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Fix Microsoft Planner Task Comments Not Moving Between Plans

Steve K Sep 28, 2026 869 views

Question details

Users need to recover or retain task comments that are lost when a task is moved from one plan to another.

How to Recover Planner Task Comments That Do Not Move Between Plans

Product: Microsoft Planner
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Moving existing tasks between different plans within Microsoft Planner.
Observed behavior: Task comments are left behind in the original plan's conversation thread and do not transfer to the new plan. Standard Planner exports also fail to include these comments.

Before you start

Before attempting to recover your comments, ensure you have access to the Microsoft Outlook inbox and Microsoft 365 Groups associated with your original Planner plan.

Solution 1Recommended

Recover Lost Planner Comments via Outlook Group Conversations

Since Planner comments are tied to the Microsoft 365 Group email thread, you can manually locate and recover them from the associated Outlook group.

Microsoft Planner stores task comments in the Exchange mailbox of the Microsoft 365 Group connected to the plan. When you move a task, the link to this conversation breaks, but the data remains in Outlook.

Open Microsoft Outlook

Launch Microsoft Outlook on the web or desktop and navigate to the 'Groups' section in the left-hand navigation pane.

Locate the Original Group

Select the Microsoft 365 Group that corresponds to the original Planner plan where the task was initially created.

Access the Conversations Tab

Click on the 'Conversations' tab to view the email threads associated with the group's tasks.

Find and Copy Comments

Locate the specific email thread for your task, manually copy the comments, and paste them into the task's Notes field in the new Planner plan.

Recover Lost Planner Comments via Outlook Group Conversations

Check Deleted Items: If you cannot find the comments in the active group conversation, check the group's Deleted Items folder or recovery options, especially if email notifications were previously enabled.

Solution 2

Manually Transfer Comments Before Moving the Task

The simplest way to retain critical information when migrating tasks is to move the comments into a field that safely transfers between plans.

Solution 3

Automate Comment Backups with Power Automate

Prevent future data loss by setting up a Power Automate flow to automatically save Planner task comments to an external file like an Excel spreadsheet or SharePoint list.

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Try WPS Office for Seamless Project Document Management

While Microsoft Planner handles basic task tracking, managing your exported project data, Excel backups, and team documentation requires a robust office suite. WPS Office provides a free, highly compatible, and lightweight alternative to Microsoft Office, allowing you to manage all your spreadsheets and reports in one unified workspace.

1. Download WPS Office: Visit the official WPS website to download and install the free office suite on your device.
2. Open Exported Backups: Use WPS Spreadsheet to easily open and organize your Power Automate task exports and project logs.
3. Manage Project Files: Keep your project documentation organized using WPS Office's built-in Word, Excel, and PDF tools in one seamless interface.

Fully compatible with Microsoft Excel (.xlsx) formats, making it easy to view exported Planner backups.Lightweight installation that runs smoothly on Windows, Mac, Linux, and mobile devices.Free to use with a familiar, easy-to-navigate user interface requiring no learning curve.Unique tabbed workspace lets you open documents, spreadsheets, and PDFs in a single window.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why do my comments disappear when moving a task in Microsoft Planner?

Comments in Microsoft Planner are actually tied to the Microsoft 365 Group's email conversation thread associated with the original plan. When a task is moved to a new plan, it disconnects from that specific group thread, leaving the comments behind.

Can Microsoft Support automatically restore lost task comments?

No, there is no built-in undo feature or backend tool to automatically restore comments moved between plans. Users must manually recover the text from the Outlook group conversations.

Are comments included when I export a Planner plan to Excel?

Typically, standard Planner exports do not include task comments because they are stored in the Exchange group mailbox rather than the core Planner database. You must use a tool like Power Automate to specifically extract and export comments.

Will moving a task back to the original plan restore the comments?

Unfortunately, moving a task back to its original plan does not automatically re-link the comments. The conversation thread remains in the original Outlook group but won't be visibly reattached to the Planner task interface.

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