Microsoft To Do is a free task manager for personal and work to-do lists. It runs as an app on Windows, Mac, iOS and Android and in a web browser. Lists sync between every device signed in to the same account. Microsoft To Do stores tasks on Exchange Online servers, so the same tasks also appear in Outlook.
Lists, groups and smart lists
Each task belongs to a list the user creates, such as one for errands or a project. Users can collect related lists into a list group by dragging them in on desktop or through the group’s menu on mobile. Ungrouping removes only the group; its lists stay in the sidebar.
To Do also builds smart lists from task properties. Starred tasks gather in Important. Dated tasks appear in Planned, which shows what is due today, tomorrow and beyond. Tasks given to the user in shared lists collect in Assigned to you. Users can hide unneeded smart lists in Settings.
A list can have its own background color or image, and an emoji at the start of its name becomes its sidebar icon. Lists sort by importance, due date, creation date, alphabetical order or the order tasks were added to My Day. Search covers the whole account and matches words in titles, steps, notes and tags.
What a task can hold
A task starts as one line typed into the “Add a task” field. Its detail view adds structure:
- Steps split a larger task into smaller items, with a counter showing how many are complete.
- Notes hold free text, including links to files stored in Microsoft 365.
- Files of any type can be attached from the device, up to a total size limit per task.
- Tags are hashtags such as #work written into the task name; selecting one shows every task, step and note that uses it.
- Importance is a star that sends the task to the Important list.
Users can recover a deleted task in Outlook by moving it from Deleted Items back to the Tasks folder. This returns it to its original To Do list.
Due dates, reminders and repeats
Microsoft To Do keeps three separate timing controls. A due date marks when a task should be finished. A reminder sends a notification at a chosen date and time. A repeat setting makes the task recur daily, on weekdays, weekly, monthly, yearly or on a custom schedule. Each control offers quick choices such as tomorrow or next week alongside a date picker.
Users can type these values into the task title in the Windows app with English language settings, and on iOS. Writing “call the bank friday noon” or “water plants every Monday” makes To Do highlight the date, time or repeat phrase. To Do applies it on saving. Pressing Backspace on a highlighted word keeps it as plain title text. Settings can switch recognition off or strip recognized words from the title.
Planning the day in My Day
My Day is a daily focus list that starts empty each day. Users type tasks into it directly or add them from any list with “Add to My Day”. Overnight it clears. Unfinished tasks come back as suggestions under the lightbulb icon, along with tasks set to repeat daily. This means My Day offers a recurring habit again each morning.
Sharing lists and assigning tasks
The user can share a list they created by generating an invitation link and sending it by email or a messaging app. Sharing works between personal Microsoft accounts, or between accounts in the same work or school organization. The owner can limit access to current members or stop sharing. Stopping sharing removes members’ access and makes the list private again.
Inside a shared list, “Assign to” in a task’s detail view makes any member responsible for it. In the Windows app, typing @ and a name while creating the task assigns it immediately. Moving an assigned task to another list clears the assignment.
Outlook, flagged email and Planner
Since To Do and Outlook read the same task store, a task created in one appears in the other. In the new Outlook for Windows, users can drag a task from the To Do tab of the My Day pane onto the calendar. This creates an event that blocks time for it.
With Microsoft-hosted mailboxes such as Outlook.com or Hotmail, a Flagged email list turns each flagged message into a task named after its subject. The task includes a text preview and a link to open the email. These tasks accept due dates, reminders, a star and a place in My Day. When first enabled, the list imports up to 100 messages flagged in the last 30 days. The list includes only the primary mailbox, not shared mailboxes or flagged calendar events.
In organizations using Planner, licensed users can connect it so their Planner assignments appear in Assigned to you. Microsoft To Do lets them rename those tasks, edit checklists, change due dates, add notes or add them to My Day. Other edits open the task in Planner.
