Use the Microsoft To Do App on an iPhone or iPad

Are you looking for a quick and simple task list app for your iPhone or iPad that comes free with your Microsoft account? Microsoft To-Do is simple and easy to use. It is also powerful and syncs between devices. This wikiHow will help you understand how to use this app.

Steps

Completing Basic Tasks

  1. Open and sign into the Microsoft To-Do app on your iOS device. Tap the Microsoft To-Do app on your iPhone/iPad. This app is a giant blue checkmark that has varied hues of blue on a white background. It is not an app that is installed on your device by default, but you can easily download and install it.
    • When signing in, make sure that you sign in with the same Microsoft account you use to sign in to all the other Microsoft suite of apps on your devices. It won't let you go any further until you have completed the tutorial and you are signed in - then as long as you remain signed in, you can continue using it without having to sign in each time.
  2. Look at your folder list. You'll likely be sent to one of two places - the My Day screen or the Tasks folder - where you can add tasks to do today, or over a longer period.
    • There are other Smart List folders that Microsoft installs by default. You can turn them off if you don't want to see them. Your Smart Lists include All (for listing all tasks), Important, Completed, Planned, and Assigned to You.
  3. Add a task. Go into a folder, such as your Tasks folder, and tap the "Add a Task" text box. You'll find this at the bottom of the screen once you open the folder. Type out your task's name then tap the Return button on your iOS device's keyboard.
    • At first, you'll only be able to add tasks with text. But if you need to add additional details for clarity, you can open the task you've created and add these details. Follow along with the "Edit" step instead after adding the task.
  4. Edit and rearrange tasks. Find the task you'd like to edit and enter any details you need to add.
    • Rename tasks here by single-tapping the task name from this view, editing its name, and tapping Return on the iOS device's keyboard. If necessary, you can add additional details following the information below the task name on the edit page.
    • Add a substep for a task. Directly below the task name, you'll find an "Add Step" section. Tap the first one (it'll have an icon of a plus sign "+"). Type your substep, then tap the return button on the keyboard. List the steps logically, as you add substeps. The last substep must be completely blank to save the substeps you've entered - just press Return when the last field to enter is completely blank.
      • As you move through substeps, you can tap the circle to mark it complete - or delete the substep using the "x" button to the right of the substep name.
    • Add the task to the My Day list. If you want to add the task to the My Day List, tap the "Add to My Day" link below the "Add Step" section. It'll have an icon of bright sunshine to the left of the link words. When it's been added to My Day, the link will turn blue and say "Added to My Day". Tap the "x" to this links' right to remove it from this list.
      • There are other locations you can add a task to your My Day list, but it's there if you'd like, as you move through your task-editing.
    • Get reminders. As long as you turned on reminders/notifications for this app, you can get reminded (either "Later Today", at a specific time "Tomorrow", "Next Week" or you can "Pick a Date & Time" from a calendar picker that Microsoft installs). Its icon is a bell to the left of the link words.
    • Add a due date for a task. Tap the "Add Due Date" found just below the "Remind Me" button. Its icon is a calendar with one day bolded. Microsoft gives you choices between "Today", "Tomorrow", "Next Week" or you can pick a Custom Date by tapping "Pick a Date" and choosing the date with the onscreen calendar Microsoft gives you to use.
      • Adding a due date won't send it to the My Day smart list. You must send it there by manually tapping the "Add to My Day" button itself.
    • Repeat a task at set intervals. Tap the "Repeat" button, and either tap "Daily", "Weekly", "Weekdays", "Monthly", "Yearly" or "Custom" to which you can choose custom days or some varied pattern of repeating times (to which you'd press the "Set" in the top right of the box.
    • Creating tasks that repeat can create extra work to keep them up-to-date, so try to keep on top of marking them complete, and occasionally going through to delete old records of tasks.
    • Add a file to a task. Files for tasks include pictures taken either via your phone's photo gallery (Apple Photos), via your in-app Camera tool (utilizing your iOS device's Camera app), or through your iCloud Files app. Tap "Add File" (found just below the "Repeat" and choose either "Photo library", "Camera", or through "Files"; select or create your file and it'll get uploaded to the task. This item is designated by a paperclip to the left of the words.
      • Microsoft To-Do doesn't allow the total of all files to go above 25MB. Once you add files that go above this limit, you'll get the dialog box "We're sorry! The total size of all files attached to a task cannot be more than 25 MB, " to which, all you can press is "Dismiss" and delete the problem files from the task.
    • To view these files, make sure you have a supported file browser on your device (such as your internal photo gallery or iCloud Files), and tap the icon to the left of the file name.
    • Add a note to a task. Tap "Add Note" (just below "Add File") and type your note then tap the Done button in the top right corner.
  5. Delete a task. Tap the trash can icon on the task's page or slide inwards from the right on the list-view for that task, then tell Microsoft To-Do that it's okay to delete the task on the dialog box that displays.
    • Unless a task repeats, make sure to clear out completed tasks every so often, as Microsoft To-Do won't archive/auto-archive any of your task lists.
  6. Mark a task as complete. As tasks are completed, you can find a blank circle to the left of the task name on either the List (listing all your tasks) or task page.
    • If you accidentally mark a task as complete when it isn't, you can mark it incomplete by tapping the filled circle again - the one with the green checkmark in it!
      • If you have these tasks sorted, the task will be removed from the Completed group and restored to the list where it was originally listed when it was marked as complete.
  7. Create a new task list. On the Folder List page, tap the "New List" button from the bottom left corner and type the list name, then tap the "Done" button on your device's keyboard.
    • All your personal lists will be created as a subsection below the line separator below Tasks on your list page.
    • If you accidentally create a list you don't need, lists can be removed in two ways.
      • From the page of lists: Swipe in from the right and tap Delete. When the dialog box reminds you that the deletion is permanent, tap "Delete List" towards the bottom.
      • From the Task List for the folder page: Tap the hamburger menu in the top right corner and click "Delete List". When the dialog box pops up tap Delete List (towards the bottom) to acknowledge, confirm that the deletion of the list is permanent.

