How to use Google Tasks, in short: open it from the side panel in Gmail or Calendar (or the mobile app), create a list for each area of your work, add tasks with a date and time, and check them off when they're done. Everything else, subtasks, stars, repeats and tasks made from emails, builds on those basics.
Google Tasks is easy to start and easy to underuse. Many people add a few tasks, never set dates, and forget it's there. This guide walks through each feature step by step, based on Google's own help pages, then gives a simple routine for keeping your list useful and explains where shared tasks reach their limits. If you're new to the app, our plain-English guide to Google Tasks covers what it is and who it suits.
Where to open Google Tasks
Google Tasks doesn't have to be a separate app you remember to visit. It appears inside the tools you already use.
| Where | How to get there | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Gmail | Click Tasks in the side panel on the right | Turning emails into tasks |
| Google Calendar | Use the side panel or open Tasks in Calendar | Seeing dated tasks next to events |
| Google Chat | Side panel | Saving tasks from messages |
| Drive, Docs, Sheets and Slides | Side panel while you work | Keeping your list in view during a task |
| The web | tasks.google.com | A full-screen list |
| Your phone | The Google Tasks app for Android or iPhone | Adding and checking tasks on the go |
Your tasks sync across all of them, so something you add on your phone shows up in Gmail on your computer.
How to use Google Tasks, step by step
Step 1: Create your lists
Lists keep work and personal tasks, or different clients, from blurring together. To create one, open Tasks in the side panel, click the Down arrow at the top, choose Create a new list, enter a name and click Done. To rename a list, click More and then Rename list. To switch lists, click the Down arrow and pick the one you want. You can also drag lists to reorder them.
A sensible starting set for a small business owner might be three lists: Clients, Admin and Personal. Add more only when one list gets too long to scan.
Step 2: Add a task
There are several ways to add a task, depending on where you are:
- From the side panel: click Add a task and type it in.
- From Google Calendar: click an empty slot (or Create), choose Task, update the settings and click Save.
- From Gmail: open an email and click Add to Tasks at the top. You can also drag an email into the Tasks side panel.
- From a Google Chat direct message: hover over a message, click More, then Add to Tasks.
- From Google Docs: type @task, press Enter and enter the details. Assigning a task to someone else in Docs is available on eligible Google Workspace plans.
Write tasks as actions. "Call Dana about the March invoice" is far more useful in a week's time than "Dana."
Step 3: Add details, a date and a time
Open a task and use Add details for notes, such as an order number or the address of a job. Then add a date and, if it matters, a time.
Dates do two useful things. First, tasks with a date also appear on your Google Calendar, so you see them alongside your meetings. Second, you get a notification: Google's help page says that if you add a date and time, you're notified at that time, and tasks with a date but no time notify at 9 AM.
Step 4: Break bigger tasks into subtasks
For anything with several steps, add subtasks. Next to the task, click Task options and choose Add a subtask. Google's Workspace Learning Center also lists keyboard shortcuts for indenting a task as a subtask: Ctrl+] on Windows or Command+] on a Mac, with Ctrl+[ or Command+[ to undo it.
For example, "Prepare quarterly sales tax filing" might have subtasks for gathering receipts, reconciling the account and sending figures to the accountant.
Step 5: Make routine tasks repeat
For anything that happens on a schedule, set the task to repeat instead of retyping it. Select the date and time, then choose Repeat and pick how often. Google lists daily, weekly, monthly and yearly options.
One catch: according to Google's help page, tasks with subtasks can't repeat. If a routine has several steps, keep them in the task's details instead of as subtasks.
Step 6: Star and sort what matters
To flag important tasks, click Add to starred on the right of a task. You can see all starred tasks together by clicking the Down arrow and choosing Starred tasks. You can't manually reorder the starred list, but you can sort it, and completed starred tasks move back to their original lists.
Each list can also be sorted. Google's Learning Center lists these options: My order, Date, Deadline, Starred recently and Title. To move a task to another list, drag and drop it.
Step 7: Complete or delete tasks
Click the checkbox to mark a task complete. To remove one entirely, open Task options and choose Delete. Completing is usually the better habit, because it keeps a record of what you finished.
