Welcome to Hive! This guide will help you get into the right workspace, add your first tasks, and start collaborating on a project.
In Hive, a workspace is the shared space for your team. Projects organize related work, and actions are the tasks you need to complete.
Before you start:
Joining an existing team? Open your Hive invitation email and follow the link to create your account or sign in. Use the email address your team invited. If you need an invitation, ask a teammate or workspace admin to invite you.
Already have access? You can sign in to Hive, then use the workspace menu in the top-left corner to select your team’s workspace.
Setting up a new team? Start by creating your Hive account, then follow the onboarding steps to set up a workspace. If you already have an account and need another workspace, open the workspace menu in the top-left corner and choose Create new workspace.
This article will take you through the most important milestones in getting set up, but if you're looking for a quick tutorial - check out this Hive 101 Overview:
Once you are in the correct workspace, follow the steps below. If your team already has projects, you can start with one you have access to.
1. Enter your first tasks
In Hive, tasks are called actions. Each action has a card where you can keep its assignee, dates, description, comments, and attachments together.
Click Home in the left sidebar to open your personal dashboard. The My Actions widget helps you find work assigned to you. Home can also include widgets such as My Projects, People, and Scratch Pad. Use Customize to adjust your Home widgets.
Create your first three actions:
Click New in the top-right corner of Hive, then choose Action.
Enter a clear title, such as “Draft the launch announcement.”
Check Assignee and select yourself for work you need to complete. To assign work to someone else, choose that teammate instead.
Set a due date under Dates. Add a short Description explaining what needs to be done.
If the action belongs in an existing project, select it from the project dropdown at the top of the card. If you have not created a project yet, you can add the action to one in the Start collaborating section below.
Repeat for two more tasks, then return to Home → My Actions to find the work assigned to you. If an action is missing, check that you are in the correct workspace, that it is assigned to you, and that the widget’s filters are not hiding it.
Keep your work up to date. Open an action to update its Status as work progresses. When it is finished, click the completion checkbox beside its title. For a task with several steps, add Subactions so you can track each step separately.
2. Rally your team
Now it's time to think about who will need access to Hive so that they can be assigned work, comment and collaborate, attach files, review progress, move projects forward to the next stage, and close them out.
Add your co-workers. Invite teammates to your workspace so you can assign work and collaborate:
Click Invite in the top-right corner of Hive.
Choose the appropriate role from the dropdown, such as Member for regular teammates. Enter their email addresses, then click Next.
Select the teams, projects, or groups to add them to.
Add an optional note. Leave Notify all new users selected if you want Hive to email their invitations.
Click Send invites. If your workspace requires admin approval, click Request invites instead.
For more details, see Adding people into your workspace.
Organize teammates into teams (optional). Teams group co-workers, such as Marketing or Operations, so you can add the same people to projects together.
Click your profile picture in the top-right corner of Hive and choose Manage users.
In Workspace settings, select Teams from the sidebar, then click Create new team.
Choose Team for your co-workers, enter a Team name, and use Select members to choose who belongs to it. Click Create new team.
To @mention a team in action comments, add the team to that project first. To @mention it in a group chat, add the team to that chat first. If you cannot create or manage teams, ask your workspace admin for help. Learn more in Teams in Hive.
Include external collaborators. Work with freelancers, clients, or vendors? If the External Users premium app is enabled in your workspace, you can invite them to the projects they need.
Click Invite, choose External from the role dropdown, and enter their email addresses. Click Next and select the projects they should access. External users must belong to at least one project and can be added to multiple projects. They do not have access to your entire workspace. Depending on your workspace permissions, an admin may need to approve the invitation.
3. Start collaborating
Projects bring related actions, files, and teammates together. Start with one project for a shared goal, such as a campaign or client engagement.
Create your first project:
Open Project navigator from the sidebar and click Create project.
Choose Blank project to start from scratch. You can also choose Use a template to reuse an existing process, or Import project to bring in work from another tool.
In General, enter a name and choose a color. Optionally add start and end dates, choose a parent project under Location, and turn on Pin project to navigation panel for easy access. Click Next.