Utilizing and Tweaking Your Tasks for Use

  1. Move a task to a different task list. Swipe in from the left and select the three bars/hamburger menu, then tap the folder where you want it to go. It will move there without any other buttons to tap.
  2. Star a task as an important task. Tap the star to the right of the task on the task list or inside the task page itself.
    • Most people use stars as marking something that can either be done easily, quickly, or something that is urgent and needs to get done ASAP!
  3. Sort your tasks. You can choose "By Importance", "Alphabetically", "By Due Date", "By Creation Date", and "Added to My Day", which you can get to via the hamburger menu in the top right corner of the task list page, then select your Sort option in the dialog box near the bottom.
    • When sorting By Importance, it uses the importance-star and shows the starred ones first followed by unstarred, then once tasks are complete, shows tasks in two groups - including one set up to hold Completed tasks. However, a quicker way to sort starred tasks first is held in your settings page inside the app, and can make sorting by importance a lot less complicated.
    • Sort methods can change between ascending and descending order via a flipper found within the button below the list name within the "Sorted (type)" button to the left of the "x" button.
    • The Sort-method "Alphabetically" shows initially shows tasks sorted in ascending order (A to Z). But with the flip of the switch, you can flip it to descending.
  4. Print a task list. As long as your printer can wirelessly print or use AirPrint, you should be able to use the AirPrint controls to control your printout of the task list. Select the hamburger menu in the top right corner of the task list itself and click "Print List" down near the bottom of the screen. Select the Print details and use normal AirPrint controls to print the list.
    • If you have sorted your lists and have printed a list with completed tasks, you'll see that Microsoft To-Do prints the list without showing the lists sorted by group, and that there's no tab name for Completed Tasks, just the task showing as the checkmark at the bottom of the task list on the printout.
  5. Change your list's visual background and/or color theme. Select the hamburger menu from the top right of each list you want to change and select "Change Theme" at the bottom. Within the "Pick a theme" window at the bottom, you change the theme to a different color, or you can use one of Microsoft's photos. Tap the Done button in the top right corner when ready.
    • There's a bug that causes the background theme to not display if the device changes to Dark Mode, and only shows you the original color of the List name.
    • As you select the theme, it'll show within the Task List name (color) and as the background (if as a Photo theme). If you change the theme to a different color, the new color will be portrayed as the text on your list of Task Lists. If you change it to a Theme, the color will stay and you will see no change on the list of Task Lists page.
  6. Search your task lists. If you are trying to find a certain task, searching is simple. Open the list of task lists page and tap the magnifying glass in the top right corner. Type your keywords and tap the search button in the bottom right corner of your device's keyboard. The search tool will read through tasks, notes, and substeps to tasks to search for your phrase. Tap the task to open the task, or tap the circle to the left of the task name to mark it as complete.
  7. Use the My Day/Today folder/window to figure out a schedule of what you'd like to work on that day. Sometimes when opening your app, your My Day tool will open instead of your list of tasks and if you have enough tasks, you may be asked to add tasks you've created to your list of tasks to do today. If it doesn't open, tap the lightbulb with rays on its outside edge button in the top right corner to the left of the hamburger menu in the top right corner of the screen. Mark it as complete as tasks get done by following through with the circles and marking them with the completion checkmarks. If a task isn't completed by the end of the day and you've reached 12 AM (midnight) your local time, Microsoft To-Do will remove the task from your My Day list, and the next day you work on it you'll have to re-add it back.
    • You can find your My Day list on your list of task lists listed as My Day. The icon is a sun, which should be directly underneath your profile name and profile icon.
  8. Tweak your settings. Several things exist behind your settings screen after you tap your initials button in the top left corner of your List of Task Lists screen.
    • In the General section, you can tweak your app so that new tasks are added on top ("Add New Tasks on Top"), starred tasks are moved to the top ("Move Starred Tasks to Top"), play a completion sound when you mark a task as complete ("Play Completion Sound"), and show a preview of the link in the task ("Show Link Previews". You can get to install Siri Shortcuts from this section, or turn on-off or customize the red App Badge to display it as the number of tasks marked as added to My Day and Not Completed or that are Due Today and Overdue.
      • You can use Siri Shortcuts: "Add Task" and "Open List" of which you can tap the plus sign and continue with the device-specific process.
    • In the "Smart Lists" section, you can turn on and off certain smart lists - special lists serving certain functions - such as the "All", "Important", "Planned", "Assigned to You" and "Completed" lists. However, you can also switch on-off the slider to auto-hide empty smart lists.
    • The "Connected Apps" are very simple in nature. If you have flagged email (from any connected device to the same account), you can add another list that shows your Flagged Email.
    • In the Notifications section, you can customize the notifications (Push notifications) you receive from the app. There are only two and includes "Reminders" (which you'll need to leave on if you have reminders being sent within a task) and Shared List Activity (which used to be a feature but isn't anymore).
    • In the "Help and Feedback" section, you'll find links to Get Support, Suggest a Feature, Copy Session and User ID, a button to Sync your tasks between devices if they haven't auto-synced for a while.
    • The About section shows information about the product, such as your version number, the Privacy, and Cookies documentation, "Exporting Your Info", "Microsoft Software License Terms", and "Third Party Notices."
    • Below this, you'll find the button to "Sign Out" in case you need to sign out.
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