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Does Microsoft Planner Automatically Delete Completed Tasks?

Rana Garcia Sep 30, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user wants to know if completed tasks in Microsoft Planner are automatically deleted, as they need to retain project records for several years.

Does Microsoft Planner Automatically Delete Completed Tasks?

Product: Microsoft Planner
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Reviewing old projects and ensuring that completed task records are retained long-term.
Observed behavior: Completed tasks move to the Completed tasks section of their respective bucket, but users are unsure if they will permanently stay there without being auto-purged.

Before you start

Before looking for your completed tasks, ensure you have the necessary permissions within your Microsoft 365 group to view all bucket details in the specific plan.

Solution 1Recommended

Locating Retained Completed Tasks in Microsoft Planner

Completed tasks are not automatically deleted by default. They are securely retained at the bottom of their respective buckets until someone manually deletes them.

Microsoft Planner does not have a built-in retention policy that automatically deletes tasks based on age or completion status. When a task is marked as complete, it simply moves out of the active view and into a hidden section at the bottom of its bucket.

Open your Microsoft Plan

Navigate to Microsoft Planner via your web browser or Microsoft Teams and open the specific project board you wish to review.

Locate the specific bucket

Find the column (bucket) where the completed task was originally categorized.

Expand the Completed tasks section

Scroll to the very bottom of the bucket and click on the 'Completed' dropdown arrow. This will expand the list to show all retained completed tasks.

Locating Retained Completed Tasks in Microsoft Planner

Check for Automated Flows: If you notice completed tasks are disappearing, your IT administrator may have set up a custom Power Automate flow to automatically delete completed tasks. Check with your organization's admin if you suspect this is happening.

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While Microsoft Planner requires a paid Microsoft 365 subscription, WPS Office provides a free, lightweight, and highly compatible suite of tools. You can easily manage project timelines, create task trackers in Spreadsheets, and collaborate with your team without recurring subscription fees.

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2. Open a Project Management Template: Launch WPS Spreadsheet, go to the Template library, and search for 'Task Tracker' or 'Gantt Chart'.
3. Customize and Track: Input your project details, assign statuses, and easily save or share your tracker in standard .xlsx format.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I recover a manually deleted task in Microsoft Planner?

No. Once a task is manually deleted in Microsoft Planner by a user, it is permanently removed and cannot be recovered from a recycle bin.

How do I export my completed Planner tasks for archiving?

You can export your entire plan, including all completed tasks, to an Excel spreadsheet by clicking the three dots (...) at the top of your plan board and selecting 'Export plan to Excel'.

Is there a limit to how many completed tasks I can store in a plan?

Yes, Microsoft Planner supports a maximum limit of 20,000 tasks per plan. This limit includes both active and completed tasks combined.

Why are my completed tasks suddenly disappearing?

Since Planner does not auto-delete tasks, disappearing tasks are usually the result of a custom Power Automate workflow configured by your organization to clean up old data, or another member of your plan manually deleting them.

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