Outlook tasks are separate from email and calendar events, but they connect to both. You can create a task from scratch, turn an email into one, or in classic Outlook for Windows, assign a task to someone else.
Does this affect you?
Use this for Outlook for Microsoft 365 and Outlook.com on Windows or Mac. Assigning tasks to other people requires classic Outlook for Windows with an Exchange or Microsoft 365 account; newer Outlook experiences point users toward Planner, To Do, Loop, or shared lists instead.
Create a new task
Use this for a normal to-do item with dates and reminders.
- Open Tasks from the navigation pane. It may sit under an overflow menu if the window is narrow.
- Click New Task.
- Enter a subject.
- Set a start date, due date, reminder, and priority if needed.
- Click Save & Close.
A task with a due date can appear in the To-Do Bar and task views tied to the calendar.
Turn an email into a task
This saves retyping the request or context.
- Find the email in your inbox.
- Drag it onto the Tasks icon. On Mac, you may also use Message > Follow Up.
- Outlook creates a task with the email subject and message content included.
- Add a due date and reminder.
- Save and close the task.
The original email remains where it was. Outlook creates a task copy or linked task rather than moving the message.
Assign a task to someone else
This feature is available in classic Outlook for Windows, not new Outlook or Outlook on the web.
- Create a new task or open an existing task in classic Outlook for Windows.
- Click Assign Task.
- Enter the recipient email address in the To field.
- Check Keep an updated copy of this task on my task list if you want progress updates.
- Check Send me a status report when this task is complete if needed.
- Click Send.
More control
Create recurring tasks
Open a task, click Recurrence, and choose daily, weekly, monthly, or a custom interval for repeating work such as reports and backups.
Use flags for quick reminders
If you only need a reminder on an email, right-click the flag and choose Today, Tomorrow, Next Week, or another follow-up time. Flagged messages appear in task views.
Mark tasks complete
Check the task box or open the task and click Mark Complete. Completed items may be hidden depending on the current task view.
Fix missing To-Do Bar items
Open View > To-Do Bar and make sure Tasks is enabled. Also check due dates and filters that may hide tasks not due soon.
Sources
- Microsoft Support – Create a task or to-do item (2025)
- Microsoft Support – Assign a task to another person (2025)
- Microsoft Support – Flag messages for follow-up (2025)