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Can Microsoft Planner Restrict Task Visibility by Assignee?

Camila Milosovich Oct 9, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user wants to know if it is possible to restrict the visibility of specific tasks in Microsoft Planner so that they are only visible to the person they are assigned to.

How to Handle Task Visibility and Restrictions in Microsoft Planner

Product: Microsoft Planner
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: A project manager or team member needs to hide sensitive or private tasks from the broader team, ensuring only the assigned individuals can view and access them.
Observed behavior: Currently, every member of a Planner plan can view all tasks within that plan, including tasks assigned to other people. Planner does not have a native setting to restrict task visibility strictly to the assignee.

Before you start

Before attempting workarounds, verify exactly which team members require access to the sensitive tasks, as you will need to set up a completely separate environment to keep their assignments private.

Solution 1Recommended

Create a Separate Private Plan for Sensitive Tasks

Since Microsoft Planner does not support task-level visibility restrictions, the most effective native workaround is to create a distinct, private plan containing only the users who should see the tasks.

Microsoft Planner manages permissions at the plan level, not the task level. Therefore, the only way to hide tasks from certain people is to remove them from the plan entirely, or put those tasks in a new plan.

Create a New Plan

Navigate to the Planner Hub in your web browser and click on 'New plan' in the left sidebar menu.

Name and Secure the Plan

Enter a name for your private tasks (e.g., 'Confidential Tasks'). Ensure the privacy setting is set to 'Private' so only members you explicitly invite can see the plan.

Invite Specific Assignees

Add only the team members who are authorized to view and work on these specific tasks. Do not add your entire broader team.

Assign Tasks

Create the sensitive tasks within this new plan and assign them to the respective members. These tasks will now remain hidden from anyone not invited to this specific plan.

Create a Separate Private Plan for Sensitive Tasks

Microsoft 365 Group Creation: Keep in mind that creating a new plan in Microsoft Planner automatically generates a corresponding Microsoft 365 Group, which includes a separate SharePoint site, inbox, and calendar.

Solution 2

Submit a Feature Request via the Feedback Portal

If the lack of task-level privacy significantly impacts your workflow, you can advocate for this feature by submitting feedback directly to the Microsoft Planner team.

Free Microsoft Office alternative

Manage Tasks and Permissions Easily with WPS Office

If Microsoft Planner's limitations are hindering your project management, consider using WPS Office as a flexible alternative. You can easily build highly customizable task trackers in WPS Spreadsheet and use built-in document encryption to strictly control who can view your sensitive tasks.

1. Download and Install: Visit the official WPS website to download WPS Office Free and install it on your computer or mobile device.
2. Create a Task Tracker: Launch WPS Spreadsheet and use one of the many free templates to create a customized project management tracker.
3. Set Permissions: Navigate to the 'Menu' > 'File' > 'File Encryption' to lock your task list with a password, ensuring total privacy for sensitive assignments.

Fully compatible with Microsoft Excel, Word, and PowerPoint formats.Easily create and share customizable task trackers using WPS Spreadsheet.Set document-level passwords to strictly control who views your tasks.Lightweight, free to use, and available across Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make a specific bucket private in Microsoft Planner?

No. Buckets share the exact same permission level as the overall plan. All members of the plan can view every bucket and the tasks inside them.

Can guest users view all tasks in a Planner plan?

Yes. If a guest user is added to the Microsoft 365 Group associated with your plan, they have the same visibility rights as standard members and can view all tasks within that plan.

Will Microsoft add task-level permissions to Planner in the future?

While Microsoft has received numerous requests for task-level visibility restrictions on their Feedback portal, there is currently no official release date or confirmation for this feature.

Is there a way to hide comments on a Planner task from certain members?

No. Comments made on a task in Microsoft Planner are visible to anyone who has access to the plan. If you need private discussions, you should use direct messages in Microsoft Teams instead.

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