To-Do Bar / Calendar pane in Outlook for MacOS

Question

To-Do Bar / Calendar pane in Outlook for MacOS

Cian Walker 46

Hi - I had the To-Do/calendar side pane showing right of the email reader pane for a couple of days (even had the three dots menu. to adjust for day, week, month. etc) but this morning Outlook asked me to. sign in/add my account again and now I cannot find the option to display it, with many online resources even claiming it's not even available for Outlook on macOS...but I know I'm not imagining it - please help!

Robert Deadwyler 91 Reputation points

2022-08-23T16:20:02.147+00:00

Why are there no actual tasks in the "Task Pane"? It just lists your calendar in agenda view. In the Windows version, there is ability to see tasks on a the calendar or "Task Pane" but rather, I need to use the Todo app to see my tasks? Why?
M Feitosa 11 Reputation points

2022-08-31T07:47:22.48+00:00

Hi There, I have the same problem, I cannot see on my Mac the To-do task as I can see it on the online version. Do I need to open a new question, or you can help me here.

I have the latest versions of OS.
M Feitosa 11 Reputation points

2022-08-31T07:47:33.413+00:00

Hi There, I have the same problem, I cannot see on my Mac the To-do task as I can see it on the online version. Do I need to open a new question, or you can help me here.

I have the latest versions of OS.
Robert Deadwyler 91 Reputation points

2022-08-31T13:33:59.437+00:00

It appears that this is not a function of the Outlook for Mac. You can see your tasks if you download the Microsoft Todo App from the app store. There is no calendar function and if you hit the ToDo button in Outlook for Mac, it just opens the ToDo application.

Seems like some functionality is missing IMO. and not sure why they would have it on the Windows version of Outlook, but not the Mac version -- seems kind of silly.

Otherwise, I dont think there is a real solution to this for the non-online version.
PJ 10 Reputation points

2023-07-07T00:17:01.13+00:00

Same issue here on Outlook for Mac - no tasks view in the calendar/task pane, and no ability to create a task from an email. Please help.
Fachner, Jorg 0 Reputation points

2023-07-16T19:27:01.0166667+00:00

Same problem with the task bar and new outlook does not allow to create a task from an email, ToDo desktop does not even sign in on my Ventura M2 mac. I hope this can get fixed soon.
Stephen Forbes 0 Reputation points

2023-11-14T09:39:28.43+00:00

There are loads of things missing, like auto translation of emails - why click every time to add it in a small cramped sidebar? Second class citizens on Mac to be honest, considering switching to Spark.
Sunny 0 Reputation points

2024-03-09T20:10:08.3666667+00:00

The best way is to search the emails with flagged status and click on save search located at the bottom left of the search bar. After this all the flagged emails get saved as saved searches at the bottom left of the sidebar (similar to task pane view on Windows). I hope this helps everyone.
Anna Caswell 0 Reputation points

2024-04-06T11:26:34.18+00:00

Is this issue being fixed? This functionality is key to the To Do app actually being of any use to me. To be lacking integration of the apps seems poor, especially after scrolling through various message feeds of people having the same query...after investing in 365 its a shame feedback isn't being taken on board.
Lisa Ryan 5 Reputation points

2024-07-15T15:00:18.78+00:00

Still looking for an answer here. Why are there no tasks in the "Task Pane"? Seems like an oxymoron to me. I definitely had them on my Windows version of Outlook. Is this typical Microsoft "cripple the Mac OS version so people will want to switch to Windows" BS? I've seen complaints about this going back three years, when will this be fixed?
RobertGlas 5 Reputation points

2024-07-18T09:18:16.0266667+00:00

Same here - why does the latest MacOS app not show Tasks in the Task Pane this is so bad and really a productivity killer to have to monitor two different apps / views (Outlook calendar and To Do) to know what's on today. Please get this fixed.

@MSFT Admin who could support getting us the answers we're looking for in this thread for far too long?
Morten Uldbæk 0 Reputation points

2024-10-28T08:08:22.85+00:00

Dear Microsoft. Please fix this asap and restrain your self from taking customers as hostage in what can only be interpreted asa small brick in an ongoing Apple vs. MS fight. Having a task pane showing calendar appointments only rather than tasks is like a big middle finger right in your customers faces. Especially considering this issue has been raised a long long time ago and is being ignored.
Stephen Forbes 0 Reputation points

2024-10-28T08:12:39.4366667+00:00

Also, what about integrating translation instead of the ridiculous sidebar button? Just have automatic toggle.
David Todd 0 Reputation points

2025-01-13T14:38:23.8433333+00:00

I agree that To Do should be accessible next to the calendar in desktop Outlook for Mac, so users can drag items onto their calendars. This is an obvious application. It is available in the Microsoft 360 online version of Outlook.

