Assign tasks from Google Docs

Tasks in Docs are only available for eligible work or school accounts, and you’re not currently signed in. Learn more about work and school accounts.

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Assign a task in Google Docs

1. On your computer, in Google Docs, open a doc.
2. In the document, enter @task and press Enter.
3. In the popup window, enter the task.
   1. You can also create a task from a checklist.
      1. Choose an option:
         • Select Format Bullets & numbering Checklist.
         • In the document, enter @checklist and press Enter.
      2. Enter a task in the checklist.
      3. To the left of the checklist item, click Add to Tasks . A pop-up window will appear.
4. In the "Assignee" field, enter the name of the user you want to assign the task to.
   • You can assign a task to yourself or other users in your domain.
5. Optional: To set a date for the task, click Date and pick a date from the calendar.
6. To assign the task, click Add.

Important:

• When you assign a task to someone, they receive an email notification that includes your email address. They can view the task in their personal Tasks list and on their Google Calendar if the task has a set date. Learn more about shared tasks.
• Anonymous users can't assign or edit Tasks in a Google Doc.

View or edit a task in Docs

1. In Google Docs, open a doc with assigned tasks.
   • To view all the tasks assigned from a document, go to Tools Tasks. Tasks are displayed on the right of your screen. To scroll to a task in your document, click it.
2. On the left of an assigned checklist item, hover over the icon.
   • If a task is completed, its title will be crossed out.
3. To edit the task:
   • Title: Type in the checklist item text and press Tab to update. 
   • Assignee or task date: At the bottom left of the task card, click Edit.
     • If you edit the user the task is assigned to, both the previous assignee and the new assignee will receive an email notification. 

Mark a task complete in Docs

1. In Google Docs, open a doc with assigned tasks.
2. Find an assigned checklist item.
3. Click the checkbox in the doc.
   • If a task is marked as completed in the doc, it'll show as completed in the assignee’s personal Tasks list and they’ll get an email notification.

Delete a task in Docs

1. In Google Docs, open a doc with assigned tasks.
2. On the left of an assigned checklist item, point to the icon.
3. Click Delete Confirm.

Tips: 

• If a task is deleted in the doc, it won't appear in the assignee’s personal Tasks list. If the task wasn’t already completed, the assignee will receive an email notification.
• If a checklist item is deleted in the doc, but the task isn’t deleted first, it'll still appear in the assignee's personal Tasks list. To view and delete the task, click Tools Tasks.

Manage updates to tasks in Docs

On the icon to the left of the checklist item, a blue dot may appear. This can happen when:

• Someone updates the checklist item in the doc but doesn’t update the task.
• The assignee of a task updates the task title in Tasks, but doesn’t update the checklist text in the doc.
• Someone reverts the document to an earlier version.

To fix the issue and remove the blue dot:

1. Point to the task with a blue dot.
2. At the bottom right of the pop up window, click Update.

Tip: A blue dot may also appear on a task icon if the assignee updates or deletes the task in their personal Tasks list, but doesn’t have edit access to the doc.

• To fix this, point to the blue dot and click Yes.
• To prevent this, make sure the assignee has edit access to the doc.