Microsoft To Do — The free task app built into your Microsoft account, with My Day planning and deep Outlook and Teams ties.
What it is
Microsoft To Do is a free task manager on web, Windows, macOS, iOS and Android, synced through your Microsoft account, with lists, My Day planning, reminders, recurrence and shared lists.
Editor's review
Long-form introduction by the BetterPicker editors · checked against the official site · Oct 29, 2026
Microsoft To Do is the task app people already have and only sometimes open. Leila Gharani's guided tour (1.43 million views) is the reference walkthrough: she consulted a To Do program manager before moving her personal and work tasks into it, and her follow-up on integrations (824,999 views) answers the exact question that keeps Outlook users away - how flagged email, Planner assignments and Teams tasks flow in and back out. Around them sit Demetri Panici's OneNote-plus-Outlook workflow (327,903 views), Kevin Stratvert's tips roundup (215,981 views) and Lea David's blunt correction video (193,530 views), which argues most people never set up due dates, reminders or list structure at all. The app itself is free on web, Windows, macOS, iOS and Android, synced through a Microsoft account - Leila calls it the single location where she has control over personal and work tasks, which is the honest pitch. Lists hold tasks with steps, due dates, reminders, recurrence, attachments and notes; My Day collects a daily shortlist you can feed from any list; important items get starred into a pinned list, and shared lists let family members or colleagues claim and assign tasks. It is deliberately informal, and that informality is the design.
What it does well
My Day is the anchor: a rolling daily plan you feed from every list, with suggestions and a clean reset each morning, which reviewers consistently name as the reason they actually keep using it.
The Microsoft wiring is real: flag an email in Outlook and it becomes a task, Planner assignments sync both ways and open in Teams, and everything lands in one Planned view sorted by due date.
Sharing is practical: invite by link, assign tasks to specific people, and run a household shopping list or a small team checklist without provisioning anything.
Who it's for
Households and small teams already living in Outlook and Teams, anyone who wants a zero-cost task list with just enough structure, and Planner users who need a personal view over assigned work. Students planning coursework fit too. If you need kanban boards, dependencies or time blocking, this is the wrong layer - Planner, Project or a calendar belongs above it.
Where it falls short
It is a list app, not a project tool: no boards, dependencies or workload views, and complex plans still need Planner or something heavier.
There is no calendar or time blocking inside To Do: scheduling means Outlook, and the handoff between the two is looser than reviewers would like.
Some depth assumes Microsoft 365: the richest integrations and attachments sit inside that ecosystem, so mixed Google and Apple households get the plainest version of the app.
Specs at a glance
Facts from the official site · not editorial opinion
| Latest version | Continuously updated cloud app across web, desktop and mobile |
|---|---|
| Price | Free with a Microsoft account; no paid tier |
| Platforms | Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android; Microsoft account sync |
| Open source | No - proprietary Microsoft service |
| Core capability | Tasks with steps, due dates, reminders, recurrence, attachments, file requests, My Day planning, shared lists with assignment |
| Integrations | Outlook flagged email, Microsoft Planner (two-way), Teams assignments, OneNote, Microsoft 365 ecosystem |
| Best for | Personal task tracking and household or small-team lists inside the Microsoft ecosystem |
Frequently asked questions
▸Is Microsoft To Do free?
Yes. It is free with any Microsoft account on web, Windows, macOS, iOS and Android, with no feature paywall.
▸Does To Do work with Outlook email?
Yes. Flagged emails become tasks, changes sync both ways, and tasks carry due dates and reminders into the Planned view.
▸How is it different from Microsoft Planner?
To Do is a personal list app; Planner is a shared board for team work. Planner assignments surface inside To Do, so both tools complement each other.
▸Can I share lists with other people?
Yes. Invite by link, manage access per person, and assign individual tasks to members of the shared list.
Video reviews
5 review videos aggregated · praise and criticism included alike · click through to the original video
Channels that covered it
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