2 answers

Your answer

Robert Deadwyler 91 Reputation points

2022-08-23T16:20:02.147+00:00

Why are there no actual tasks in the "Task Pane"? It just lists your calendar in agenda view. In the Windows version, there is ability to see tasks on a the calendar or "Task Pane" but rather, I need to use the Todo app to see my tasks? Why?
M Feitosa 11 Reputation points

2022-08-31T07:47:22.48+00:00

Hi There, I have the same problem, I cannot see on my Mac the To-do task as I can see it on the online version. Do I need to open a new question, or you can help me here.

I have the latest versions of OS.
M Feitosa 11 Reputation points

2022-08-31T07:47:33.413+00:00

Hi There, I have the same problem, I cannot see on my Mac the To-do task as I can see it on the online version. Do I need to open a new question, or you can help me here.

I have the latest versions of OS.
Robert Deadwyler 91 Reputation points

2022-08-31T13:33:59.437+00:00

It appears that this is not a function of the Outlook for Mac. You can see your tasks if you download the Microsoft Todo App from the app store. There is no calendar function and if you hit the ToDo button in Outlook for Mac, it just opens the ToDo application.

Seems like some functionality is missing IMO. and not sure why they would have it on the Windows version of Outlook, but not the Mac version -- seems kind of silly.

Otherwise, I dont think there is a real solution to this for the non-online version.
PJ 10 Reputation points

2023-07-07T00:17:01.13+00:00

Same issue here on Outlook for Mac - no tasks view in the calendar/task pane, and no ability to create a task from an email. Please help.
Fachner, Jorg 0 Reputation points

2023-07-16T19:27:01.0166667+00:00

Same problem with the task bar and new outlook does not allow to create a task from an email, ToDo desktop does not even sign in on my Ventura M2 mac. I hope this can get fixed soon.
Stephen Forbes 0 Reputation points

2023-11-14T09:39:28.43+00:00

There are loads of things missing, like auto translation of emails - why click every time to add it in a small cramped sidebar? Second class citizens on Mac to be honest, considering switching to Spark.
Sunny 0 Reputation points

2024-03-09T20:10:08.3666667+00:00

The best way is to search the emails with flagged status and click on save search located at the bottom left of the search bar. After this all the flagged emails get saved as saved searches at the bottom left of the sidebar (similar to task pane view on Windows). I hope this helps everyone.
Anna Caswell 0 Reputation points

2024-04-06T11:26:34.18+00:00

Is this issue being fixed? This functionality is key to the To Do app actually being of any use to me. To be lacking integration of the apps seems poor, especially after scrolling through various message feeds of people having the same query...after investing in 365 its a shame feedback isn't being taken on board.
Lisa Ryan 5 Reputation points

2024-07-15T15:00:18.78+00:00

Still looking for an answer here. Why are there no tasks in the "Task Pane"? Seems like an oxymoron to me. I definitely had them on my Windows version of Outlook. Is this typical Microsoft "cripple the Mac OS version so people will want to switch to Windows" BS? I've seen complaints about this going back three years, when will this be fixed?
RobertGlas 5 Reputation points

2024-07-18T09:18:16.0266667+00:00

Same here - why does the latest MacOS app not show Tasks in the Task Pane this is so bad and really a productivity killer to have to monitor two different apps / views (Outlook calendar and To Do) to know what's on today. Please get this fixed.

@MSFT Admin who could support getting us the answers we're looking for in this thread for far too long?
Morten Uldbæk 0 Reputation points

2024-10-28T08:08:22.85+00:00

Dear Microsoft. Please fix this asap and restrain your self from taking customers as hostage in what can only be interpreted asa small brick in an ongoing Apple vs. MS fight. Having a task pane showing calendar appointments only rather than tasks is like a big middle finger right in your customers faces. Especially considering this issue has been raised a long long time ago and is being ignored.
Stephen Forbes 0 Reputation points

2024-10-28T08:12:39.4366667+00:00

Also, what about integrating translation instead of the ridiculous sidebar button? Just have automatic toggle.
David Todd 0 Reputation points

2025-01-13T14:38:23.8433333+00:00

I agree that To Do should be accessible next to the calendar in desktop Outlook for Mac, so users can drag items onto their calendars. This is an obvious application. It is available in the Microsoft 360 online version of Outlook.

