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How to Change a Microsoft Planner Plan From Shared to Private

Algirdas Jasaitis Sep 30, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user wants to know if it is possible to convert a shared Microsoft Planner plan back to a private plan after it has been shared with a group.

How to Change a Microsoft Planner Plan From Shared to Private

Product: Microsoft Planner
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Attempting to restrict access to a Planner plan that was previously shared with a Microsoft 365 group.
Observed behavior: Planner does not provide a native setting or button to revert a shared group plan back to a private plan.

Before you start

Before proceeding, note that Microsoft Planner currently does not have a native feature to revert a shared plan to private. You will need to allocate some time to manually recreate the plan and transfer your existing tasks.

Solution 1Recommended

Create a New Private Plan and Transfer Tasks

Since there is no direct toggle to make a shared plan private, the official workaround is to create a fresh private plan and move or copy your tasks into it.

While Planner allows you to change a private plan to shared by adding a group, this process is irreversible. The only way to regain privacy is to start a new plan that is not connected to a Microsoft 365 group.

Create a new private plan

Open Microsoft Planner and click on 'New plan'. Choose to create a blank plan and ensure you do not add it to an existing Microsoft 365 Group, which keeps it private by default.

Open the original shared plan

Navigate to your existing shared plan where the tasks are currently stored.

Copy or move tasks

Click the three dots (More options) on a task and select 'Copy task' or 'Move task'. Choose your newly created private plan as the destination. Repeat this for all necessary tasks.

Delete the old plan (Optional)

Once you have verified that all information is safely in the new private plan, you can delete the old shared plan from its plan settings to avoid confusion.

Create a New Private Plan and Transfer Tasks

Submit Feature Feedback: Microsoft actively monitors user feedback. You can request the ability to change shared plans to private by submitting a suggestion through the official Planner feedback portal.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I change a private Planner plan to a shared one?

Yes, a private plan can easily be shared by connecting it to a Microsoft 365 group. However, you should be certain before doing this, as the action currently cannot be reversed.

Will I lose attachments when copying a task to a new plan?

Yes, when you copy tasks between plans in Microsoft Planner, certain elements like task attachments, comments, and task assignments are not carried over and will need to be added manually to the new task.

Why doesn't Planner allow changing a plan back to private?

Planner was fundamentally designed around Microsoft 365 Groups to foster open collaboration. Group integration ties deeply into permissions across SharePoint and Exchange, making it technically complex to un-link a plan once it has been shared.

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