Lost all Current Tasks in Classic Outlook

Question

Lost all Current Tasks in Classic Outlook

Debbie Deland 0

All my current tasks disappeared in classic outlook. I don't think I did anything to cause that. Need to recover my tasks.
Don't see them in deleted, junk, archive. Can't find view to change the view. AI solutions didn't work. Neither did co-pilot. When I go to tasks there is no view to select.

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2 answers

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Answer 1

Aetherin 1,725 Independent Advisor

Hi @Debbie Deland,

Based on your description, I think the first priority is determining whether the tasks have actually been deleted or if they're simply hidden due to a view, synchronization, or profile-related issue.

Could you share a screenshot of what you see when you open Tasks in Classic Outlook? Seeing the current interface may help identify whether this is a view-related problem or something else.

In the meantime, I recommend checking whether the tasks still exist in Microsoft's cloud services:

Sign in to Outlook on the web using the same work account. Open To Do > Tasks and see whether your missing tasks appear there.

User's image

You could also open Microsoft To Do and check whether the tasks are visible there.

If the tasks appear on the web or in Microsoft To Do but not in the desktop application, that would strongly suggest that the tasks themselves still exist and that the issue is more likely related to a view setting, local cache, synchronization problem, or Outlook profile issue within Classic Outlook.

If you have any updates, feel free to post them in this thread so I'll receive a notification. Based on what you find, I may be able to suggest some more targeted troubleshooting steps or share additional information that could point you in the right direction.

I look forward to your update.

Debbie Deland 0 Reputation points

2026-09-13T15:57:57.1433333+00:00

Thanks so much for helping me.

Tasks don't appear when I go to Tasks or Microsoft To Do or deleted items; does show a lot of completed items.

There is no View on Task page, so I can't see if something under change view would work

Can't seem to get to task folder in my folder list
Debbie Deland 0 Reputation points

2026-09-13T16:42:54.58+00:00

Went to Outlook on the web and nothing there, the completed items only show tasks up to early Dec

Still don't know how to get to view for tasks
Aetherin 1,725 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-09-14T13:41:59.0066667+00:00

Hi @Debbie Deland,

Just to reconfirm, were these tasks originally created using the Tasks feature in Classic Outlook, rather than directly in To Do?

In Outlook, do you see the Current View option when you're in the Tasks section? If so, could you let me know which view is currently selected? When you switch to some of the other available views, do the missing tasks reappear in any of them?
Debbie Deland 0 Reputation points

2026-09-14T20:28:03.7166667+00:00

Using tasks in Classic Outlook.

On the task page there is no current view

Don't have much of a ribbon either
Debbie Deland 0 Reputation points

2026-09-14T20:47:40.24+00:00
Aetherin 1,725 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-09-15T13:44:13.7266667+00:00

Hi @Debbie Deland,

Thank you for the screenshot. It appears that you have two different types of task folders.

The Tasks folder is connected to your Microsoft 365 account and syncs with Microsoft To Do, whereas Tasks (This computer only) and Completed (This computer only) are stored locally on that specific Outlook profile and do not sync to the web.

This could explain why the missing tasks cannot be found online. If those tasks were originally saved in a "This computer only" folder, they would not appear in Microsoft To Do or Outlook on the web.

Could you please open Tasks (This computer only) and Completed (This computer only) and check whether any of the missing tasks are located there?

Also, the page shown in your screenshot is the Microsoft To Do interface rather than the classic Outlook Tasks view. In Classic Outlook, please open Apps > Tasks (or More Apps > Tasks) and check the Tasks folder associated with your email account to see whether the missing items appear there.

Please feel free to provide an update when you have a chance. Thank for your patience.
Aetherin 1,725 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-09-16T07:26:51.15+00:00

Hi @Debbie Deland,

Is there any update from you. If yes, please feel free to let me know.
Debbie Deland 0 Reputation points

2026-09-16T09:52:34.19+00:00

So weird. I appreciate you for sticking with me.Checked Tasks (this computer only) and Completed (this computer only) not there and not lumped into completed.

I thought I was in classic outlook.

I went to appps, tasks and there a lot of old tasks, but not all the current ones
Debbie Deland 0 Reputation points

2026-09-16T09:56:33.84+00:00

even though I put one task in and it is there, I'm afraid to add any tasks for fear I'll lose them.
Aetherin 1,725 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-09-16T10:26:34.7666667+00:00

Thank you for getting back to me @Debbie Deland. I just want to help as much as I can based on my experience and knowledge, and I really appreciate your patience while we work through this together.

Just to clarify, you are still using Classic Outlook. My earlier point was simply that the first Tasks view in your screenshot appears to be the Microsoft To Do interface that's built into Classic Outlook, whereas Apps > Tasks opens the separate, traditional Outlook Tasks module. I just wanted to clarify that distinction so we're looking in the correct location and talking about the same task experience within Outlook.

From your latest update, am I understanding correctly that when you open Apps > Tasks, you can find some of the tasks that you originally mentioned as missing, just not all of them?

Another question that may help narrow this down: do you have multiple email accounts or mailboxes configured in Classic Outlook?

The reason I ask is that the presence of folders such as "Tasks (This computer only)" typically suggests that at least one account may be configured as IMAP or POP. In that configuration, tasks can be stored locally in Outlook rather than synchronized to Microsoft To Do or Outlook on the web. If that's the case, the missing tasks may have been associated with that specific account or its local Outlook data file.

Could you please check the following: File > Account Settings > Account Settings > Email then look at the Type column for each account and let me know whether any of them show IMAP/POP.

That information may give us an important clue as to where the missing tasks were originally stored and whether they might still exist in a local Outlook data file.

I sincerely hope you'll continue to respond when your schedule allows. I'll do my best to keep thinking through the issue with you and see if there are any other avenues worth exploring to help recover the missing tasks.
Debbie Deland 0 Reputation points

2026-09-16T10:36:15.87+00:00

I'm still using classic outlook. I didn't see a need to go to the new Outlook. Should i move to the new outlook?

No I didn't find some of the tasks that were missing. I found very old tasks.

Yes I have multiple email accounts coming into my outlook inbox.

Three of the emails are IMAP/SMTP and one is Microsoft Exchange

I will respond. We are on a quest and I appreciate you taking so much time.

I'm going to look at tasks for each id.
Aetherin 1,725 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-09-16T10:52:12.6266667+00:00

You can absolutely continue using Classic Outlook if that's what you prefer. I wasn't suggesting that you switch to New Outlook. As long as Classic Outlook meets your needs, there's no problem continuing to use it.

If you have a chance to check, I'd recommend focusing on IMAP/SMTP accounts.

Please take your time and check whenever it's convenient.
Debbie Deland 0 Reputation points

2026-09-16T12:04:15.6666667+00:00

Went to new outlook, no tasks there either; went back to classic

Answer 2

Debbie Deland 0

Thanks so much for responding.

The tasks don't seem to appear anywhere, e.g., not in deletes, not in Tasks, not in Microsoft To Do, not in Office 365.

When I go to Task tab, I see no way to get to view

I can add new tasks from email and manually and they appear

I hope I didn't lose them somehow

I can't seem to do a screenshot with this keyboard.

At top three lines top--collapse/expand, home icon, Tasks, 3 dots: list options or print list, List: List View

Settings doesn't seem to have anything to change view

It has a lot of complete tasks

Hope this helps in figuring this out

Aetherin 1,725 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-09-13T16:26:45.47+00:00

Thank you so much for the update, @Debbie Deland.

Among the completed tasks that you can still see, do you recognize any of them as tasks that were previously active and should not have been marked complete?