Multiple Questions re: Outlook for Office 365 tasks

Norton_Townsley 

As an independent advisor for Outlook, I have some recommendations on how to manage tasks in Outlook 365, specifically for Outlook web and New Outlook versions. Here are some tips:

1. Removing All Email Tasks: To remove tasks, refer to bullet #4. When you drag an email to the ToDo task, it creates a copy of the email. It's recommended to file the original email in an Outlook folder to avoid confusion. If you need to respond to the person after completing the task, you can open the email from the ToDo task.

2. Assigning a Task to a Custom List: First, create a custom list. Then, click on the MyDay icon from the top menu and select ToDo. In the bottom panel, select "Manage all tasks". In the left pane of the ToDo App, choose "New List". Now you can drag your email to MyDay, right click, and select "Move Task" to your custom list. You may need to refresh your screen for the list to appear.
   
   

3. Why Are All Tasks Flagged?: Only the emails you clicked on with the flag icon are grouped in the Flagged Email task list.

   • Unassigned tasks are saved in the Tasks list.

   • If you assign a date to a task, it is also shown under the Planned list, which can result in duplicate entries. The tasks are filtered for convenience.

   • Tasks saved in "Assigned to Me" are pulled from the Planner Apps.

4. Removing All Flagged Items:

   • Option 1: From Outlook, filter on Flagged items. Once the flagged items appear, select all and click on the Flag/Unflag icon, then select "Clear flag".

   • Option 2: From the ToDo App, right click on each task separately and choose "Delete Task". Note that this method does not delete the original email.
     
     

5. Field Dropdown List: This feature is not available in the Web and New Outlook versions.
   
   

6. Custom Columns: This feature is not available in the Web and New Outlook versions.
   
   

7. Duplicate Tasks Lists: If you are creating tasks in the desktop version, it's recommended to keep MyTask/To-Do list active as it is the future task management process. Users have the option to begin using New Outlook, which has adopted Outlook for the web version functionality.
   
   

8. Revising Standard Outlook Priority List: If you are referring to MyDay, Important, Planned, All, Completed, Assigned to Me, Flagged email, and Task lists, note that these lists cannot be changed.
   
   

9. Hiding a Folder: If you are referring to the system Task Lists, you cannot hide the system or custom task lists.
   
   

10. How to "Start Over": This is a loaded question. 😃 Depending on the number of tasks you have, here are some suggestions:

    • Start with your Flagged items and organize them in New Lists or clear them.

    • Remember to file the original email in an Outlook folder once you assign an email to a task. You can also assign it to a Category for cross-referencing until you get used to your new workflow.

    • You can create as many lists as you want, but too many lists may become difficult to manage.

    • If you want to delete a custom list, do so with caution as it will permanently delete the list and all its active and completed tasks. However, if you created a project task list and want to delete the details after 3 to 6 months, it's safe to do so.

    • You can also add tasks to the Calendar by dragging them as a calendar event if you want to focus on completing a task on a particular date for a specific time period. Click on the MyDay icon, drag the email to "Add as an Event".

I hope these suggestions help you get started with managing your tasks in Outlook 365. It's great to see users who are interested in maximizing the features to minimize their work efforts. Kudos to you for completing your due diligence!

If you find this information useful, please mark it as the best answer or like it, which will help others with the same questions. 

/Teresa

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