---
title: Spaces
description: Group projects into spaces, ongoing areas such as Product, Marketing, or Finances, and keep recurring upkeep tasks in them without a project.
---

A space is an ongoing area of responsibility, such as *Product*, *Marketing*, or *Finances*. It holds projects and never finishes. A project ends when its work is done, but a space stays until you archive it.

Spaces are optional. Projects without a space stay under **Projects** in the Tasks sidebar, so nothing changes if you don't use them.

## Creating A Space

Click **+** (**New space**) beside **Spaces** in the Tasks sidebar. A new space page opens. Type a name over **Untitled space**, and add a description under it if you like. Click the icon to choose an icon and colour.

Spaces have a name, icon, colour, description, labels, and resources. They have no status, progress, or due date.

## Putting Projects In A Space

A project belongs to one space at most. To move a project:

- Right-click it in the sidebar, or open its **…** menu, and choose **Move to space**. Pick a space, or **None** to move it back to **Projects**.
- Drag it in the sidebar onto a space, between spaces, or back into **Projects**.
- Click a space's **+** in the sidebar or in the **Projects** section of its Overview. **Create new project** opens the [new project dialog](/tasks/projects#creating-a-project) with the space already chosen. Below it, **Move to *Space*** lists the projects without a space.
- Choose a space with the **Space** chip in the new project dialog, or under **Space** in the project's [Settings tab](/tasks/projects#project-settings).

A task in a project is in its project's space. Subtasks follow their parent.

## Tasks Kept In A Space

Some work never becomes a project, such as *Renew domain* or *Monthly invoices*. Keep tasks like these in a space directly. Click **+** (**Add a task to this space**) in the **Space tasks** section of the space's Overview, or choose the space in a task's properties.

Only tasks without a project can have a space of their own. They are numbered under the workspace key, such as `TASK-12`. When such a task moves into a project, it takes the project's space instead.

## The Spaces Sidebar

The **Spaces** section of the Tasks sidebar lists each space with its projects nested under it.

- Click a space's arrow to fold it. A folded space shows a count of its open tasks. Octarine remembers which spaces are folded in each workspace.
- Drag spaces to reorder them, and drag projects to reorder them within a space.
- Right-click a space for **Archive space** and **Delete space**.

Once every project is in a space, the **Projects** section only appears while there are tasks without a project or archived projects.

## The Space Page

A space page has the space's icon, name, and description at the top, then three tabs:

- **Overview**, described below.
- **Issues** lists every task in the space, from its projects and its own tasks, grouped by project.
- **Settings** has the space's name, icon, and labels, and **Delete space** under **Danger zone**.

### Overview

The Overview is made of sections:

- **Activity**: a [chart of changes](/tasks/projects#activity) across the space, which can be stacked by project, status, or label.
- **Projects**: a card for each active project, showing its progress, [status, priority, target date, and labels](/tasks/projects#project-properties). The target date turns red when the project is late. Use the sliders button to sort the cards (**Manual**, **Status**, **Priority**, **Target date**, or **Name**) and group them (**Status**, **Priority**, or **No grouping**). Completed projects are listed under **Completed projects**.
- **Space tasks**: the tasks kept in the space without a project.
- **Up next across this space**: the next open tasks from every project in the space. **View issues** opens the Issues tab.
- **Resources**: notes, files, and links kept with the space. They work like [project resources](/tasks/projects#resources).

Hover a section's header to show its grip, then drag the grip to reorder sections. Octarine remembers the order on this device for all spaces.

### Properties

The space's properties show in the [right sidebar](/note-management/meta-sidebar#tasks-projects-and-cycles), or in a panel beside the Overview when the right sidebar is closed:

- **Labels** on the space.
- **Projects**: open projects by status, with how many are late and done.
- **Target**: the soonest target date among its projects. Click it to open that project.
- **Tasks**: open tasks across the space, and how many are overdue.
- **Activity**: when anything in the space last changed. Hover it to see when the space was created.

## Searching By Space

Use `space:` in any task search or saved filter:

| Query | Matches |
| --- | --- |
| `space:marketing` | Tasks in the Marketing space, from its projects or kept in it directly |
| `space:none` | Tasks outside every space |
| `has:space` | Tasks in any space |

See [Search and Filters](/tasks/search-and-filters).

## Archiving And Deleting

- **Archive space** takes the space and its projects out of the sidebar. The projects keep the space, so restoring it brings them back. Archived spaces are listed on the **Archived** page in the Tasks sidebar, where you can restore them.
- **Delete space** removes the space for good. Its projects move to **Projects**, and its tasks stay, outside any space. Octarine lists the projects that will move before you confirm.

## Where Spaces Are Stored

Spaces are Markdown files under `.octarine/tasks/spaces` in your workspace, and archived spaces move to `spaces/.archive`. They sync and back up with the rest of your tasks.

You can also manage spaces from the [CLI](/cli/tasks-and-projects#space-commands), and [Ask Octarine](/working-with-ai/ask-octarine#tasks-and-projects) can filter tasks by space and move projects between spaces.

#### Quick Answers

### What is the difference between a space and a project?

A project is work that finishes, with a status, progress, and target date. A space is an ongoing area, such as Marketing or Finances, that holds projects and never finishes. Spaces are archived rather than completed.

### Do I have to use spaces?

No. Projects without a space stay under **Projects** in the Tasks sidebar, exactly as before.

### Can a task be in a space without a project?

Yes. Add it from the **Space tasks** section of the space's Overview, or pick the space in the task's properties. This works well for recurring upkeep such as *Renew domain*.

### What happens to projects when I delete a space?

They move to **Projects**, and their tasks stay. Only the space itself is deleted.