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Microsoft To Do and Outlook share tasks when both apps are signed in with the same personal, work, or school Microsoft account. The tasks are stored in Exchange Online, so a task created in one app normally appears in the other without exporting, importing, or configuring a separate connector.
The useful distinction is between shared task data and different task interfaces. New Outlook, Outlook on the web, Outlook.com, classic Outlook, and the To Do apps can expose the same account’s tasks, but features such as flagged email, My Day, categories, and legacy Outlook task fields do not behave identically everywhere.
How the Outlook–To Do integration works
To Do is not simply copying tasks from Outlook. For supported Microsoft accounts, both services work with the same Exchange Online task data. Create a task in Outlook and it can appear in To Do; create one in To Do and it can appear in Outlook.
This requires the accounts to match. For example, signing in to Outlook with a work account and To Do with a personal Microsoft account will not combine their tasks. An IMAP or POP mailbox may work for email in Outlook, but it does not provide the Microsoft-hosted task integration described here.
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| Outlook surface | Where to open tasks | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| New Outlook for Windows | Select To Do on the left margin | The newer To Do task experience |
| Outlook on the web | Select the To Do icon on the left margin | Web-based To Do lists and smart lists |
| Outlook.com | Select the To Do icon on the left margin | To Do connected to the Microsoft account |
| Classic Outlook | Tasks, the To-Do Bar, or Calendar’s Daily Task List | Legacy Outlook task views, with an option to prefer To Do |
Create and edit tasks in Outlook
In new Outlook or Outlook on the web, use this path:
- Open To Do.
- Select the task list where the task belongs.
- Select the plus sign beside Add a task.
- Type the task description.
- Press Enter or Return.
If you create the task while viewing a smart list such as Planned or Important, the task is stored in the underlying Tasks list and linked to that smart list. It is not a separate duplicate.
To rename a task, select it to open the detail view, select its title, and edit the text. To remove it, select the trash-can icon in the lower-right corner of the task detail view.
Deleted tasks can be recovered in Outlook Mail. Open Deleted Items, locate the task, select and hold it or right-click it, and choose Restore.
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Drag an email into To Do
When Mail is open, drag an email into the To Do pane to create a task from it. This is useful when the email itself is the context you need to retain rather than just a reminder such as “reply to supplier.”
Use the Flagged Email list
Flagged email is a separate integration that must be enabled. In To Do, open Settings > Connected apps, turn on Flagged Email, and enable Show list if that option is displayed. Another documented route is the list menu, followed by Flagged email > Create.
After it is enabled, a flagged message becomes a task named after the email’s subject. Open the task to see a preview of the message and use Open in Outlook to return to the full email. You can rename the task, set a due date or reminder, add it to My Day, or mark it important.
There are important boundaries:
- The first import contains only the 100 most recently flagged emails from the previous 30 days.
- Newly flagged email is added after the list is enabled.
- Only messages in the primary mailbox synchronize.
- Messages in shared folders and shared mailboxes are not supported.
- Flagged calendar events do not appear in Flagged Email or become To Do tasks.
- The mailbox must be hosted by Microsoft, such as Outlook.com, Hotmail.com, Live.com, or a custom domain hosted by Microsoft.
Therefore, simply flagging an email does not guarantee that a To Do task will appear. The feature, account type, mailbox location, and initial-import limit all matter.
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Use My Day for a daily working list
My Day is a planning view, not a second storage location. In new Outlook, Outlook on the web, or Outlook.com, select My Day at the top of the page.
Add an existing task by right-clicking it and selecting Add to My Day, or drag the task from another list into My Day. The task remains in its original list. Adding it to My Day does not move or duplicate the task.
My Day is cleared at midnight. Clearing the view does not delete the tasks; they remain in their original lists. Tasks due today that are still incomplete are automatically populated in My Day, which makes due dates useful for recurring daily planning.
For a more guided review, select My Day > Suggestions. Suggestions may include overdue tasks, tasks due today or later, unfinished tasks previously placed in My Day, and tasks Microsoft considers relevant. Select + Add to My Day for a suggestion, or Close to dismiss the pane.
From the My Day pane, Open To Do or Manage all tasks takes you to the full task-management view.
Add dates, reminders, repeat rules, and steps
Open a task and use its detail view to make a vague reminder operational:
- Reminder: Select Remind me, then choose later today, tomorrow, next week, or a custom date and time.
- Due date: Select Add due date, then choose today, tomorrow, next week, or a specific date.
- Recurrence: Select Repeat and choose daily, weekdays, weekly, monthly, yearly, or custom.
- Steps: Select + Add step, type the step, and press Enter.
Any incomplete task with a reminder or due date appears in the Planned smart list. The current smart-list set includes My Day, Important, Planned, All, Completed, Assigned to me, Flagged Email, and Due Today.
You can also attach files. Select To Do, select the task, choose + Add a file in the details pane, and follow the prompts. Multiple files are supported, but they must be added one at a time. The limit is 25 MB per task.
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Hashtags provide a lightweight search system. Add tags such as #work or #school to task names. Searching for a tag returns matching tasks, notes, and steps.
