My flagged emails do not sync in my to do list

Question

My flagged emails do not sync in my to do list and haven't been syncing for the last two weeks. Is there a known problem with Outlook? I have never had this issue before and I rely heavily on this feature.

Answer 1

Dear @Nicole DeCarlo, 

Thank you for taking the time to share the situation you are experiencing. I understand how important the Flagged Email feature is for staying organized, especially when it is part of your daily workflow. 

There are a few possible reasons why flagged messages may stop appearing in Microsoft To Do. Since you didn't specify whether you are using New Outlook for desktop, Classic Outlook, or Outlook on the web, and whether your account is personal or a work or school account, I am sharing a set of steps that can help you verify the issue across all scenarios: 

Option 1: Re‑enable the flagged email connection and force a sync 

Open Microsoft To Do on the web or in the app > Go to Settings. 

Turn the “Flagged email” option off. 

Wait about thirty seconds, then turn the option back on. 

Go to Help and Feedback and select Sync. 

Return to Outlook and flag a brand new message in your Inbox to test if it appears. 

This refreshes the connection between Outlook and To Do in case it became stuck. 

Option 2: Confirm you are signed into the same account in both apps 

Open Outlook and check which account is currently signed in. 

Open Microsoft To Do and make sure it uses the same Microsoft 365 account. 

If you have multiple profiles, double‑check which one is set as the default mailbox. 

Using different accounts across Outlook and To Do can prevent the flagged items from syncing. 

Option 3: Review the built‑in syncing requirements 

• Only the most recent one hundred flagged messages from the last thirty days are synced initially. 
• Only items from your primary mailbox sync. Items in shared mailboxes or shared folders will not appear. 
• The mailbox must be hosted on Microsoft services such as Exchange Online or Outlook.com. 

If your flagged messages fall outside these boundaries, they may not sync. 

This article provides further guidance on the topic: Using Microsoft To Do with flagged email from Outlook - Microsoft Support 

Option 4: Test from Outlook on the web 

Sign in to office.com > Apps > Outlook. 

Flag a message directly from your Inbox. 

Open Microsoft To Do and check the Flagged Email list to see if the item appears. 

This helps determine whether the pipeline between your mailbox and To Do is working correctly. 

As community moderators, we kindly ask for your understanding that our access to internal development details is limited. Our primary role is to guide users toward the appropriate resources and support channels. While we may not have visibility into performing deeper backend analysis, we’ll continue doing our best to support you within the scope of our responsibilities.  

I hope this information is helpful. If you have any questions or need further support, please don’t hesitate to reach out at any time. 

Thank you for your patience and understanding. 

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Answer 2

There is no known general outage in the provided information, but several conditions can stop flagged emails from appearing in Microsoft To Do:

1. Verify the account type and sign-in
   • Ensure the email account is hosted by Microsoft (for example Outlook.com, Hotmail.com, Live.com, or a Microsoft-hosted custom domain). Flagged-email-to-task sync is only available for these accounts.
   • Confirm that To Do and Outlook use the same work, school, or personal Microsoft account.
2. Confirm the Flagged email list is enabled
   • In To Do (web or Windows app), open Settings.
   • Make sure the Flagged email list is turned on (or select Flagged email > Create from the list menu to enable it).
   • On mobile, To Do will only sync flagged email after this list has first been enabled on desktop/web.
3. Check mailbox and flagging limitations
   • Only emails flagged in the primary mailbox sync to the Flagged email list in To Do. Flagged emails in shared folders or shared mailboxes do not sync.
   • Flagged calendar events are not converted to tasks and will not appear in the list.
4. Understand initial population and ongoing sync
   • When the Flagged email list is first enabled, it initially pulls in the most recent flagged emails (up to 100 from the last 30 days, or up to 10 from the last 2 weeks depending on version and account scenario). After that, only newly flagged emails flow into To Do as tasks.
   • If flagged emails from the last two weeks are missing, try:
     • Toggling the Flagged email list off and back on in To Do Settings.
     • Signing out of To Do, closing the app, then signing back in.
5. If using mobile heavily
   • Ensure To Do on mobile is signed in with the same account and that the Flagged Email list is visible there (it becomes available on all devices once enabled on desktop/web).

If these checks do not restore sync, the next step is to review whether the account is indeed a Microsoft-hosted mailbox and then contact Microsoft 365 support with details (account type, platform, and when the sync stopped) for further investigation.

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References:

• Using Microsoft To Do with flagged email from Outlook
• Use a screen reader to show flagged emails as tasks in To Do
• How can I manage my Outlook tasks on mobile?
• What's new in Microsoft To Do
• Manage tasks with To Do in Outlook