Answer 1

ChristyZhang-MSFT 26,111 Microsoft External Staff

Hi @Cian Walker ,

Welcome to our forum!

Do you mean the task pane as shown in the below figure?

If so, as I know, the feature is available in New Outlook for Mac. Please go to View>Task Pane on the top.

If you can't find the "Task Pane" option, maybe you are currently in legacy outlook, please turn on the New Outlook button to switch to New Outlook for Mac first.

For more information and features about Outlook please refer to: The new Outlook for Mac.

Hope the above help!

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".
Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

Cian Walker 46 Reputation points

2022-03-02T08:47:20.533+00:00

Hi Christy - thanks so much for your answer, but neither the New Outlook nor Task Pane options are appearing. I wonder if our internal admin has locked these features down? Because the task pane was definitely there for a couple of days before yesterday when the solution asked me to add my account. again.
ChristyZhang-MSFT 26,111 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2022-03-03T08:05:36.85+00:00

Hi @Cian Walker ,

Thanks for your reply!

I wonder if our internal admin has locked these features down?

Do other people around you have the same problem? If so, there will be such a possibility.

On the other hand, what's the version of your current Outlook for Mac client? Please make sure you have upgraded your Outlook to the latest version.
Cian Walker 46 Reputation points

2022-03-03T09:31:56.697+00:00

Hi Christy - if anything, I think this functionality could have been lost in the latest release on Feb 22nd (I'm up to date on 16.58).
ChristyZhang-MSFT 26,111 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2022-03-04T09:03:13.637+00:00

Hi @Cian Walker ,

Actually, my current version of Outlook is the same as yours. And according to the screenshot, it seems that you didn't open the New Outlook. Please find the New Outlook button on the top as shown in the below figure and turn on it to switch to New Outlook.

If the issue still in New Outlook, it's suggested that you could uninstall and reinstall office to check if there're any differences.
ChristyZhang-MSFT 26,111 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2022-03-11T01:03:17.703+00:00

Hi @Cian Walker ,

Just checking in to see if above information was helpful. If it is useful, would you mind marking the helpful post as an answer? Which would benefit others who also has similar issues in forum.
Cian Walker 46 Reputation points

2022-03-11T10:09:52.513+00:00

Hi again Christy - again it seems that feature is just straight up removed!
ChristyZhang-MSFT 26,111 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2022-03-14T02:26:46.803+00:00

Hi @Cian Walker ,

Thanks for your reply!

New outlook is available only if the following requirements are met：

Please check and confirm that they are met. In particular, I noticed that you have logged in to your account again. Please check whether you accidentally logged in to On-Prem Exchange account (this is not supported at present) or other accounts that do not meet the conditions.
Robert Deadwyler 91 Reputation points

2022-08-31T13:37:23.46+00:00

Why does the task pane, not include any actual Tasks? What you have highlighted just shows calendar events. The Windows version allows you to bring up "Daily Task List", but the Mac version doesn't appear to show any of those tasks. I can use the Microsoft Todo app to see the tasks themselves but that seems to be some limited functionality as there is no option to see the tasks on a calendar.

Seems like there is some disconnect between the versions of Outlook; is this something that has even a minimal chance of being corrected and streamlined?
Green, Michelle 20 Reputation points

2023-01-11T19:05:30.7966667+00:00

I'm experiencing what Robert is -- only the calendar appears in my Tasks pane. I have no ability to add tasks through this version of Outlook.
Brian Abbott 25 Reputation points

2023-03-07T20:30:11.7033333+00:00

ChristyZhang-MSFT is talking about something different from the original poster's question. Cian was asking about "To Do," not the Agenda pane in Outlook. It used to be possible to access To Do through Outlook on the Mac, but To Do now is a separate app -- which really is kind of annoying. There is a link for To Do within Outlook for Mac, but that doesn't even open the To Do app; it instead takes you to the online version.
Eugene Victorov 15 Reputation points

2023-03-23T10:25:24.0533333+00:00

I'm still having this issue as of March 2023, a year since the original post publication.
Marc Jeffery 40 Reputation points

