# How to select multiple issues in Linear on Mac: Shift, arrows and X

> Select multiple issues in Linear on Mac with Shift-click, Shift and arrow keys, X and ⌘A. Steps for the desktop app and web app, plus fixes.

URL: https://www.lazur.app/how-to/select-multiple-issues-in-linear
Updated: 2026-11-08

To select multiple issues in Linear on Mac, highlight one issue and press X, then hold Shift and press ↑ or ↓ to extend the range. For issues that are not next to each other, move to the next one and press X, and press ⌘A after filtering to select a whole list.

## Quick answer

- Highlight an issue and press X to select it. Hold Shift and press ↓ or ↑ to extend the selection one issue at a time.
- For issues that are not next to each other, move the highlight to the next issue and press X.
- Filter the list first, then press ⌘A to select every issue on the board or list. Press Esc to clear the selection.
- Shift-click and Shift+⌘-click also select issues in lists and board columns, according to Linear's 2020 changelog.
- Linear's docs cover the desktop app and the web app with the same keys. Treat third-party shortcut sheets with care.

Applies to: Linear desktop app and web app on macOS, Intel and Apple silicon. Time: 5 min. Difficulty: Easy.

## What you need

- Linear desktop app for macOS, or Linear open in a browser tab
- A list view or board view with the issues on screen
- A Mac keyboard with the ⌘, ⇧, ⌥, Esc and arrow keys

## How to Select several Linear issues at once on a Mac in Linear on a Mac

1. **Open the list or board.** Open Linear on your Mac and go to the list or board that shows the issues you want. Bulk keys act on the issues in the view you are looking at. Tip: Filter the view now if the list is long. You can filter again later, before you press ⌘A.
2. **Select the first issue.** Shortcut: X. Use the arrow keys to highlight the first issue, then press X. You can also hold Shift and click the issue. Tip: X acts on the highlighted issue, so check the highlight before you press it.
3. **Extend the range.** Shortcut: Shift + ↓. Hold Shift and press ↓ to add the next issue. Repeat until the range covers what you want, then let go of Shift. Tip: The range grows from the first issue you selected, so start at the top of the block.
4. **Add an issue out of order.** Shortcut: X. Move the highlight to a different issue with the arrow keys, then press X. That issue joins the selection. Tip: Use this for a few scattered bugs in a list or board column.
5. **Select everything in the view.** Shortcut: ⌘A. Filter the list first, then press ⌘A to select all issues on the board or list. Check the count and the rows before you act. Tip: If you selected the wrong view, press Esc and filter again.
6. **Use the bulk toolbar or right-click.** Once issues are selected, common bulk actions appear at the bottom of the screen. Right-click anywhere on the selected issues to open the contextual menu. Tip: Move to backlog is the bulk action Linear's docs use as an example.
7. **Clear the selection.** Shortcut: Esc. Press Esc to clear the whole selection. Then you can start again from a clean list.
8. **Check the shortcut list.** (Help & Feedback > Keyboard shortcuts) Open Linear's keyboard shortcut list if a key does not do what you expect. Search it for the word select. Tip: The list sits in the sidebar, so you can check it without leaving your view.

## Which Linear app you are using on your Mac

Linear runs in two places on a Mac. You can use the desktop app for macOS, or open Linear in a browser tab. The selection steps in this guide work the same in both places. Linear's selection docs describe one set of keys for each. If you want the fewest shortcut clashes, use the desktop app. Linear says the desktop app has fewer keyboard shortcut conflicts than a browser does.

![Person selecting multiple issues in Linear on Mac at a desk](https://images.lazur.app/content-images/howto/select-multiple-issues-in-linear/how-to-select-multiple-issues-in-linear-1-594abb.jpg)

The desktop app has builds for macOS Intel, macOS Apple Silicon and Windows. It installs updates in the background, so you rarely need to download a new copy. Linear's docs tie these selection steps to no version number, so the steps here are not version specific. Check that you are on a current build if a key seems to do nothing.

- Open Linear in the desktop app or in a browser tab.
- Go to a list view or a board view that shows the issues you want.
- Check that the issues are on screen. Bulk keys act on the view you are looking at.
- Keep your keyboard handy. Most of this work uses ⌘, ⇧, ⌥ and the arrow keys.

## Select one issue, then add more with Shift-click

The quickest start is a Shift-click. Hold Shift, then click an issue, and it becomes selected. Linear added Shift-click selection in October 2020 for lists and board columns. The X key does the same job once an issue is highlighted. Use the arrow keys to highlight an issue, then press X. That keeps your hands on the keyboard.

| What you want | Keys in Linear |
| --- | --- |
| Select the highlighted issue | X |
| Select one issue with the mouse | Shift + click |
| Select a row of issues | Shift + ↓ or ↑ |
| Add an issue that is not next to the others | Move the highlight to it, then X |
| Select every issue in a filtered list | ⌘A |
| Clear the whole selection | Esc |

_Selection keys from Linear's Select issues docs and its 2020 changelog._

## Select a range of issues in a row

A range is a block of issues that sit next to each other. Highlight the first issue in the block and press X. Then hold Shift and press ↓. Each press adds one more issue to the range. Let go of Shift when the block is complete. Start from the top of the block if you plan to go down, because the range grows from the first issue you selected.

