View other people's To Do/ Task List

Question

View other people's To Do/ Task List

Shirly Toy 0

I have been assigned as a Delegate for a colleague.

Editor for Inbox, Calendar, Contacts and To Do/Tasks.

I cannot view the colleague's To Do/Task list.

What are the steps to fix this?

Thank you.

Shirly Toy 0 Reputation points

2025-10-23T20:57:19.9+00:00

I'd like to be able to view my colleague's To Do/Task list the same way I can view this person's calendar and contact list. Separate from my account.

Answer recommended by moderator

4 additional answers

Your answer

Shirly Toy 0 Reputation points

2025-10-23T20:57:19.9+00:00

I'd like to be able to view my colleague's To Do/Task list the same way I can view this person's calendar and contact list. Separate from my account.

Answer 1

Hi @Shirly Toy,

Thank you for your detailed response. I appreciate the time you've taken to explain the situation clearly.

Based on your description, I'd like to provide the following information to help you access your colleague’s To Do/Task list effectively.

Before we begin, there are a few important notes to be aware of:

If you are using the New Outlook for Windows, please note that it currently does not support viewing delegated Tasks or Contacts. Microsoft has acknowledged that tasks, contacts, and notes cannot be shared in the new Outlook yet, with delegate functionality currently focused only on Mail and Calendar.

However, you can still view and manage your colleague’s tasks by using the classic Outlook desktop application to open their Tasks folder directly. Since you already have Editor permission on their Tasks, you can use Outlook’s folder-sharing feature to access it.

Steps:

1/ Use the right Outlook client

If you're using the New Outlook (preview version), switch to the classic Outlook for now. You can toggle off “New Outlook” in the upper-right corner of the app to return to the classic version.

2/ Open the Tasks Module

In the classic Outlook desktop app, go to the bottom-left navigation pane and click the Tasks icon (clipboard/checkmark icon).

3/ Open Shared Tasks folder

File > Open & Export > Other User’s Folder

4/ Select your colleague

In the dialog box, click Name and select your colleague from the Global Address List.
Ensure the folder type is set to Tasks, then click OK.

5/ View the Shared Task list

The shared folder will appear under Shared Tasks or People’s Tasks in the navigation pane.
You should now be able to view and manage tasks with your Editor permissions.

6/ Confirm permissions

If you encounter errors or cannot see the folder, double-check with your colleague or Exchange admin that you have at least Reviewer or Editor access.
They can verify this in File > Account Settings > Delegate Access or by right-clicking the Tasks folder > Properties > Permissions tab.

By following the steps above in classic Outlook, you bypass the limitations of the To Do app and access the Exchange task folder directly, which honors delegate permissions.

I hope this helps you successfully view your colleague’s To Do/Task list. I'm glad to assist and truly hope the information provided has been useful. Please feel free to reach out anytime if you need further assistance.

If you find my post helpful, kindly consider marking it as the accepted answer. Doing so can assist others in the community who may have similar questions in finding solutions more quickly.
Thank you for your kindness and contributions to the forum.

Note: Follow the steps in our documentation to enable email notifications if you want to receive email notifications related to this topic.

Answer 2

Shirly Toy 0

Thank you Chris for the follow-up.

I have followed the steps as outlined.

But, whenever I open my Tasks list, my colleague's Task list is not there. I have to follow your steps again to open their Task list.

Is there a way that it stays open when I open the Task list without having to open it every time?

I would like it to stay open like the Contacts and Calendar functions work.

Thank you,

Shirly

Chris Duong 8,225 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-10-28T21:59:03.46+00:00
Hi @Shirly Toy,

Thank you for your response, and I truly appreciate the details you’ve shared.

To answer your question, Outlook (Classic Desktop version) does not have a built-in mechanism to automatically keep a colleague’s Task folder open. When you access their Tasks via File > Open > Other User’s Folder, it appears under Shared Tasks for that session only. Once Outlook restarts or you navigate away, the view defaults back to your own Task list.

Currently, there is no “one-click” or persistent view for delegated Tasks. However, here are some alternatives you may consider:

1/ Use Microsoft To Do for Shared Task Lists

Create a shared list in Microsoft To Do and invite your colleague.

Once accepted, the list stays visible in To Do and integrates with Outlook (New Outlook uses To Do instead of classic Tasks).

For references:

Create and share lists - Microsoft Support

Share a task list - Microsoft Support

2/ Use Microsoft Planner (Tasks in Teams)

Create a plan in Planner and add it to Teams.

Tasks remain accessible and sync with To Do for real-time collaboration.

For references:

Create a plan with Planner - Microsoft Support

Add Planner as a tab in Microsoft Teams - Microsoft Support

3/ Report via Feedback

If you’d like, you can share your feedback with the product team to help improve the onboarding experience for future users in Microsoft Feedback Portal.

