---
title: Subtasks Guide — Break Tasks Into Steps | Toodledo Help
description: "How to use subtasks in Toodledo: levels of hierarchy, display options, creating, moving, completing, deleting and repeating subtasks."
image: https://info.toodledo.com/hubfs/info-site-2026/toodledo-og-1200x630.png
---

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[Toodledo](https://info.toodledo.com/main?hsLang=en) / [Help center](https://info.toodledo.com/main/help?hsLang=en) / Subtasks

Help center · Guide

# Subtasks: break big tasks into steps.

A convenient way to organize projects and tasks that have multiple steps, keeping your to-do list less cluttered. Subtasks are available with a subscription.

[Levels of hierarchy](https://info.toodledo.com/main/help/subtasks#levels-of-hierarchy)[Display options](https://info.toodledo.com/main/help/subtasks#display-options)[Creating](https://info.toodledo.com/main/help/subtasks#creating-subtasks)[Moving](https://info.toodledo.com/main/help/subtasks#moving-subtasks)[Completing](https://info.toodledo.com/main/help/subtasks#completing-subtasks)[Deleting](https://info.toodledo.com/main/help/subtasks#deleting-subtasks)[Repeating](https://info.toodledo.com/main/help/subtasks#repeat-with-subtasks)

If you have a [subscription](https://info.toodledo.com/main/pricing?hsLang=en) and you want to use subtasks, first go into your account settings and enable them in the "Subtasks" section.

## Levels of hierarchy

Toodledo has three levels of hierarchy: Folder, Task and Subtask (see Figure 1). Any task can be turned into a container that holds other tasks, which lets you organize things into three levels.

Although this may seem straightforward, there are some unique behaviors that you should understand about subtasks before you start using them.

![Folders, tasks and subtasks](https://static.toodledo.com/images/tour/subtasks_big.png)

*Figure 1: Folders, Tasks and Subtasks*

## Display options

Subtasks can be displayed in three different ways. Control this display using the Filter menu: locate the filter icon above your to-do list and click it to open the menu. From here you can choose from three display options.

**Option 1: Inline.** Choose inline to see all subtasks and parent tasks ungrouped and flattened out. To temporarily regroup the subtasks under their parent, click the icon adjacent to the task.

![Subtasks displayed inline](https://static.toodledo.com/images/tour/subtasks_big2.png)

*Figure 2: Display set to "Inline"*

**Option 2: Hidden.** Choose hidden to hide all subtasks. This will show only the parent tasks. To temporarily view the subtasks, click the icon adjacent to the task. When subtasks are hidden, they are only visible when you reveal them, which could cause you to forget about an important subtask.

**Option 3: Indented.** Choose indented to see your subtasks grouped with their parents. Click the icon adjacent to the task to temporarily hide the subtasks.

![Subtasks displayed indented](https://static.toodledo.com/images/tour/subtasks_big.png)

*Figure 3: Display set to "Indented"*

It is important to understand the nesting behavior as it applies to different views and sorting. When subtasks are viewed hidden or indented, they will always appear inside their parent and may not appear in certain views or sections where you would normally expect to find them. For example, a subtask that is due today will not appear in the "Due Today" section unless the parent task is also due today. You can control this behavior in your account settings.

## Creating subtasks

There are three ways to create subtasks with Toodledo.

**Method 1.** Locate the move icon adjacent to the task that you wish to move. Click and drag this icon to move the task into another task and turn it into a subtask (see Figure 4).

**Method 2.** Find the task that you would like to add subtasks under. Click the task's action icon and select "Add Subtask(s)".

**Method 3.** Find the task that you would like to add subtasks under. Hover your mouse over the task's icons until the popup menu appears. Choose "Add Subtask(s)" from the popup menu.

![Drag and drop tasks to create subtasks](https://static.toodledo.com/images/tour/subtasks_big4.png)

*Figure 4: Drag and drop tasks to create subtasks*

## Moving subtasks

Toodledo makes it very easy to organize your tasks and subtasks by using drag and drop.

By default, subtasks are sorted within their parent tasks using the same criteria that you use to sort your list. If you would rather sort subtasks manually, you can enable this option in your account settings and then drag and drop subtasks into your preferred order. You can also move a subtask to a different parent by using drag and drop.

1. Locate the move icon adjacent to the subtask that you want to move.
2. Click and drag this icon.
3. Drop it in a different task to move it, or drop it within the same parent task to change the order.

To remove a subtask from its parent task, just drag it out and drop it off to the top, bottom or side.

## Completing subtasks

Subtasks can be completed individually, or as a group. Click the task or subtask's checkbox to mark it complete.

**Complete group.** When you complete a task that contains uncompleted subtasks, those subtasks will be automatically marked as completed. If these tasks are important, you should move them out of their parent task before you mark it as completed.

**Complete individual.** Click the individual subtask's checkbox to mark only that one subtask as complete. When you check off a subtask as being completed, it will no longer appear under the task unless you have the "show completed tasks" filter turned on.

## Deleting subtasks

Subtasks can be deleted individually, or as a group. Click the task or subtask's action icon and select "Delete Task" or "Delete Subtask".

**Delete group.** To delete a parent task and all of its subtasks, click the parent task's action icon and select "Delete Task". You will be asked to confirm this action.

**Delete individual.** To delete only one subtask, click the subtask's action icon and select "Delete Subtask". You will be asked to confirm this action.

## Repeating with subtasks

Choose your preference for repeating tasks and subtasks in your settings section.

**Repeating subtasks.** If you have a subtask that is set to repeat, it will automatically reschedule itself and remain within its parent task each time that you complete it.

**Repeating a task with subtasks.** If you have a task that is set to repeat and this task contains subtasks, those subtasks may or may not get carried forward depending on your settings. To have a subtask carried forward when you complete a repeating parent task, you must set the subtask to repeat in some fashion. Subtasks have an additional repeating option of "With Parent" which can be used when you only want to complete a subtask once within each occurrence of the parent task. Subtasks that do not repeat are considered to be one-time tasks that will not be carried forward when you complete the parent task.

![Repeating tasks and subtasks](https://static.toodledo.com/images/tour/subtasks_big3.png)

*Figure 5: Repeating Tasks & Subtasks*

In this example, "Buy a new file cabinet" is a non-repeating subtask, so it will not carry forward when you complete the parent task. The "File papers" subtask is set to repeat when the parent task is completed. This means that when you mark it as completed, it will disappear from this month's "Clean my office" task. When you finally complete the parent task, it will reappear on next month's "Clean my office". The subtask "Take out the trash" is a weekly repeating subtask. When you mark it as completed, it will automatically be rescheduled within its parent task one week in the future. When you complete the parent task, this subtask will also get carried forward to the new task.

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