Wondering about the difference between LABELS and TAGS inside ClickUp?
Labels are ClickUp Custom Fields that allow multiple options to be selected while Tags are “exceptions to the rule” that allow you to add one-off identifiers that aren’t always relevant.
In this video, ClickUp Consultant Layla at ProcessDriven explains the label vs tag debate with ClickUp examples from her own workspace.
What is the ClickUp Label Field?
The Label Field in ClickUp could probably more appropriately be named a “multiple choice field”, as that’s essentially what it is.
If you’re familiar with the dropdown custom field in ClickUp (where you can select one option of many), the label field is simply the multiple-choice version.
Example #1: We use Labels for things like managing social media posts in ClickUp, where we have a Label field called “Channel” where we identify what social media channels we’re posting on.
What is a ClickUp Tag?
Tags in ClickUp appear very similar to label fields. They allow you to have multiple-choice options to identify pieces of information and run searches on them, just like you can with label fields.
However, unlike Label fields, you do not need to create a Custom Field to use Tags.
This allows us to have the option to not add the tag if we don’t need it and nothing changes, but we can add the tag if necessary so we can then filter by that information.
Example #1: One of the most common instances we use tags is when adding a “to discuss” tag to tasks for upcoming meeting agendas. As a team, we know that if we need to discuss a particular task at our next team meeting, we add a “to discuss” tag – which allows us to search for all tasks tagged with that “to discuss” tag when the meeting arrives, and we carry on with our agenda accordingly.
Example #2: When we are contributing to our ClickingUp Community’s Public Roadmap. We have a tag called “Road Map” and we add that tag to any task that we want to have show up on the public road map.
When we add that tag, it shows up in a view that we have filtered to only show tasks with the tag applied. Then that view is publicly embedded inside our membership area so everyone knows exactly what is on our roadmap.
Each of these tasks is related to the course roadmap, but they’re not something we’d all have in one place in the ClickUp hierarchy.
This tag can be applied to tasks no matter where they are in the hierarchy and we know that they’re always going to end up in that same filtered view.
So, when should you use a Tag vs. a Label in ClickUp?
The answer is simpler than you think! Simply put:
- If you have information that you expect to be there, use a label field in ClickUp
- If you have information, that’s the exception and not the rule, use a tag in ClickUp.
Hope this is helpful in explaining the ClickUp label vs. tag debate!
Until next time, enjoy the process!
Related Resources
➤ Intro to ClickUp’s Structure | ClickUp Hierarchy for Beginners
➤ How to Use ClickUp for Meeting Agendas w/ Dashboard, Doc or Tasks
➤ What are Custom Fields? | ClickUp Tutorial for Beginners
ProcessDriven helps small teams turn chaos into process. The ProcessDriven Approach™️ combines software expertise with practical process-first strategies that have helped 1,900+ teams build a scalable foundation of business systems.