Once there, you can create a post describing your experience in detail. This not only helps raise awareness of the issue but also allows you to connect with other users who may be facing similar challenges.

Posts with high engagement often receive more attention from the Microsoft product team. This can positively influence prioritization and lead to improvements in future updates. In fact, many features have been added or refined based on feedback submitted through this channel.

As community moderators, please understand for us that we do not influence product design decisions and have limited access to internal development details. Our role is to guide users to the right resources and support channels.

I hope the information above is helpful for your needs. If you need support or run into any difficulties, please let me know.
Chris Duong 8,225 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-10-29T22:43:43.6933333+00:00

Hi @Shirly Toy,

I hope everything is going well on your end.

I’m following up on the support thread we've been working through together. I wanted to check in and see if the information I shared in my previous answer helped resolve the issue you were experiencing.

If you're still experiencing any issues or have further questions, please feel free to reach out at any time. I’m always happy to help if you need anything else.

We want to ensure everything is functioning smoothly and that your experience remains seamless.

Thank you again for your collaboration throughout the troubleshooting process.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Answer 3

Shirly Toy 0

Hi Chris,

This was very helpful!!!!

And success!! I will keep this nugget in mind going forward.

I have not moved from Outlook Classic because the functionality to not be able to view other's contacts was not enabled in the New Outlook.

Thank you and have a great day!

Chris Duong 8,225 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-10-27T19:35:00.2066667+00:00
Hi @Shirly Toy,

I hope you are having a wonderful day.

It's wonderful news that your issue has been resolved and thank you for providing updates on the status of your case.

It was truly a pleasure for us to work with you on this matter. Here are the steps we have been through that helped you resolve your issue:

To view and manage a colleague's tasks, you can use the classic Outlook desktop application to open their Tasks folder directly.

Steps:

1/ Use the right Outlook client

If you're using the New Outlook (preview version), switch to the classic Outlook for now. You can toggle off “New Outlook” in the upper-right corner of the app to return to the classic version.

2/ Open the Tasks Module

In the classic Outlook desktop app, go to the bottom-left navigation pane and click the Tasks icon (clipboard/checkmark icon).

3/ Open Shared Tasks folder

File > Open & Export > Other User’s Folder



4/ Select your colleague

In the dialog box, click Name and select your colleague from the Global Address List.

Ensure the folder type is set to Tasks, then click OK.



5/ View the Shared Task list

The shared folder will appear under Shared Tasks or People’s Tasks in the navigation pane.

You should now be able to view and manage tasks with your Editor permissions.

6/ Confirm permissions

If you encounter errors or cannot see the folder, double-check with your colleague or Exchange admin that you have at least Reviewer or Editor access.

They can verify this in File > Account Settings > Delegate Access or by right-clicking the Tasks folder > Properties > Permissions tab.

By following the steps above in classic Outlook, you bypass the limitations of the To Do app and access the Exchange task folder directly, which honors delegate permissions.

As other users will also search information in this community, your valuable vote will definitely also help other users who have similar queries easily to find the correct channel and useful information more quickly.

Thank you for your kindness and contributions to the forum.

Answer 4

Thank you for your quick response. Please see my responses below.

We work at the same office/ company. My best guess is that it is a business account.
This is a business account. We both have the same domain.
I am accessing the app through the Outlook app.
Yes, part of the same organization and using the same tenant.
My colleague has added me as a delegate through Microsoft permission and not through Microsoft To Do settings.
I have only tried through my desktop laptop.

I look forward to getting this issue resolved.

I would like to view the To Do/Task list as a separate view, as I have for this colleague's calendar and contacts.

Answer 5

Hi @Shirly Toy,

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum.

Thank you for reaching out regarding your delegate access to your colleague’s Outlook items. I understand you're able to view their Inbox, Calendar, and Contacts, but are currently unable to access their To Do/Task list.

To help investigate and provide the most accurate guidance, could you please confirm the following details:

What type of Microsoft license are you currently using (e.g., Microsoft 365 Personal, Business Standard, E3, etc.)?
Is this a personal account (e.g., @hotmail.com, @outlook.com) or a business/work account (e.g., through Microsoft 365 or your organization's domain)? The interface differs between these two types of accounts, so knowing this information will help me support you more effectively.
Are you accessing the To Do/Task list via Outlook desktop app, Outlook Web App (OWA), or Microsoft To Do?
Is your colleague using Microsoft 365, and are both of you part of the same organization/tenant?
Has your colleague explicitly granted delegate access to Tasks/To Do via Outlook permissions or Microsoft To Do settings?
Are you seeing any error messages or is the To Do section simply not visible?
Is this issue occurring across all devices or just on a specific platform (e.g., desktop, mobile)?

Once I have this information, I’ll be better positioned to guide you through the next steps.

Thank you for your patience and your understanding.

I'm looking forward to your reply.

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View other people's To Do/ Task List

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