In brief, Microsoft Planner is a comprehensive project and task management tool designed for team collaboration and project planning. It's integrated with Microsoft 365 and provides a visual and intuitive way to organize teamwork (projects, deadlines, tasks, priorities and workflows).
Plans and Buckets: Create detailed plans and categorize tasks into buckets for better organization.
Task Assignment: Assign tasks to team members, set due dates, and track progress.
Multiple Views: Access various views, including Board, Charts, and Schedule, to visualize tasks and timelines.
Advanced Features: With premium subscriptions, unlock advanced views like Gantt charts and grid layouts for complex project tracking.
Integration with Microsoft Teams: Collaborate in real-time by adding Microsoft Planner tabs to your Teams channels.
In January 2025, Microsoft announced a series of updates to Microsoft Planner, which we reviewed in this Guide to Microsoft Planner for 2025. Microsoft Planner is now a more complex tool compared to when it was first created, and provides many options for those who need to manage complex projects.
In the image above, you can see an example of a task in Microsoft Planner, organized within a bucket, featuring details such as priorities, assignees, due dates, a repeat function, and even a checklist for sub-tasks.
Microsoft Planner is ideal for managing team projects that require collaboration and coordination. It's best suited for scenarios where tasks are connected, and tracking progress across multiple team members is essential. Whether you're overseeing a marketing campaign, product development, or any project involving multiple stakeholders, Microsoft Planner provides the tools needed for effective project management.
Microsoft To Do is a personal task management application that helps individuals keep track of their daily responsibilities. Originating from the acquisition of Wunderlist, we'd say that Microsoft To Do focuses on personal productivity through simple yet effective features.
Task Lists: Create and manage multiple task lists to organize different aspects of your work and personal life.
Due Dates and Reminders: Set deadlines and reminders to ensure timely completion of tasks.
My Day: A daily planner feature that helps prioritize tasks for the day.
Integration with Outlook: Sync tasks with Outlook to have a unified view of your deadlines.
Shared Lists: Collaborate on tasks by sharing lists with colleagues or family members.
As you can see from the screenshot above, tasks in Microsoft To Do are organized in a clear and straightforward list, allowing users to easily identify which tasks are due immediately and what needs to be tackled next.
Microsoft To Do is perfect for individual task management, both professional and personal. It's designed to help users keep track of daily tasks, set reminders, and organize their workload efficiently.
The "Tasks by Planner and To Do" app in Microsoft Teams was introduced to consolidate tasks from both Planner and To Do into a single app. As of early 2024, Microsoft has rebranded this app to Planner, integrating features from Microsoft Project, To Do and Microsoft Planner and introducing AI capabilities through Copilot (although Copilot is still in its gradual rollout phase). So, to manage your Microsoft Planner and Microsoft To Do tasks within Microsoft Teams, simply search for the Planner app.
User-Friendly Interface: Simple and intuitive design makes it easy to add and manage tasks.
Seamless Integration: Syncs effortlessly with Outlook and other Microsoft 365 applications.
Flexibility: Suitable for managing both work-related and personal tasks.
Limited Project Management Features: Lacks advanced tools needed for complex project tracking.
Basic Collaboration: While you can share lists, it doesn't offer the robust team collaboration features found in Planner.
Comprehensive Project Management: Equipped to handle projects of varying complexity with features like task assignments and progress tracking.
Team Collaboration: Facilitates seamless collaboration with integration into Microsoft Teams and shared plans.
Advanced Analytics: Provides visual charts and reports to monitor project progress.
Cost for Premium Features: Advanced functionalities require a premium subscription, which may be costly for some users.
Complexity for Simple Tasks: Might be overwhelming for users seeking a straightforward task management tool.
- Integrate with Timeneye for Time Tracking: Strengthen your task management by integrating Timeneye with both Microsoft Planner and Microsoft To Do. This allows you to track the time spent on each task, providing insights into productivity and helping with accurate project tracking and billing.
- Use the "My Day" section in To Do: Start your day by reviewing and selecting tasks to focus on using the "My Day" feature, ensuring you prioritize effectively.
- Take advantage of labels: labels are available in both Microsoft Planner and Microsoft To Do to categorize tasks across multiple projects, and to filter them easily;
-Add Micrsoft Planner's Advanced Views: For complex projects, make use of advanced views like Gantt charts (available with premium subscriptions, but there are also other ways to add Gantts to Microsoft Planner).
Both Microsoft Planner and Microsoft To Do offer powerful tools to enhance your task management capabilities, each catering to distinct needs. Whether you're managing individual tasks or coordinating complex projects, these tools can help you stay organized and productive. To dive deeper into these applications and discover more tips on maximizing productivity, be sure to explore our other guides and resources on Microsoft Planner and Microsoft To Do.
Happy planning!