Step 8: Use it on your phone
Install the Google Tasks app from Google Play or the App Store. In the app, tap Add task, enter a title, and use Add details and Add date/time to fill in the rest, including a repeat. You can pick which list a task goes in, add subtasks, and tap Complete to the left of a task when it's done.
- Create two or three lists
- Add every open task with a verb first
- Give dated tasks a date and time
- Set repeats for routine work
- Star the few tasks that matter most this week
- Install the phone app so you can add tasks anywhere
Shared tasks: what works and the limits
Google Tasks is mainly a personal list, but it does support some sharing. Based on Google's help center:
- You can assign tasks to other people in a Google Chat space, and in Google Docs on eligible Google Workspace plans.
- The person you assign receives a notification and sees the task in their own task list.
- You can't add subtasks to shared tasks or make them repeat.
That's handy for light coordination, such as "Jordan, please update the price list" in a team space. It isn't designed to give a manager a view of everyone's workload, show who checked finished work, or keep a team-wide history.
A list with 80 open items stops being useful. Once a week, delete or finish anything you're not going to do this month.
A simple weekly routine for Google Tasks
- Monday morning: open each list, sort by date, and star the three to five tasks that matter most this week.
- Each day: add tasks from Gmail as emails arrive, rather than leaving them in your inbox as reminders.
- Friday afternoon: complete what's done, reschedule what slipped, delete what no longer matters, and check your repeating tasks are still right.
For a broader method that works with any tool, see how to track tasks.
Common mistakes with Google Tasks
- No dates on anything. Without dates, tasks don't show on your calendar and you get no reminders.
- Using the inbox as the to-do list. Turn the email into a task, then archive the email.
- Subtasks on routine tasks. Remember that tasks with subtasks can't repeat.
- One giant list. Split into a few lists so each one can be scanned in seconds.
- Expecting it to run a team. It's built for personal lists, with light sharing on top.
When a team needs more than Google Tasks
Google Tasks works well for your own work. Teams usually need more when several people share jobs, managers need to see progress without asking, or finished work has to be checked. If your team coordinates through group chats today, our guide to moving from group texts to a system is a good next read, and how to pick a to-do list app for work compares the main types of tools.
Where TaskFia fits
TaskFia isn't a replacement for Google Tasks as a personal list, and it doesn't sync with Google Tasks. It's team task management software: every task has an owner, a due date and a verifier, staff update work from the Android and iOS app, and finished work comes with proof that a manager approves. On Basic plans and above, TaskFia syncs tasks, diaries and verifications to a Google Sheet you own. See TaskFia for to-do lists.
Related guides. Choosing for a mobile team? Read how to pick a task management app for iPhone, Android and the web.
Frequently asked questions
Is Google Tasks free?
Yes. Google Tasks is included with a Google account. Assigning tasks in Google Docs is limited to eligible Google Workspace plans.
Do Google Tasks show up in Google Calendar?
Yes. Google's help page says tasks with a date also appear on your calendar.
Can I make a Google Task repeat?
Yes. Select the date and time, then choose Repeat. Tasks with subtasks and shared tasks can't repeat.
Is there a limit to how many tasks I can create?
Google's help page says you can create up to 100,000 tasks across all lists, and up to 20,000 uncompleted tasks in any one list.
Can I share a Google Tasks list with my team?
Google Tasks supports assigning individual tasks in Google Chat spaces and, on eligible Workspace plans, in Google Docs. Shared tasks can't have subtasks or repeat.
The bottom line
To use Google Tasks well, keep a few lists, add tasks where they arrive, give them dates so they reach your calendar and send reminders, use repeats for routines and stars for priorities, and review once a week. It's a capable personal to-do list. When a team needs shared ownership and checked results, add a team tool alongside it.
Sources
- Google Tasks Help: Add or edit a task (computer)
- Google Tasks Help: Add or edit a task (Android)
- Google Tasks Help: Add a list
- Google Tasks Help: Prioritize tasks with stars
- Google Tasks Help: Get started with shared tasks
- Google Workspace Learning Center: Tips to sort and organize tasks
- Google Workspace: Google Tasks product page
TaskFia is not affiliated with Google. Google Tasks, Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Chat, Google Drive, Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Slides and Google Workspace are trademarks of Google LLC.