How to Archive, Delete or Hide Completed Tasks in Outlook

By default, the completed tasks in Outlook are not hidden, and you will find them piled up in the Task folders. Some of these tasks are no longer useful, and you might not even need them anymore. To clear the space, you need to remove them and allow only tasks that are important to you. In this article, we will show you how to hide completed tasks in Outlook.

Normally, Outlook strikes through the completed To-Do list, but the tasks hang on there. To some users, this can mean mixing things up and wanting to concentrate only on undone tasks. This post has the best tricks to auto-hide tasks immediately after you mark them as complete.

What happens to a task when you mark it as complete in Outlook?

When you mark a task as complete on Outlook, the task is hidden from any folder that shows active tasks, like the To-Do list. If you want to view and perform any completed tasks, locate them in the Completed folder. Here, you can decide to hide, delete, or archive the tasks as you wish.

How to Hide Completed Tasks in Outlook

If you want to automatically hide completed tasks in Microsoft Outlook when the app starts up, do the following:

• Once the app launches, go to the View tab and then select To-Do Bar. From the new menu that drops down, click Tasks.
• You will see a new task list on the right side. Right
• Under the Advanced View Settings window, locate and click on Filter, then select OK.
• Select the Advanced option and click Completed, which is an option under Define more criteria. Click the arrow facing down in the Field section
• Next, you will see three options; under the box under field, type Complete, under conditions, set it to equals, and under Value, set it to no.
• Click Add to List, and then hit OK.
• Finally, go back to the Task list and check if the completed tasks are hidden.

TIP: Display Outlook Calendar Tasks on Windows desktop with DeskTask

How do I delete completed tasks in Outlook 365?

Instead of hiding completed tasks, you can opt to delete all that you don’t want anymore. It is a good way to declutter your outlook and stay organized. To delete completed tasks on Outlook, perform the following steps:

• Launch the Outlook app and click on the Tasks icon at the bottom left side of the window.
• Select the Tasks option and select Completed.
• Right-click on any completed task and hit OK to delete the task.

Related: Create, remove, or set a Task Reminder in Outlook

How do I archive completed tasks in Outlook?

If you want to archive completed tasks in Microsoft Outlook, follow the steps below:

• Open Outlook and head to the View tab.
• Select the To-Do Bar button and then click Tasks.
• Look for the Completed folder and right-click it.
• Select Properties, and you will see Inbox Properties. Select the AutoArchive tab and check the box next to Archive items in this folder using the default settings.
• Lastly, set the duration for which you want to clean out older items.

We hope you find something valuable in this post.

Read: Create Outlook tasks in OneNote

Are Outlook tasks visible to others?

Tasks can be visible to others if you share the folders and allow them to see them. However, you can hide the tasks by marking them as private while sharing folders. This will make them invisible to others. Sharing folders in Outlook only works in sharing invitation requests or email sharing requests.