Microsoft To Do sync
Set up two-way sync between Microsoft To Do and Notion. Connect your Microsoft account, pick lists, map fields, and learn how steps, Flagged email, and recurring tasks behave
Microsoft To Do syncs with a Notion database through 2sync. Add or edit a task in either app and the change shows up on the other side within minutes. You choose which To Do lists to include, how each field maps to a Notion property, and which direction each field syncs.
How do I get started?
Connect Microsoft To Do
- Go to the Microsoft To Do & Notion Sync onboarding
- Click Connect Microsoft To Do
- Sign in with your Microsoft account. Personal accounts (Outlook.com, Hotmail) and work or school accounts both work
- Accept the permissions: sign-in and basic profile, read and write your To Do tasks and lists, and read your mailbox settings
- Select the lists you want to sync
2sync reads your mailbox settings for one thing only, your time zone, so due dates land on the right day.
Microsoft To Do is its own connection. If you already sync Outlook Calendar or Outlook Contacts, you still connect Microsoft To Do once, with the same Microsoft account or a different one.
Connect Notion
You can connect Notion in two ways:
Using the 2sync template:
- Click Connect Notion
- Select Use a template provided by the developer
- Click Allow access
Notion duplicates the template to your workspace, and 2sync detects the database. See setting up a Notion database for more options.
Using your own database:
- Make sure your database is connected to 2sync: click (•••) > Add connections > 2sync on the database page
- Copy the database link from (•••) > Copy link
- Paste the link when prompted
Databases inside a Wiki page are not supported due to Notion API limitations.
Pick the default list
When you sync more than one list, one of them is the default asset. Tasks created in Notion go to that list unless you pick another one on the page.
The built-in Tasks list is the default out of the box. To change it, open the Microsoft To Do Connections tab and click Set as default next to another list.
Which lists can I sync?
Any list in your To Do account, including the built-in Tasks list and lists shared with you. You can sync one list or several. Put them all in one Notion database and use the List property to tell them apart, or create one automation per list if you want a database for each.
Two built-in entries behave differently:
- Flagged email syncs to Notion only. Emails you flag in Outlook arrive in Notion as tasks, and the list shows a Read only badge in 2sync. Tasks created in Notion cannot be added to it.
- My Day, Important, and Planned never appear in the list picker. They are views over your tasks rather than lists, so Microsoft does not expose them to sync tools. Sync the lists the tasks live in, then rebuild the same views in Notion with filters on Due Date and Importance.
New list in To Do? Click Refresh lists in the Microsoft To Do Connections tab to see it.
How do I map fields between Microsoft To Do and Notion?
Field mapping controls how data moves between To Do and Notion. You set the sync direction for each field on its own. For every field and its options, see the Microsoft To Do field reference.
Sync directions
- 2-way Sync: changes in either app update the other
- 1-way to Notion: To Do changes update Notion, but not the other way around
- 1-way to Microsoft To Do: Notion changes update To Do, but not the other way around
For a detailed comparison, see two-way vs one-way sync.
Available fields
| Microsoft To Do field | Notion property types | Direction |
|---|---|---|
| Task Title | Title, Text, Select | Two-way |
| Description | Text | Two-way |
| Completed | Checkbox, Status | Two-way |
| Task Status | Select, Text | Two-way |
| Due Date | Date | Two-way |
| Start Date | Date | Two-way |
| Reminder | Date | Two-way |
| Importance | Select, Text | Two-way |
| Categories | Multi-select | Two-way |
| List (Select, Text) | Select, Text | Two-way |
| List (Relation) | Relation | Two-way |
| Steps | Text | To Notion |
| Completed At | Date | To Notion |
| Added At | Date | To Notion |
| Is Recurring | Checkbox | To Notion |
| Task ID | Text | To Notion |
| Task Url | URL, Text | To Notion |
| Trigger deletion on Microsoft To Do | Checkbox, Status, Formula | To Microsoft To Do |
| Sync Status | Select, Text | To Notion |
| Automation Name | Select, Text | To Notion |
Click + Add Field in the field mapping section to add fields that are not shown by default.
How do I choose which tasks sync?
Filters
In the Filter tasks to sync step, add conditions on:
- Task Title, Task Description, Task List Name, and Task Category: match on the text the field contains
- Task Importance: High, Normal, or Low
- Task Status: one of the five To Do statuses
- Notion property value: a condition on any property of your Notion database
See filters for how conditions combine.
Completed tasks and the sync window
Open tasks always sync. Completed tasks sync only if they were completed within the window set in Sync completed tasks up to, under Sync Settings > Show advanced settings. Options run from 2 days to 2 years, capped by your plan: 6 months on Solo, 1 year on Premium, and 2 years on Pro. A larger window makes each sync slower.
How do I create tasks from Notion?
New pages in your Notion database become To Do tasks on the next sync.
- Pick the list: set the List property on the page. Leave it empty and the task goes to your default list.
- Set dates: Due Date and Start Date carry a day. Reminder carries a day and a time.
- Pages created before the automation: by default they stay out of To Do. Turn on Sync Notion entries that were created before the first sync in Sync Settings to include them.
Moving a task to another list
Change the List property in Notion and the task moves to that list in To Do on the next sync. Because To Do has no move action, 2sync recreates the task in the new list, with its steps, and deletes the old copy. Two cases keep the task where it is: tasks in a shared list, since deleting there would remove the task for every member, and tasks with file attachments. In both cases the List property switches back to the real list on a later sync.