If the range starts in the wrong place, press Esc. That clears the selection, so you can begin again from the right issue. It is the cleanest way to fix a wrong range, and it takes only a second.

## Pick issues that are not next to each other

Some work is scattered. You might want a few bugs from different parts of a board. Highlight the first issue and press X. Then move the highlight to the next issue with the arrow keys and press X again. Repeat until the set is complete. Each X adds one issue, and the others stay selected.

Be careful when you move the highlight. The highlight is not the same as the selection. An issue only joins the set when you press X on it. Look at the selected rows before you go on.

## Select every issue in a view with ⌘A

Use ⌘A when you want the whole list or board. Linear's docs say to refine the list with filters first. Then press ⌘A to select all issues on the board or list. Filtering first matters. If you press ⌘A on the full view, you select everything Linear shows, including issues you never meant to touch.

![Close-up of a Mac keyboard used for selecting multiple issues in Linear on Mac](https://images.lazur.app/content-images/howto/select-multiple-issues-in-linear/how-to-select-multiple-issues-in-linear-2-316fdf.jpg)

Before you run a bulk action, look over the selected rows. Check that the set matches what you planned. A bulk change hits every selected issue at once. A quick look takes seconds. Fixing a wrong batch takes much longer.

## Use the bulk toolbar and right-click on a selection

Once issues are selected, Linear shows common bulk actions at the bottom of the screen. Its docs use Move to backlog as the example. Right-click anywhere on the selected issues to open the contextual menu. Linear's docs describe the menu as opening on the selection, so you do not need to right-click each issue.

- ⌥↑ and ⌥↓ move selected issues up or down inside a board column.
- ⌥← and ⌥→ move them between board columns.
- ⌥⇧↑ and ⌥⇧↓ move them to the top or bottom of a column.

Linear's March 15, 2022 desktop changelog says these board shortcuts also work on multiple selected issues. Test them on a few issues before you use them on a large group.

## Shift+⌘-click and the shortcuts that need checking

Linear's October 2020 changelog says Shift-click and Shift+⌘-click select issues in lists and board columns. It also says the existing X and Shift+X shortcuts still work. The sources I checked do not say in detail what Shift+X does. Test it on one issue before you rely on it.

> **Shortcut sheets disagree:** A third-party shortcut sheet lists ⇧X as Select Multiple Issues and ⌘A as Select All. Linear's docs describe X for a single highlighted issue. Plain ⌘-click is not confirmed in Linear's docs. Test any shortcut on one issue first.

![Team reviewing a long list of tasks on a Mac laptop screen](https://images.lazur.app/content-images/howto/select-multiple-issues-in-linear/how-to-select-multiple-issues-in-linear-3-405999.jpg)

## Mistakes people make with bulk selection

Most selection problems come from a few habits. Watch for these.

- Pressing X on the wrong row. X acts on the highlighted issue, so check the highlight first.
- Pressing ⌘A before filtering. You select the whole view, not the subset you wanted.
- Forgetting Esc. Clear the old selection before you start a new one, so stale issues stay out.
- Looking for a menu bar item. Linear's docs do not show one for selecting issues, so use the keys.
- Trusting a shortcut sheet alone. Test one issue before you rely on any shortcut.

## Find the full shortcut list inside Linear

Linear keeps its own shortcut list. Open it from Help & Feedback > Keyboard shortcuts in the sidebar. Linear's March 2021 changelog says the list was redesigned and made searchable. Type select into it to find the selection keys, then compare them with the ones in this guide.

## Check whether selection changed recently

The most recent Linear changelog I checked is dated September 3, 2026. It says ⌘N now chooses what to create based on the current view. It lists no changes to selection or multi-select shortcuts. Read the changelog again if your Linear app behaves differently from this guide.

## Plan limits and what they mean for big lists

The selection docs do not tie these keys to a plan. Plan limits still change how much you see. Linear's pricing page lists a Free plan with 250 issues and 2 teams. Basic costs $10 per user per month, billed yearly, with unlimited issues and 5 teams. Business costs $16 per user per month, billed yearly.

Check your plan and your issue count before you plan a large bulk change. A list that feels small can still hold more issues than you expect.