2023-03-23T17:33:15.4466667+00:00

The simple issue is that TASKS do not appear in the task pane. Only the Calendar. Why don't Microsoft call it the CALENDAR pane if it only shows the calendar? Very misleading and frustrating for me as I pay for Office 365 and am a Mac user. I get nowhere near the same experience as I would if I were a PC user.
Ragesh 5 Reputation points

2023-04-01T14:43:29.8266667+00:00

Same issue. Agree with the points made by all the posters above, Microsoft needs to fix this gap soon. What's the point of flagging mails if one can't get to it later? As someone who has mails sorted into different folders, it's not possible to go into each folder and filter by flagged mails to look at them.
Denise Pichardo 10 Reputation points

2023-04-14T15:34:06.17+00:00

@ChristyZhang-MSFT Any reason why emails flagged for follow up do not show up on the TASK PANE and why a calendar shows up instead on a Mac? No reason to have 2 ways to look at my calendar but no way to look up tasks/flagged emails without opening "To DoList" on a web browser. It's simply annoying and no reason that the features are different in Windows v Mac. Same program should have same features, especially if I have to pay for it.
Brian Edwards 15 Reputation points

2023-05-03T19:42:57.75+00:00

As others have noted, the "task" pane in new Outlook for Mac is really a "calendar" pain - helpful, but incomplete.
Brian Edwards 15 Reputation points

2023-05-03T19:45:05.5733333+00:00

Having a "task pane" that only shows your calendar (and not your actual, you know, tasks) is kind of silly.
Irène Winterkorn 10 Reputation points

2023-07-05T11:09:08.56+00:00

@ChristyZhang-MSFT your answer has not been helpful so far unfortunately. I have the same problem. I can find the Task Pane and select it in my Outlook (new version) on iOS, but it appears like this:

This is just a repetition of my calendar instead of showing my tasks from my To Do app. In the settings I can only select the calendars I want to show in the 'Task Pane' and change between Agenda and Day view. No option for showing my Tasks.

Can you help?
Joe Hughes-Stainsby 10 Reputation points

2023-07-13T10:49:48.8366667+00:00

Have Microsoft, or anyone from support given up on this? It has been over a year since the wrong answer was given, would be extremely useful to add this instead of switching back and forth between programs just for the sake of keeping up with tasks.
Louis Bernardo 0 Reputation points

2023-08-31T15:44:30.75+00:00

That just displays scheduled meetings, it doesn't display the original non-calendar based tasks.
Karabel, Tunca 0 Reputation points

2023-09-27T18:03:06.8066667+00:00

Any updates here?
Arshvir Kaur 5 Reputation points

2023-10-05T03:02:06.4366667+00:00

@MFST Support Can you please provide an update here ?
Please tell us if this is on the roadmap to be fixed. It's been a year this issue was raised here.
Wesley Jr, Eddie 0 Reputation points

2024-02-01T14:19:12.1733333+00:00

Not sure if this helps - i came here looking for a solution to the same problem (visibility to my to-do tasks w/in Outlook for Mac). I'm using filter view to get visibility... this is working for me and might help someone else out as well. For reference, I'm on Mac Outlook version 16.77 (23091003)
generasi03-9676 1 Reputation point

2024-02-01T15:31:11.84+00:00

Hello..!! My.Karwan Indonesia
Kobi Ben Shmuel 0 Reputation points

2024-08-21T11:43:53.8966667+00:00

Problem is that the "new outlook" for mac has some sync issues when working with google workspace. so it won't be added to the legacy outlook?
Lisa Emmenegger 0 Reputation points

2024-12-10T14:02:16.4633333+00:00

@ChristyZhang-MSFT Please provide us with an update for this issue. I`ve been trying to solve this for a while and its incredibly frustrating that theres no information about the fact that it just doesnt work for MAC. Please solve this so us MAC users can also use To do in the task bar. Thank you.

Answer 2

I am using the legacy outlook view, I restored to legacy in order to have column choosing (which is another issue). In legacy outlook view there is a mini version of 'Calendar and Task views' etc via icons which you will find icons in the lower left hand corner of the left panel where you can select one of these and it changes the screen to that view. Not ideal as it doesn't display the calendar or tasks on the right panel like we're used to in Windows ....but it's what I've found for now.

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To-Do Bar / Calendar pane in Outlook for MacOS

2 answers

Your answer