Forum Discussion
Viterbi
Oct 31, 2021Copper Contributor
Microsoft To Do Tasks Disappeared
Hello,
I used to have ~100 tasks in my To-Do application these days. As of yesterday, they have been reduced to ~50. Multiple tasks disappeared from various lists (the lists are all intact).
I rely on To-Do a lot and that's why I have it on 2 Windows PCs, 3 iOS devices and 1 Android. All are synced to the ~50 baseline, which as of yesterday, since to be my as-is in Microsoft's servers.
All 6 applications (in all 3 different platforms), are on To-Do version 2.55 (latest one as we speak today). Of course I have uninstalled/re-installed, log-out/in, and changed passwords to my Office 365 account several times, with no effect.
When I visited the web app, to check the situation, my tasks were not deleted (i.e. reduced from ~100 to ~50), but I noticed, that these ~100 tasks, were not exactly my latest update (i.e. I have seen tasks here and there that I have recently closed, or changed that were not reflected in the web app). But at least the heavy reduction from ~100 to ~50 was not done (some hope there). But when I signed out and signed it again (always in the web app), then I saw all these tasks disappearing from here as well.
So now, all 6 apps (Windows, iOS and Android), plus the web app, are ALL SYNCHORNIZED to this ~50 tasks baseline, which as of yesterday, seems to be my new as-is in Microsoft's servers. The disappeared messages are not in deleted tasks folder of Office365/Outlook, etc. They are totally gone.
Can anyone support me, or suggest something to me ?
Thank you!
- francisco175Copper Contributor
So this happened to me today. All my pending tasks from every list just disappeared from each list. Checked my android app, the web app and Windows app, all with the same missing tasks. Only concluded tasks appeared in each list. After several hours with the Customer Support on the line, there was no solution. Finally, I checked if they were deleted somehow, almost hopeless. To check deleted tasks, we have to go to Outlook Deleted Items in the desktop.
There, I found all my tasks had been deleted server-side (don't know how) and the delete date was their original creation date. So I had to go as far back as 2022 to restore all the missing tasks. After clicking restore, in a matter of seconds they were back in my app. Hope this helps someone.
- CMoon2105Copper Contributor
Our IT department found a solution to this problem! You'll Need to clear browsing data for "all time". Check every box except 'passwords' and 'autofill forms'. Then exit out of your internet browser entirely. Once you re-open your Microsoft To-Do list, your tasks should reappear! Hopefully this works for everyone ๐
P.s. I'm using the Office 365 version of the to do list, and I view it in Chrome.
P.p.s You can't see every checkbox you need to click in the picture below. I couldn't expand the window to show all of them.
- kaiwebCopper Contributor
Is there a way to do this for only To Do and not all other sites? I just did this for another reason, and it's extremely time consuming to have to go through 2fa, looking up and typing my passwords in Authenticator, and sometimes resetting passwords for every single site that I visit after this.
- susan1795Copper ContributorWorks for Chrome as of 9/2024. Thank you!!!
- TszHeyLamCopper Contributor
Viterbi
I have recently also found this issue occurring to me when suddenly all my tasks (about 20 or so) was completely wiped out. Funny enough, my colleague whom I shared the task list with still has visibility of all the tasks. Whereas I literally have nothing!
Hope this gets resolved soon especially since many of my colleagues also use the To Do Tasks. - TracyM2165Copper Contributor
Viterbi Same thing has been happening to me as well. Lost lots of tasks on many list over time! What is the fix???
- Distress1486Copper Contributor
TracyM2165 Only solution is to check if you have not been deleting them by mistake. You can find deleted tasks in "Deleted Items" folder of outlook.com . Deleted tasks usually have a different description after I restore them. It is weird
- fmagicCopper Contributor
Viterbi I just noticed this problem today, and I determined that my old tasks were being archived to my "Online Archive" in Exchange Online. I was able to move my old tasks back to my mailbox "Tasks" folder/sub-folders and they reappeared in To Do, but I fear this is going to happen again on the next archive cycle. I keep a research list with things I need to get to eventually, and most of my lost content was in that list, but I had several regular Tasks that went missing because I was working on another long term project and didn't have time for those Tasks. So... check with your organization's administrator, and most likely the culprit is online archiving. It looks like Microsoft To Do stops showing tasks that end up in the online archive. One of two things needs to happen to prevent this: (1) have your administrator configure a retention policy so Tasks and sub-folders do not get archived, or (2) Microsoft needs to update To Do so it shows tasks in the Online Archive.