## Desktop app updates and your shortcuts

The desktop app updates in the background. Linear's docs say you can turn that off on macOS with a defaults key named AutoUpdateDisabled, followed by a restart. Only change it if your team needs a fixed build. Otherwise leave updates on, so your app matches the steps in Linear's docs.

## What to do after you select

A selection is a means to an end. A few next steps follow most bulk jobs.

- Move the group on a board with the ⌥ arrow keys.
- Right-click the selection to reach the contextual menu.
- Press Esc when you finish, so the next task starts clean.

If triage is your daily work, the [QA testers guide](https://www.lazur.app/for/software-qa-testers/linear) covers triage keys and templates on Mac. The [product manager guide](https://www.lazur.app/for/product-managers/linear) covers board shortcuts and plan limits.

## Shortcuts

- Select the highlighted issue: X
- Select one issue with the mouse: Shift + click
- Add in a list or board column with Shift+⌘-click: ⇧⌘ + click
- Extend a range down or up: Shift + ↓ or ↑
- Select all issues in the filtered view: ⌘A
- Clear the selection: Esc
- Open the command bar: ⌘K
- Move selected issues within a column: ⌥↑ or ⌥↓
- Move selected issues between columns: ⌥← or ⌥→

## If it does not work

- **X selects only one issue** That is how X works. Use Shift + ↓ to extend a range, or move the highlight to another issue and press X to add it.
- **⌘A selected more than you wanted** Press Esc, filter the list down to the issues you want, then press ⌘A again. ⌘A selects the issues in the current view.
- **Shift-click does nothing in a view** Shift-click works in lists and board columns, according to Linear's 2020 changelog. Check that you are in one of those views, not a different page.
- **A shortcut sheet says ⇧X selects multiple issues** That sheet is third party and conflicts with Linear's docs. Use X and Shift-click, which Linear documents, and check the Keyboard shortcuts list in the sidebar.

## With Lazur

Lazur is a voice assistant for the Mac that lives in the notch. Hold ⌥ ⌘ and ask; it sees your screen, answers out loud, points at buttons and walks you through apps. Hold fn to dictate. Free for 3 days, then $18/month: https://www.lazur.app/download

- “Where is the Filter control in this view?”: Lazur circles the Filter control if it is on your screen, so you can narrow the list before you press ⌘A. (Points at it)

## FAQ

### Can I select multiple issues in Linear on Mac with Cmd-click?

Linear's docs confirm Shift-click and Shift+⌘-click, not plain ⌘-click. Use Shift-click, or highlight with the arrow keys and press X. Test any other combination on one issue first.

### What is the shortcut to select all issues in Linear on Mac?

Press ⌘A. Linear's docs say to filter the list first, then press ⌘A to select all issues on the board or list. Press Esc to clear the selection.

### How do I deselect one issue from a selection?

Linear's docs describe Esc as clearing the selection. They do not describe removing a single issue. Press Esc, then select again with the keys you want.

### Does multi-select work the same in the Linear web app?

Linear's selection docs describe the same steps for the desktop app and the web app. The desktop app is the safer choice for shortcuts, because Linear says it has fewer keyboard shortcut conflicts than a browser.

### Is there a menu bar item for selecting issues on Mac?

Not that Linear's docs confirm. Use the keys. Linear's shortcut list sits under Help & Feedback > Keyboard shortcuts in the sidebar.

### Can I move selected issues on a board with the keyboard?

Yes. ⌥↑ and ⌥↓ move selected issues within a column, and ⌥← and ⌥→ move them between columns. Linear's March 2022 desktop changelog lists these board shortcuts.

### Do I need a paid plan to select multiple issues?

The docs I checked do not tie these keys to a plan. Linear's pricing page lists a Free plan with 250 issues and 2 teams, and Basic at $10 per user per month, billed yearly.

## Sources

1. [Select issues: Linear Docs](https://linear.app/docs/select-issues), Linear, checked 2026-11-09
2. [Issue selection: Linear Changelog](https://linear.app/changelog/issue-selection), Linear, checked 2026-11-09
3. [Download Linear: Linear Docs](https://linear.app/docs/get-the-app), Linear, checked 2026-11-09
4. [New desktop app: Linear Changelog](https://linear.app/changelog/2022-03-15-new-desktop-app), Linear, checked 2026-11-09
5. [Keyboard shortcuts help: Linear Changelog](https://linear.app/changelog/2021-03-25-keyboard-shortcuts-help), Linear, checked 2026-11-09
6. [Priority inbox: Linear Changelog](https://linear.app/changelog/2026-09-03-priority-inbox), Linear, checked 2026-11-09
7. [Pricing: Linear](https://linear.app/pricing), Linear, checked 2026-11-09
8. [Linear Keyboard Shortcuts (Windows and Mac): ShortcutsKeys](https://shortcutskeys.com/applications/linear/shortcuts/), ShortcutsKeys (third party), checked 2026-11-09