10 tips to turn Microsoft To-Do into a task manager

Microsoft bought the app to make the Wunderlist very popular for $ 150 million in June 2015. Two years later, in April 2017, the company took advantage of this acquisition as a platform. Platform for a completely new application: Microsoft To-Do.

Initially, Microsoft To-Do lacks some of the essential functions that previous Wunderlist users often rely on, including collaboration and file attachment.

However, the situation has improved significantly. Here are 10 tips to turn Microsoft To-Do into a useful task manager.

1. Cooperate and share tasks

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When first comparing Wunderlist and Microsoft To-Do after launch, some users commented that this new application is unlikely to succeed, if there is no collaboration feature in the task list.

Thankfully, this feature is currently available. You cannot share individual tasks with other users, but you can grant them access to the to-do list you have created. If you grant others access, they will be able to view and edit the content of the list.

To share the task list with other users from the desktop application, right-click the name of the to-do list and select Share List . On the mobile device, touch the Add User icon in the upper right corner. You will receive a link that you can share with other users.

Click More Options to limit access and membership management.

2. Sub-tasks in Microsoft To-Do

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Sub-tasks is another core feature of Wunderlist that was also ignored when Microsoft To-Do was first released. Again, the absence of this feature has disappointed many users.

After a recent update, the Microsoft To-Do application is currently supported for Sub-tasks. This function is officially called Steps, which allows you to add a series of to-do items in a single parent task.

You can use Steps in many ways. For example, Steps is useful if you want to control the workflow of a group of people in a project. Besides, this feature also serves as a tool to help record your quick thoughts on a topic.

The remaining number of sub-tasks is displayed under the main work item in the task list.

3. Microsoft To-Do shortcut

The list of Microsoft To-Do shortcuts is quite short but very effective. All the most important actions in the application are supported.

The complete list of shortcuts to Microsoft To-Do is:

1. Ctrl + N : Add a new task
2. Ctrl + L : Create a new list
3. Ctrl + T : Add a task to My Day
4. Ctrl + D : Complete a task
5. Ctrl + F : Search
6. Ctrl + R : Sync
7. Ctrl + 1 : Open the sidebar

4. Integrate Microsoft To-Do with Cortana

One of the newer Microsoft To-Do features is integration with Cortana. Currently, this feature is only available to users in the US, UK, India or Australia. It is expected that this feature will be gradually deployed in the coming months.

The integration allows you to use Microsoft To-Do from any machine that supports Cortana, including Windows, Android, iOS and smart home devices.

When using Cortana with Microsoft To-Do, you'll have the option to create to-do lists and reminders directly on the app, instead of in Cortana. Cortana can also read your tasks in My Day and other lists you've made.

To use Cortana with the application, you need to set up Microsoft To-Do to Connected Service. To do so, visit Cortana> Notebook> Manage Skills> Connected services on PC or Cortana> Settings> Connected services . Select Outlook or Office 365 (depending on whether you use the business personal account), then click the Connect button .

5. Email is flagged (flag) in Outlook

If you have a Microsoft account at work or school, Microsoft To-Do will integrate with flagged emails on Windows Outlook applications or on the web.

Log in to To-Do and Outlook with the same account and you will see a window appear, asking if you want to enable this feature.

After installing and running, every email you flagged will appear in My Day as a task. If you want to add importance to a certain task, flag your email at a high priority. A star will appear next to the email in the To-Do app.

However, it should be noted that Microsoft To-Do will only allow up to 10 flagged emails from the last two weeks.

This feature is not yet available on Android or iOS devices.

6. Managing My Day

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You can use Microsoft To-Do in many different ways, depending on the type of content you store in the application.

If you use this application as a day-to-day task manager, you may find that My Day list is one of the most useful features. In addition to flagged emails in Outlook that appear on the list, you can also add any other actions to it.

To add a to-do item to My Day, open the mentioned task (on your desktop or mobile device) and select Add to My Day .

The My Day list also provides suggestions on what you should add. On the desktop, go to the My Day list and click For Today in the upper right corner. On the mobile device, open My Day and click on the icon at the bottom of the screen.

Proposals are based on recently added tasks and the maturity tasks are today. The application will not offer suggestions for tasks set by the reminder today.

7. Add attachments to the task

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You can add files to Microsoft To-Do tasks. Attachments are available on all versions of the application, providing a great way to share important documents between multiple devices.

There is a significant limitation that Microsoft limits the file size to 25MB (like most email services). If you need to send a large file, you will have to find another option.

Attaching a file is easy. Open the mentioned task and click Add a File .

8. See the plan for the next week

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Recent updates have brought a new smart list for the application: Planned.

The Planned section is divided into two parts: Overdue and Later. Later shows any tasks on your calendar within the next 5 days. Overdue shows tasks that you have completed but not yet marked.

To turn on smart lists, open the To-Do app on the desktop, then click on the profile picture and go to Settings> Smart Lists . Switch the sliders next to the list you want to enable this option.

9. Switch accounts

In February 2019, the first time the account conversion feature was released. That means you can access both your personal Microsoft account and your work in the application, also switching between them just by pressing the button.

At the time of writing, this feature is only available on Windows 10 and Android. Microsoft said support for iOS is coming soon.

To set up account switching on Windows, click on the profile picture in the top left corner, select Manage Accounts and click Add Account . On Android, touch the More menu (three horizontal lines in the left corner), then click the email address and select Add Account .

10. Live Tile in Windows 10

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If you are a Windows 10 user, you can take advantage of Microsoft To-Do support.

You can pin multiple lists to the Start menu at will (each list is called a live tile). Pinning the list is as simple as opening the To-Do app, right-clicking on the list mentioned and selecting Pin to Start .

Unfortunately, you cannot complete tasks from live tile. Clicking on the tile will take you directly to the list in the main application.

Microsoft To-Do has improved a lot over the past two years, from a poor alternative to Wunderlist to being a "brilliant successor" to a previously popular application.

Microsoft To-Do is not yet a complete product. Microsoft even frankly acknowledges this on the application site.

If you want a full-featured app, To-Do may not be for you. But if you want an easy-to-use application, tightly integrated with the operating systems you use every day, you should check it out.

If you want to learn more about how to manage your to-do list, read the 8-to-do list application syncing on all TipsMake.com devices .