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How to Automatically Create Microsoft To Do Tasks from Word or Excel Mentions

Maira Mehtab Sep 20, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user wants to know if it is possible to automatically generate actionable Microsoft To Do tasks whenever someone is @mentioned in a Microsoft Word, Excel, or PowerPoint comment.

Product: Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Microsoft To Do
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Collaborating on documents and tracking action items via @mentions in comments.
Observed behavior: An @mention sends an email notification to the user but does not automatically populate as a new task in Microsoft To Do.

Before you start

Ensure you are signed into your Microsoft 365 account and have active access to both your Office applications and Microsoft To Do.

Solution 1Recommended

Understand the limitations of Office @mentions and use workarounds

Currently, Microsoft does not offer a native feature to convert @mentions into To Do tasks directly. However, you can manage these notifications via Outlook.

While @mentions in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint are excellent for notifying team members about specific comments, they are designed purely as notification triggers. At this time, there is no direct, built-in mechanism within Microsoft 365 to automatically push these mentions into Microsoft To Do as actionable tasks.

Locate the mention notification

When you are @mentioned in a document, Microsoft automatically sends an email notification to your Outlook inbox containing a preview of the comment.

Flag the email for Microsoft To Do

Open Outlook and flag the notification email. If you have the 'Flagged email' smart list enabled in Microsoft To Do, this flagged email will automatically appear as a manageable task.

Submit a feature request

If you rely heavily on seamless task management, visit the Microsoft To Do community forums to submit or upvote a feature request for direct integration with Office @mentions.

Advanced Alternative: You can use Microsoft Power Automate to create a custom flow that triggers the creation of a To Do task based on incoming @mention emails in Outlook, though this requires setting up automated rules manually.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use Power Automate to link Office mentions to Microsoft To Do?

Yes, you can set up a custom Power Automate flow that automatically creates a Microsoft To Do task whenever you receive an Outlook email notification containing an @mention from an Office document.

Where do @mention notifications go if not to Microsoft To Do?

By default, @mention notifications in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint are sent to your Outlook inbox as email alerts. They contain a snippet of the comment and a direct link to the document.

Does flagging an @mention email add it to To Do?

Yes. If you turn on the 'Flagged email' integration in Microsoft To Do settings, flagging any email in Outlook—including @mention notifications—will automatically create a corresponding task in To Do.

Will Microsoft add automatic task creation for mentions in the future?

While not officially announced as a native feature yet, Microsoft continually updates its 365 ecosystem. You can follow feature updates and submit requests in the official Microsoft To Do Community hub.

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