workspace members. That changes what your teammates see. Reset to default reverts to the default saved options, so use it after you test a layout.

Worked example: a triage view for one team

Say you run bug triage for a mobile team. You want every open bug that has no owner, so you can assign them in the morning. Start with the team's issues list. Add a filter for the team, one for the bug label, and one for an empty assignee. Your workspace may use different label names, so swap in yours. Press ⌥V and save the view as Mobile triage. The view now sits under Issues for that team. Each morning, one click brings back the same list.

Name the view so you can find it later

Names matter more than they seem. Use the team name and the purpose, such as Mobile triage or Bugs without owner. A name like View 2 hides the purpose within a week. Good names also help teammates who search the Views sections for a list they need.

Check that the view worked

After saving, open the view from the place Linear put it. Confirm the items match the list you filtered from. Then close the view, reopen it from the sidebar, and check again. If the items differ, a filter probably did not save the way you expected. Open Edit view and compare the filters one by one.

Mistakes that waste time

These five slips come up often enough to list here. Each one takes a minute to fix once you spot it.

• Looking for a team view in the Views menu. Team views live under Issues, Projects, and Initiatives.
• Pressing ⌥V on an unfiltered list. The Save view icon only appears after one filter is added.
• Typing ⌥V in a search box. The shortcut may do nothing while the text box has focus.
• Sending a link before sharing the view. A link alone does not grant access.
• Pressing Set as default by accident. Other workspace members get your display options.

Desktop app versus web app on a Mac

The Linear Mac app supports Apple silicon and Intel. It updates itself in the background. If your company manages Macs, you can turn auto-update off with a Terminal command or an MDM plist. Linear's docs give the details for both. The web app runs in the three most recent versions of Chrome, Firefox, and Safari. Shortcuts like ⌥V and ⇧V are more likely to clash with browser shortcuts there, so test them first.

Limits, plans, and old preview notes

Saved initiative views need the Enterprise plan. The docs list no other plan limit for custom views. Linear announced the Views preview on October 27, 2020. Admins turned it on through the command menu, and Option V saved the current list or board as a view. Current docs do not describe a preview. The feature probably went fully live, but no changelog entry confirms it. Linear's docs also give no minimum macOS version, so check the download page before a company-wide rollout.

Next steps after your first view

Once the view works, check its filters against real work for a week. Adjust anything that catches too much or too little. If you want the same items as a board, read how to switch between list and board in Linear on Mac. For more on filter types, see how to filter issues in Linear on Mac. To find commands fast, read how to open the command menu in Linear on Mac.