Microsoft To Do: features, use cases and plans
October 24, 2026Microsoft Power Automate: features, use cases and plans
October 24, 2026
Microsoft product guide
Microsoft Planner
Planner is Microsoft’s visual task and project tool. Teams organize work as cards on boards, assign tasks and see progress without a heavyweight project system.
- Best for: team task tracking and light project management
- Where it runs: web and Teams
- Included in: Microsoft 365 business plans
- Premium tier available: Planner Plan 1 and Project Plan 3
What Planner does for your business
The features clients ask about most, with an example of each in daily use.
Boards and buckets
Organize tasks as cards in columns such as To do, Doing and Done. In practice: A marketing team moves campaign tasks across a board.
Assignments and checklists
Assign tasks to people, add checklists, attach files and set due dates. In practice: Each launch task has an owner and a checklist.
Multiple views
Switch between board, grid, schedule and charts. In practice: See workload by person in the charts view.
Inside Teams
Add Planner as a tab to a channel so the team plans where it talks. In practice: A project channel with its task board next to chat and files.
Timeline and dependencies
Premium plans add timelines, task dependencies and goals. In practice: Show that testing cannot start until development finishes.
Copilot
Help create plans and summarize progress in premium plans. Requires the Copilot add-on. In practice: Ask for a draft plan for an office move and adjust it.
Which plans include Planner
Basic Planner is included in the Microsoft 365 plans below. Premium features come from Planner Plan 1 or Planner and Project Plan 3.
| Plan | Planner version | Listing |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft 365 Business Basic Basic Planner | Included | View listing |
| Microsoft 365 Business Standard Basic Planner | Included | View listing |
| Microsoft 365 Business Premium Basic Planner | Included | View listing |
| Microsoft 365 E3 Basic Planner | Included | View listing |
| Planner Plan 1 Premium Planner in the web browser | Premium | View listing |
| Planner and Project Plan 3 Premium Planner plus the Project desktop client | Premium | View listing |
Variants of these plans without Teams, and Non-Profit and Education versions, are also available. Ask us and we will point you to the right one.
For IT buyers
Licensing and deployment notes
- Basic vs premium: Basic Planner covers boards and tasks. Premium adds dependencies, timelines, goals and in higher plans resource management.
- Licensing: Premium licences are per user, and users who only view or edit tasks in basic mode do not need them.
- Groups: Plans are usually tied to a Microsoft 365 Group, so group creation settings affect who can create plans.
- Project replacement: Project Online has been replaced by Planner and Project Plan 3 and 5. Plan migrations for older projects.
- Data location: Planner data is stored in Microsoft’s cloud with limited export options. Use Graph or Power Automate for reporting.
- Teams: The new Planner appears in Teams. Make sure users know where plans are.
Not sure which plan fits your team?
Tell us how many people need Planner and what they use it for, and we will recommend a plan.
Disclaimer: Microsoft may change features, pricing, plans or packaging at any time. Details here are a guide, not an offer; confirm current details on the listing or with us before you buy.