Organize tasks with lists and categories
Lists
Create a list by selecting New list at the bottom of the task-list column, entering a name, and pressing Enter. To move a task, right-click it or press and hold it, select Move tasks to …, and choose the destination list.
Use lists for areas of responsibility—for example, “Home,” “Client launch,” or “School”—and use My Day for what you intend to work on today. This avoids destroying your broader project organization each morning.
Categories
In new Outlook, create or edit categories at Settings > Accounts > Categories. To apply an existing category to a task, select the task, choose Pick a category, and select one or more categories.
Category synchronization has a specific limitation. For flagged emails, categories can synchronize between the Outlook message and its To Do task while the message remains flagged. A category that was assigned to an unflagged message does not begin synchronizing merely because a task is later created from that message.
Share a task list with other people
To collaborate, share a list rather than an individual task:
- Open To Do.
- Right-click the list and select Share list.
- Select Create invitation link.
- Choose Copy link or Invite via email.
Anyone can receive the invitation link, but the person joining must have a Microsoft account. Once a list is shared, tasks can be assigned to people who have access to that list. Individual tasks cannot be shared directly.
To recover an existing invitation link, right-click the shared list and select Sharing options. The More options area includes controls to stop sharing or prevent new people from joining. Turning on Limit access to this list invalidates the old link; turning access back on creates a new link.
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Be careful when deleting lists: Microsoft’s current Outlook documentation describes list deletion as irreversible.
Configure classic Outlook to open tasks in To Do
Classic Outlook still provides the To-Do Bar, Tasks, and Calendar’s Daily Task List. If you want task commands in classic Outlook to use the newer To Do experience, select:
File > Options > Tasks > Open tasks in the To Do app
With this option enabled, the classic Tasks icon is unpinned from the navigation bar and placed under More apps. The To Do icon remains pinned, New Items > Task opens To Do, and tasks opened from the To-Do Bar, Reminders window, or Calendar’s Daily Task List open in To Do.
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Clear the option if you need to return to classic Outlook Tasks.
What does not transfer cleanly
Do not assume that To Do is a complete replacement for every legacy Outlook Tasks field. Microsoft still documents that To Do does not display several classic fields, including:
- Start and end dates
- Task status
- Completion percentage
- Multiple priority levels
- Work hours
- Task colors
- Some legacy category behavior
Current new Outlook and web workflows do support category operations, particularly for flagged-email tasks, but that does not make every classic Outlook Tasks field available in To Do.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.When tasks or flagged email do not appear
- Check the signed-in account. Confirm Outlook and To Do use the same personal, work, or school Microsoft account.
- Check the mailbox host. Flagged Email requires a Microsoft-hosted mailbox; a generic IMAP or POP account is not enough.
- Enable Flagged Email. Go to To Do > Settings > Connected apps and turn on the feature.
- Check the mailbox location. A flagged message in a shared mailbox or shared folder will not synchronize.
- Check the date and count. The initial Flagged Email import covers only the latest 100 messages flagged within the prior 30 days.
- Check whether it is an event. Flagged calendar events are excluded.
- Look in the correct list. A task created from a smart list is stored in Tasks, while a dated or reminded task also appears in Planned.
Microsoft documents this integration through interface-based procedures; there is no supported command-line, PowerShell, or text-command syntax for creating or managing these Outlook–To Do tasks.
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FAQ
Do Microsoft To Do and Outlook automatically sync?
Yes, when both use the same personal, work, or school Microsoft account. Tasks are stored in Exchange Online and appear in both supported apps.
Does flagging an Outlook email automatically create a To Do task?
Not by itself. You must enable Flagged Email in To Do, and the mailbox must be hosted by Microsoft. Shared mailboxes, shared folders, flagged calendar events, and unsupported IMAP or POP accounts are excluded.
What happens when I add a task to My Day?
The task remains in its original list and is also shown in My Day. My Day is cleared at midnight, but clearing it does not delete the task.
Can I share one To Do task with someone?
No. Microsoft supports sharing user-created task lists. After a list is shared, tasks in it can be assigned to people who have access.
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Why is a flagged email missing from To Do?
Check that Flagged Email is enabled, the message is in your primary Microsoft-hosted mailbox, and it falls within the initial import range of the 100 most recently flagged messages from the previous 30 days. Newly flagged messages are added after the feature is enabled.
Can To Do display every field from classic Outlook Tasks?
No. Microsoft documents several unsupported legacy fields, including start and end dates, task status, completion percentage, multiple priority levels, work hours, colors, and some category behavior.
Sources
This article is based on Microsoft’s current documentation for connecting To Do, creating tasks with To Do in Outlook, managing tasks, My Day, lists and sharing, and legacy Outlook Tasks behavior.
The Bottom Line
For Microsoft accounts, Outlook and To Do are two interfaces over the same Exchange Online task store. The most effective workflow is to capture email as a task, add a due date or reminder when it truly matters, use lists for ongoing areas of work, and use My Day as a temporary daily focus view. Treat Flagged Email and legacy Outlook task fields as feature-specific integrations rather than universal Outlook behavior.
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