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Introduction to sub-tasks

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Plan big, then execute on the details. In Todoist, you can easily break big, overwhelming tasks into small, manageable sub-tasks (and break down those sub-tasks into even smaller ones if you like).

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You’ll only be able to create sub-tasks inside a project. It won’t be possible in the Today/Upcoming views or any filtered views. The indent of a task cannot be changed within the task view

Create a new sub-task

  1. Click the task you want to add a sub-task to. This will open task view.
  2. Select Add sub-task.
  3. Enter the task's name and any details you want to add.
  4. Click Add task or press Enter to save the task.
  1. Drag and drop the Dynamic Add Button below the parent task and drag it slightly to the right.
  2. Enter the task's name and any details you want to add.
  3. Tap the android_submit.svg submit icon to save the task.
  1. Drag and drop the Dynamic Add Button below the parent task and drag it slightly to the right.
  2. Enter the task's name and any details you want to add.
  3. Tap the ios_submit.svg submit icon to save the task.iOS_-_Add_subtask.gif

Turn an existing task into a sub-task

  1. Hover over a task.
  2. Click and hold the gray handle that appears to the left of the task.
  3. Drag it from left to right to adjust its sub-task level.
  1. Long press on a task.
  2. Drag left to right and drop it to adjust its sub-task level.

Currently, it's not possible to turn an existing task into a sub-task when sorting is applied to the view.

Turn a sub-task into a parent task

  1. Hover over a task.
  2. Click and hold the gray handle that appears to the left of the task.
  3. Drag the sub-task on top of its current parent task.
  1. Long press on a task.
  2. Drag right to left until it's on the same indent level as a parent task or drag the sub-task on top of its current parent task.

You can also use task hierarchies to organize your task lists into sections with headers.

FAQ

Why do I see sub-tasks twice in my Today view?

If you set the date for the parent task and the sub-task to today, they will both show up in your Today view – meaning your sub-task will show up in your Today view twice. This is something we're evaluating for usability.

How many indent levels are supported in Todoist?

Todoist supports 4 indent levels. A sub-task being indent level 1 and a sub-sub-sub-sub-task being indent level 4. 

Is there a way to view a task's completed sub-tasks?

Absolutely. You can easily see a task's completed sub-tasks using the task view.

Can I use drag and drop to turn a task into a sub-task while in board view?

No, unfortunately not. You will have to be in list view if you want to use drag and drop to turn a task into a sub-task.

I'm using a sorting option, but my sub-tasks aren't sorted in task view. Is this a bug?

No, this is expected behaviour. However, please note that you can use drag and drop to manually sort your sub-tasks while in task view.