Kodavara Guide
ClickUp Sync Custom Fields: Pass a Value Down to Every Task and Subtask
ClickUp lets you reuse one custom field in many places, but it does not copy values between tasks. If you want a project code to follow every task, or hours to roll up onto a project, you need to set it up deliberately. This guide shows the native options and the gaps.
Last reviewed October 2026. ClickUp changes often, so check ClickUp's help center for the latest. Written by Kodavara, an independent ClickUp Partner. Not published or endorsed by ClickUp.
What ClickUp Does Today
What You Can Do Natively
Start with the features available on your ClickUp plan.
Add an Existing Field
A custom field can be added to other Spaces, Folders, Lists and Forms from the Custom Fields Manager (Add existing field) or from a view's plus menu (Add existing). One field added to several places is a single field.
Admins Manage Fields
The Custom Field Manager is available on all plans. On Business Plus and Enterprise, members can use it too when they are given the Manage Custom Fields permission. Guests cannot.
Duplicate a Field
Duplicating a field creates a separate new field, not a linked copy.
Rollups Through Relationships
Rollup fields can total values across related tasks, with supported calculations depending on the field and relationship type. Using rollup columns in formulas is an open request.
Where It Falls Short
The Gaps People Run Into
If these are your problem, keep reading.
- Field values do not sync between tasks. Adding a field to many lists shares the field, not its value.
- Automations cannot copy a custom field value from a parent task to its subtasks. The Set Custom Field action sets a fixed value, and teams often use Zapier or Make instead.
- Letting subtasks inherit parent custom fields is a long-standing request on ClickUp's feedback board.
- Rolling custom field values up from subtasks to a parent is also a request, not a feature.
- Changing a project code means editing every task by hand.
Worked Example
Example: One Project Code, Many Tasks
The code is set once on the project task. Linked tasks follow, and hours roll back up onto the project.
| Where | Field | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Anchor task: Website Redesign | Project Code | WEB-043 (changed from WEB-042) |
| Task: Homepage review | Project Code | WEB-043 (followed) |
| Task: QA pass | Project Code | WEB-043 (followed) |
| Task added next week | Project Code | WEB-043 (picked up) |
| Anchor task: Website Redesign | Hours (total of linked tasks) | 412 |
Sample data for illustration.
How Render Code Linker Does It
Set It Up Once
Code Linker links one anchor task to the work beneath it, so values flow down and totals flow up.
Pick the Anchor Task
Choose the project or client task that holds the value, such as a project code.
Choose the Linked Work
Select the Lists or Folders that hold the project's tasks, and decide whether new Lists in a Folder are followed.
Define Values Down and Totals Up
Choose the fields to pass down, and whether to keep them synchronized or only fill them when blank. Choose totals such as sum, count or completion to roll up.
Preview Before You Turn It On
See the counts, sample rows, blocked rows with reasons and every total with its formula. The preview writes nothing.
Activate
Turn the link on. Each field has one owner, so two links cannot fight over the same field.
FAQ
Common Questions
Not here? Ask us.
Does ClickUp sync a custom field between lists?
A field can be added to many lists, but values do not sync between tasks.
Can subtasks inherit a parent's custom field?
Not through automations: the Set Custom Field action sets a fixed value and cannot copy from a parent. It is a long-standing open request.
Can I roll hours up to the project?
ClickUp rollups work through Relationships, with supported calculations depending on the field and relationship type. Code Linker rolls totals up from linked tasks onto the anchor task.
Will it overwrite existing values?
You choose. Fill when blank never overwrites a value that is already there, and values that cannot be matched are blocked, never guessed.
Which field types can it handle?
Text, dropdown, number, currency and date. It does not convert between types or currencies.
What if I change the project code later?
Change it on the anchor task. The link follows the anchor's permanent ID, not the code, so nothing breaks.
Keep Reading
Related Guides
Custom Task IDs
ClickUp Custom Task IDs work per Space.
Read the Guide →GuideWBS Numbering
ClickUp has no built-in WBS numbering.
Read the Guide →GuideWorkspace Cleanup
How to clean up a messy ClickUp workspace: merge duplicate custom fields, remove unused setup, and audit what you have before you delete.
Read the Guide →LiveRender Code Linker
The Kodavara app behind this guide, with features, examples and FAQs.
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