In Members, use Share with to choose who can access the project: Private to me, Specific people, or Everyone when available. Add the people or teams you need, review Who can edit members and Notify users, then click Next.
In Layout, choose your starting view: List, Status, Team, Calendar, Gantt, or Table. You can add or change project tabs later.
Complete any required custom fields, then click Create project.
To add an action you created earlier to this project, open its action card and select the project from the dropdown at the top. For a detailed walkthrough, see Hive Projects. For help choosing a view, see Project layouts.
With the project created, start collaborating with your team:
Do you have repeatable steps in your workflow? Set up action templates.
Post a comment on an action card to keep conversation in context of the task at hand
@mention your teammates to call their attention quickly to your question or comment
Check your notifications. Click the bell icon in the top-right corner of Hive to open your Notifications feed and review assignments, @mentions, and updates.
Set your notification preferences. Click your profile picture in the top-right corner and choose Notification settings. Under External notifications, choose when you receive alerts and which available Banner, Email, and Mobile options to enable. Choices labeled Managed by your workspace admin are locked; ask your admin if you need them changed. Learn more about notification preferences.
Need inspiration? Start with a template. Templates give you a starting structure that you can adapt to your team’s work.
Browse Hive’s ready-made templates. In Project navigator, click Create project → Use Hive curated Templates. Browse the categories, then open a template to read its description and preview its layout. Choose Use Template when you are ready to use it.
Reuse your team’s process. Choose Create project → Use a template. In General, select a template and name your new project. Review Copy options, including Assignees of actions and Dates of actions, then review project access in Members before clicking Create project.
Find saved workspace templates in Project navigator → Templates. After using a template, review the actions, assignees, dates, and project access to make sure they fit your project. For instructions on creating, applying, and saving your own templates, see Project templates.
4. Build your daily routine
Once your first actions and project are in place, use this routine to keep work moving:
Plan your day. Open Home → My Actions to review work assigned to you and check due dates. Decide what needs your attention first.
Catch up on updates. Click the bell icon in the top-right corner to review your notifications, including assignments and @mentions.
Keep teammates informed. Update an action’s Status as work progresses and keep its dates accurate. Add a comment when you have an update or need help, and @mention the teammate you need.
Close out finished work. Click the completion checkbox beside an action’s title when the task is done. Before signing off, review what remains and make sure the next steps are clear.
Getting-started checklist
Use this checklist to confirm you are ready to work in Hive:
I am in the correct workspace and can open the project I need.
I have created my first actions with clear titles, assignees, and due dates.
If I am setting up a shared project, the teammates who need it have access.
I can find my assigned work in Home → My Actions and mark finished actions complete.
I know how to comment on an action, @mention a teammate, and check notifications.
I have reviewed my notification preferences and know where to find Help → Support.
Final Steps & Power-Ups:
Get the apps (optional). Use Hive in your browser, or visit Download Hive for Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android apps. Sign in with the same Hive account to access your workspaces.
Connect your tools (optional). Open App Library from the left sidebar. Look under Personal Apps for individual connections, such as file storage, email, and calendar integrations. Click More where available for setup instructions, then follow the app’s connection steps.
Choose workspace features (optional). In App Library, Workspace Apps and Premium Apps affect your whole workspace. Ask a workspace admin to enable the apps your team needs. Availability can depend on your subscription plan or paid add-ons.
Learn at your own pace. Open the Help menu in the top-right corner of Hive and choose Hive University. Start with Hive 101: Getting Started. Admins bringing their organization onto Hive can follow Hive Self-Guided Onboarding.
Explore webinars. Browse Hive webinars for available sessions and recordings covering features and workflows.
Get help. Open the Help menu in the top-right corner of Hive, choose Support, then select Send us a message. You can also search the Help Center for step-by-step instructions.
Add a workspace logo (optional). A workspace admin can open the profile menu, choose Settings → Workspace settings → Workspace overview, and click Upload image under Workspace logo. For image requirements, see workspace logo settings.