In classic Outlook, you can combine your written and electronic to-do lists in the To-Do Bar — with enhanced reminders and tracking.
Classic Outlook's To-Do Bar is a narrow pane on the right side of Outlook you can open to keep calendar events, tasks, or contacts always in view. When the To-Do Bar is displayed, you can easily drag items to it to create tasks that can help keep you on track.
Note: The To-Do Bar is available in classic Outlook. In new Outlook, and Microsoft 365, tasks are displayed with My Day and managed with the To Do app. For more information, check out Create tasks with To Do in Outlook.
Find out which version of Outlook you're using by checking if there's a File tab on the ribbon. If you have a File tab, you're using classic Outlook. If File doesn't appear, you're using new Outlook.
Create a task
Creating tasks builds a to-do list in Outlook to help you stay organized.
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Select
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In the Subject box, enter a name for the task. It's best to keep the name short and then add the details in the task body.
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If there’s a fixed start or end date, set the Start date or Due date.
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Set the task’s priority by using Priority.
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If you want a pop-up reminder, check Reminder, and set the date and time.
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Select Task > Save & Close.
Create a task from an Outlook item
You can create a task out of any Outlook item, such as an email message, contact, calendar item, or note.
Do one of the following:
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Drag an e-mail message to the To-Do Bar
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Drag an item to the Tasks icon in the Navigation Pane.
Tip: To add the item as an attachment to a new task instead of pasting the text into the task body, right-click the item and drag it to the task list, and then select Copy Here as Task with Attachment.
Creating a task from a message versus flagging the message
When you flag an email message, the message appears in the To-Do List in Tasks and on the Tasks peek. However, if you delete the message, it also disappears from the To-Do List in Tasks and on the Tasks peek. Flagging a message doesn’t create a separate task.
By creating a task from a message as described above, the new separate task is independent of the message. If the original message is deleted, the task is still available, including the copied contents of the message.
Create a task in the To-Do Bar
To create a task in the To-Do Bar, do one of the following:
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In the To-Do Bar, select the Type a new task box, and then enter the task description. Press Enter to finish. The task appears in your To-Do list with today's date.
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In the To-Do Bar, double-click the Type a new task box to open a new task window. You can enter more details about the task.
Tip: To turn on and show Tasks in the To-Do Bar, on the View tab, in the Layout group, select To-Do Bar and select Tasks. For more information about the To-Do Bar, see Customize the To-Do Bar in classic Outlook.
View your tasks
View your tasks. Tasks are displayed in three locations in Outlook — in the To-Do Bar, in Tasks, and in the Daily Task List in Calendar. If you subscribe to a SharePoint task list, any task assigned to you from this list also appears in all three locations.
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On the navigation bar, select Tasks.
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Select a task to view it in the Reading Pane, or double-click it to open it in a new window.
Another way to see tasks, including flagged to-do items, is the Tasks peek.
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Point to Tasks on the Navigation Bar.
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Sort your task list by selecting Tasks > Home and choosing one of many Current View options available.
Use the To Do app in classic Outlook
If you have an eligible Microsoft 365 subscription and user license for the Microsoft To Do app, you can use the Microsoft To Do app to manage your tasks inside Outlook for Windows. To Do allows you to quickly access calendar items and tasks alongside the main Outlook functions such as email and calendar, which are now displayed vertically to the left of the folder pane. You can check what subscriptions you are licensed for in your account information. Log in to www.office.com, select your profile picture in the top-right corner, select View account, and then select Subscriptions.
Open the To Do app
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On the left margin of the Outlook window, select the
Make the To Do app your preferred tasks management experience
With your Microsoft 365 subscription, you can specify your preferred experience for managing tasks in Outlook for Windows. There are a few different ways to configure this option.
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On the teaching callout, select Try it:
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In Tasks, select Try it on the yellow bar:
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Navigate to File > Options > Tasks, and then select Open tasks in the To Do app. You can switch back to Outlook tasks at any time by unchecking this setting.
How it works
When you select the option to open tasks in To Do, the following changes are made:
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The tasks icon (
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When you select New Items >
When you Open a task from the To Do Bar, the Reminders window, or the Daily task list on the Calendar, it opens the task in the To Do app.
Additional Information
Even when To Do is configured as the preferred tasks management experience, Outlook Tasks will be used in the following cases:
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Managing tasks for non-Microsoft 365 accounts: To Do is supported for Microsoft 365 (Exchange Online) enterprise and consumer accounts only.
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Opening Outlook tasks directly from the More apps menu: When you create or view tasks directly from Outlook tasks module, you will not be redirected to the To Do app.
You must be online and connected to Microsoft 365 to use the To Do app. You will see the following error message if you try to open the To Do app while offline: “There was a problem connecting to this app.”
See also
Manage tasks in classic Outlook
Customize the To-Do Bar in classic Outlook