How do completed tasks work?
Completed and Task Status describe the same state from two angles:
- Checking Completed in Notion sets the task to Completed in To Do. Unchecking it sets the status back to Not started, since To Do keeps no memory of the previous status.
- Task Status has five values: Not started, In progress, Completed, Waiting on others, and Deferred. Map it to a Select property to work with all five in Notion.
- Completed At fills in when the task is completed. To Do stores the completion day only, so the date has no time.
Map Completed to a Notion Status property instead of a Checkbox if you want board views grouped by progress. Any option in the Status property's Complete group counts as done.
How do recurring tasks work?
Map Is Recurring to a Checkbox to see which tasks repeat.
When a recurring task is completed, To Do marks that task done and creates the next occurrence as a new task with a new ID. Notion follows the same model: the completed occurrence stays as a completed page, and the next occurrence arrives as a new page. Over time a recurring task leaves one completed page per occurrence. Hide them with a Notion view filter on Completed.
How do steps sync?
To Do calls the checklist items inside a task steps. Map Steps to a Text property and they appear in Notion one per line, with ☑ for finished steps and ☐ for open ones.
Steps sync one way, to Notion. Edit them in To Do; changes you make to that text in Notion do not write back.
To Do has no subtasks, parent tasks, sections, or assignees, so there is nothing to map for those. If you need task hierarchy in Notion, the Todoist and Google Tasks integrations sync subtasks as related pages.
How does deleting tasks work?
By default, deleting a task on one side un-syncs it instead of deleting it on the other side. This protects you from irreversible mistakes. Turn on Allow task deletion in Sync Settings to delete tasks in both apps. The switch is off during onboarding, so you enable it later from the automation's settings. To Do has no trash, so a task deleted there is gone for good. See delete behavior for details.
Deleting tasks from a Notion property
Map Trigger deletion on Microsoft To Do to a Checkbox, Status, or Formula property. When the property is checked, or set to a Complete status, the task is deleted from To Do on the next sync.
Every page where that property is already checked gets its task deleted on the next sync. Clear the property, or start from an empty one, before you map it.
Tips and best practices
Sync frequency
- Solo plan: syncs every 5 minutes
- Premium plan: syncs every 3 minutes
- Pro plan: syncs every 2 minutes
Click Sync Now on your automation to start a sync right away.
Dates and time zones
Due Date and Start Date are days in To Do, with no time of day. If you set a time on the Notion date, the task still lands on the right day and the time is dropped. 2sync reads the time zone from your Microsoft mailbox settings, so the day matches what you see in To Do. Reminder is the one date you can edit that keeps its time.
Link back to Notion
Turn on Add Notion link below every description in Sync Settings to add a link to the Notion page at the end of each task's notes in To Do. Map Task Url to open the task in To Do from Notion.
What should I do next?
- See every field that syncs between Microsoft To Do and Notion
- Configure sync direction per field
- Set default values for empty fields
Related
- Microsoft To Do fields for a complete reference of every supported field
- Sync direction and field mapping for controlling data flow per field
- Filters for choosing which tasks sync
- Default asset for where new Notion tasks go
- Delete behavior for what happens when tasks are deleted
- Conflict resolution for how 2sync handles simultaneous edits
- How sync works for understanding the sync cycle
FAQ
Does Notion have a native Microsoft To Do integration?
No. Notion has no built-in Microsoft To Do sync, and Microsoft does not ship a Notion connector for To Do. 2sync syncs a Notion database with your To Do lists in both directions.
Does this cover the tasks I see in Outlook?
Yes. The Tasks module in Outlook today is Microsoft To Do, so it shows the same lists that 2sync syncs. Outlook Tasks was the older product, which Microsoft retired.
Do I need to reconnect if I already use the Outlook integrations?
Yes. Microsoft To Do is a separate connection with its own permissions. You can sign in with the same Microsoft account you use for Outlook.
Can I sync several To Do lists?
Yes. Pick one list or several. Sync them into one Notion database and tell them apart with the List property, or create one automation per list. New Notion tasks go to the default list, which is the built-in Tasks list unless you change it.
Why does My Day not appear as a list?
My Day, Important, and Planned are views over your tasks, not lists, so Microsoft does not expose them as sync targets. Sync the lists the tasks belong to and rebuild the views in Notion with filters on Due Date and Importance.
Does the Flagged email list sync?
Yes, to Notion. Emails you flag in Outlook show up in Notion as tasks. The list is read-only, so tasks created in Notion cannot be sent to it.
Do due dates keep their time?
No. Due Date and Start Date are days in Microsoft To Do. If you add a time in Notion, the task lands on the right day without the time. Use the Reminder field when you need a time.
Why do recurring tasks create a new row in Notion?
Completing a recurring task in To Do creates the next occurrence as a new task with a new ID. 2sync syncs it as a new Notion page and keeps the completed occurrence as a completed page. Filter on Completed to hide past occurrences.
Can I edit steps from Notion?
No. Steps sync from To Do to Notion only, one per line. Edit them in To Do; changes to that text in Notion do not write back.
Is the sync instant?
No. 2sync checks for changes every 2 to 5 minutes depending on your plan. Click Sync Now to start a sync right away.