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Increase organization with subtasks

How to create, show, hide, and move subtasks

Cameron Henneke avatar
Written by Cameron Henneke
Updated over a week ago

Subtasks are great for tracking task progress, breaking work into smaller chunks, and setting up extra reminders for projects.

How to work with subtasks

Create new subtasks

You can quickly create a subtask when you select a task and type s on your keyboard. A subtask will drop under the active task you’ve selected.

Use keyboard shortcuts to create a subtask.

If you prefer not to use keyboard shortcuts, you can create a subtask by opening the task menu and clicking Add subtask.

Create a subtask from the task menu.

Make an existing task a subtask

If you have existing tasks you’d like to turn into subtasks, you can do so by selecting the task, then holding Shift and pressing the right arrow key. This indents the current task under the task above it. You can also move the subtask back out by holding Shift and the left arrow key.

Use keyboard shortcuts to turn an existing task into a subtask.

You can also click and drag any task to the right and it will move under the task above it.

Click and drag tasks to reposition them in task hierarchy.

Hide or show subtasks

To toggle between subtasks being shown or hidden for a task, click the gray arrow to the left of the parent task.

Show and hide subtasks.

👉 Pro Tip: Choose to show or hide task properties by default so you can focus on what’s most relevant to you.

Move subtasks

Just like with top-level tasks, you can move a subtask by clicking the colored circle and dragging it to your desired position.

Rearrange subtask order by clicking and dragging.

👉 Pro tip: When changing a subtask from the middle of a subtask list to a parent task, be sure to drag it down to the bottom of the list and out or above the parent task and out to break the hierarchy.

Complete subtasks

When you’re using repeating subtasks or if you prefer to complete subtasks as you go, you can individually mark each subtask complete the same way you complete top-level tasks, by clicking the checkbox.

Complete subtasks by clicking the checkbox.

If you want to complete everything at once, check the top-level task to mark it and all subtasks below it complete.

Mark all subtasks complete by completing the top level task.

By default, subtasks will be crossed out, but stay in the active portion of the queue until the top-level task is completed. To send subtasks directly to the archive, press the Shift key while marking them complete or adjust your checkmark settings.

Use subtasks to your advantage

Subtasks can really benefit your workflow. Here are some of our favorite ways to put them to use.

Break up your work

When you’re working on a task that has lots of steps, subtasks are a great way to break your work into smaller pieces.

Use subtasks to break up your work.

You can focus on the details when you work with bite-sized chunks to complete your goal since you know exactly what needs to be done next.

Track project milestones

Set milestones so you can track the progress on your tasks. Each subtask can have its own due date, so you can use them as checkpoints on a timeline toward completion of the main task.

Use subtasks to track project milestones.

Subtasks make organizing projects even better. When you’re working on something big, like your backyard landscaping projects, instead of creating a new queue for each mini project, you can view the different sets of tasks without needing to leave the queue you’re in.

This is great when working with teams, too. Having a new team queue for each aspect of the project could get pretty cluttered. Using subtasks allows you to group small, related projects all into one queue.

Explore how you can use top-level tasks and subtasks together to achieve your personal and collaborative goals. 👍


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