SOLVED

Microsoft ToDo, Outlook tasks, OneNote - doesn't work (Folders)

Brass Contributor

I have a major flaw (unless I'm not understanding it correctly).  I include Outlook/OneNote training in my productivity workshops and looking forward to integrating Microsoft ToDo into the training.

 

Microsoft Todo creates lists which nicely sync with Outlook task folders.  (This is a change because I used to demonstrate Outlook tasks using categories, but Microsoft Todo doesn't sync with Outlook categories, only Outlook task folders.)

 

However, if the process starts (as it often will) by planning in OneNote...  When you create an Outlook Task in OneNote, the link is broken when the task is moved out of the default Outlook task folder into its correct folder to sync with Microsoft ToDo.  

 

It turns out OneNote sync with Outlook tasks only works on the default Outlook task folder.

 

My hope is that Outlook tasks and OneNote are changed in future updates to sync with ToDo instead - this might fix the problem, but its a dealbreaker for me at the moment.

 

Have I misunderstood something?

 

It was well explained by someone else in this post - 

https://onenote.uservoice.com/forums/327186-onenote-for-windows/suggestions/34123408-outlook-task-st...

 

It was then demonstrated with these screenshots - https://www.screencast.com/t/qevQayYnbbg

 

How does everyone else workaround this? 

05.01.2018-10.50.24
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11 Replies

@David_Edinburgh Thank you for reporting this! Can you tell me which version of OneNote you are using? Are you using the browser based version, or the app from the Microsoft Store?

 

 

Hi @Marcel Käding,

 

The function to create Microsoft Outlook tasks (and by way of extension Microsoft ToDo tasks) from text in OneNote only appears in the desktop version of OneNote - its been there for a number of years but being retired by 2025.  

 

My assumption is that OneNote (UWP) and Microsoft To-Do will eventually create a nice link at some point in the future which will be even better than the current Outlook tasks link with OneNote desktop application.  However, its not there yet and I guess the teams keep their cards close to their chest.

 

Hope that helps.

I have the same problem. Using Onenote app on windows (office Professional Plus 2016). I add a task in onenote but very quickly it loses the connection to outlook. Hovering over shows this text: We couldn't find this Outlook task. You can only edit your own tasks that haven't been deleted.

I'm seeing this same problem using OneNote Windows desktop app (Office 365 Pro Plus).  I've found that the tasks are actually getting deleted and I can sometimes find them in my deleted items if I catch them before our retention policy permanently deletes them.  Seems to happen when I edit the OneNote page with the linked task sometime later.  

@David_Edinburgh 

I cannot get a todo to sync with outlook at all, whether it is created on desktop or online. There used to be a lot of ability in outlook to create meaningful dated tasks, it seems like functionality is steadily being removed from onenote, which is the main reason I subscribe to office365. So i am not even getting to have the problem of losing the links, I cant even make one.

best response confirmed by Thomas Stensitzki (MVP)
Solution

@lomandra 

 

Hi, the functionality hasn't changed but the only version of OneNote that has the ability to create Outlook tasks is OneNote for Office (not OneNote online or OneNote for Windows 10).

 

OneNote has never had full task functionality (due dates, recurring tasks, etc.) which is where Outlook fills the gap.

 

You can still do it, but make sure you use OneNote for Office (it might be called OneNote 2016).

The same problem here.

 

I suppose Microsoft do not have the will to change this...

Hi allobar. Not sure if the 'same problem' to which you refer is that cited by JennySihvonen (Oct '19), and by yourself back in 16, but I just had that problem and found a cause. In my case, pre-existing task flags had 'died' and newly created ones were going into the task folder associated with another mailbox. So the OneNote/Outlook dimension was behaving as though I had signed in to an account other than the one with which I'd actually signed in. With the help of a support agent, I went to File > Account Settings > Email and found that the wrong email account was selected as default. We corrected that, but still no joy. Then we went to File > Account Settings > Data Files and saw need of the same correction. (black tick indicating 'default' was on the wrong data file listing). This time: joy! Tasks newly created in OneNote were now appearing in the right folder of Outlook Tasks, and, joy of joys, all the pre-existing tasks had now come 'live' again. If you or anyone else with the issue has more than one mailbox running in Outlook then the File > Outlook Settings > Data Files.
PS, re 'all the pre-existing tasks had now come live again', I meant the pre-existing task flags in OneNote.
I don't suppose anyone else has another solution? This has been an issue going back 10 entire years based on a web search. I'm still having this issue despite working through solutions I've seen elsewhere as well as the one you posted here. I'm on all the right applications and all my settings are correct.

Still can't keep Tasks in sync if starting in OneNote. It's maddening.

@KevinRussell96

I'm not sure it will ever be fixed.  I tend to warn my students to view it as a one way send rather than a two way sync.

 

I don't find it a huge problem in the real world but I agree it would make a pretty much perfect process 

1 best response

Accepted Solutions
best response confirmed by Thomas Stensitzki (MVP)
Solution

@lomandra 

 

Hi, the functionality hasn't changed but the only version of OneNote that has the ability to create Outlook tasks is OneNote for Office (not OneNote online or OneNote for Windows 10).

 

OneNote has never had full task functionality (due dates, recurring tasks, etc.) which is where Outlook fills the gap.

 

You can still do it, but make sure you use OneNote for Office (it might be called OneNote 2016).

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