- AliakseiDubadzelCopper Contributor
Finally, a working solution to recover tasks!
The only problem is that "Tasks" folder is system folder and seems like we cannot configure Retention policy for it. ๐ค
Wish I do not have to deal with the issue again.
- AliakseiDubadzelCopper Contributor
Well, couple days after I restored my Tasks they've been archived once again. It is quite a deal breaker that incomplete Tasks are moved to Online Archive and even worse I cannot restore them reliably.
Not sure what portal brings more attention to Microsoft, but I think it worth to upvote the following issue:
https://feedbackportal.microsoft.com/feedback/idea/54165559-8b9a-ee11-a81c-0022484f9f6d
- PhilBranniganCopper ContributorHi, I've been chasing this problem for some time now, and this is the first time I've seen a solution proposed that sounds like it addresses the problem. Can you tell me how I can find the Tasks folder in my online archive? I've looked at the folder list in both my live mailbox and my online archive using Outlook Online and I can't see a Tasks folder in either mailbox.
- Kirshy09Copper ContributorOMG! I found so many tasks that I thought were lost forever. Thanks!
- KalculatedCopper Contributor
I can't believe in two years and constant comments, there has been no official update or fix for this issue. I had tasks and projects on there dating back years, and planned ahead for months. It makes it all feel like a waste of time now. Will be using an alternative moving forwards. Viterbi
- SaliziiaCopper Contributor
Iโm having a related issue but different in the sense of I wanted to move tasks to another list - the whole app froze and now it seems only 50% is moved. I definitely lost like 200 tasks during this process. Also not visible online or elsewhere. Opened a case with Microsoft but no agent assigned yet, so no feedback. Really hope this can be resolved as I canโt recover this data myself - same issue you all have! ๐
- ahrnorCopper Contributor
Hi all! I have deleted all of my to-dos and am now just using a list in Word (could be easier in OneNote, I know) to track by to dos-- I've added a Table of Contents to make it easier to navigate. I just can't risk losing all of the ideas and resource/reference content I was holding in To Do.
- johnrellisCopper ContributorI've tried twice in the last two years (most recently in April) to sync Windows Outlook and Iphone To Do with Microsoft365, and both times it deleted dozens of tasks from Outlook. There have been reports about this for the last two years -- such sync is clearly beyond the technical capabilities of the developers.
I still use the old Iphone app Task Task, which more closely matches the task features of Windows Outlook.
- Distress1486Copper ContributorHere I am visiting this article for at least the 5th time this year. Suddenly and without explanation, individual tasks disappear during the night.
Today's victim:
I a that task here for around 2 weeks synched between my phone and computer.
Today it is just gone. Had 10 measurements in that task that I accumulated over time and had not changed it in a few days. I have to go back and re-do. Nothing in deleted items, nothing in completed items, nothing in outlook deleted.
Truly miserable when this happens. All I know is that my windows 11 laptop updated during the night. - jmrrCopper ContributorClearing my browser cache fixed it for me.
- BenKeepersCopper Contributor
Viterbi I just experienced the same issue. I had around three dozen items on various lists in To Do. I mainly access the app through Outlook Web via Chrome. My account is a part of a university Office365 enterprise. I saw suggestions that clearing your browser cache would work - and indeed it did for me. I cleared my cache using the 'all time' option in Chrome, and my To Do items are back.
I hope this helps others.
- Emma-AlthausCopper Contributor
BenKeepers thank you very much. Fear mine are long gone sadly but good to know! Glad you got yours back