Skip to content

CSV format

Use this guide to build a valid CSV file before upload.

Required and accepted columns

The required column is:

  • Task Name

Accepted columns are:

  • Task Name (required)
  • Description (optional) — written to the task notes in Planner when provided (maximum 32,768 characters)
  • Priority (optional)
  • Bucket (optional)
  • Goal (optional)
  • Due Date (optional)
  • Assigned To (optional)

You can use the canonical headings below, or common synonyms (for example Title for Task Name). The import app maps your columns automatically and lets you adjust mappings before preview.

Download ready-made examples from the upload step (or use /samples/import-minimal.csv and /samples/import-full.csv on the app site).

CSV only today; Excel later

This release accepts comma-separated (CSV) files only. Excel workbook (.xlsx) import and native Planner export handling are planned separately and will reuse the same in-app column mapping layer as CSV upload (canonical fields, synonym headers, and remembered layouts). You will not need a second mapping system when workbook import ships.

Assigned To values

Assigned To accepts one or more people identified by work email or sign-in name (user principal name). List several people in one cell, separated by commas or semicolons.

Each value is matched only against destination members (the group or personal plan container). Guests already in the destination can be assigned. Other aliases are not matched.

If a person cannot be assigned, the task is still created and the import report lists manual follow-up for that person. That is different from a row validation error.

If the file contains at least one Assigned To address and the app cannot load destination members (for example missing permission), preview is blocked until lookup succeeds.

Due Date values

Due Date accepts either:

  • ISO dates: yyyy-MM-dd with zero-padded month and day (for example 2026-05-31). Values such as 2026-5-31 are not accepted.
  • UK day-first dates with slashes or hyphens, using two- or four-digit years (for example 31/05/2026, 31-05-26).

Two-digit years are interpreted as 2000–2099. Leave the cell empty when no due date is needed.

Numeric dates such as 05/06/2026 are read day-first (5 June), not month-first. Excel serial numbers (for example 44927) are not accepted.

If the value is not recognised, validation will fail for that row, like invalid Priority.

Separators and encoding

The app accepts comma-separated or semicolon-separated CSV when the first row makes the choice clear.

  • Excel in many UK and EU locales saves CSV with semicolons instead of commas.
  • Excel “CSV UTF-8” may start with a UTF-8 byte order mark (BOM). The app ignores a leading BOM.
  • Tab-separated and pipe-separated files are not supported. Save as comma-separated UTF-8 if you see a separator error.

If both commas and semicolons appear unquoted in the header row, the app cannot tell which separator you intended. Save the file as comma-separated UTF-8 and upload again.

The examples on this page use comma-separated UTF-8 without a BOM.

Priority values

Priority accepts either:

  • Numbers from 0 to 10.
  • Text values: Urgent, Important, Medium, Low.

Text values are case-insensitive.

If the value is not recognised, validation will fail and the row will not be imported until corrected.

Minimal valid CSV example 

Task Name
Kick-off workshop
Review requirements

Full-featured CSV example 

Task Name,Description,Priority,Bucket,Goal,Due Date,Assigned To
Prepare release notes,Draft version 1 for review,Urgent,Planning,Launch readiness,31/05/2026,owner@contoso.com
Confirm sign-off,Collect final approval from stakeholders,Important,Approvals,Launch readiness,2026-06-15,"reviewer@contoso.com; approver@contoso.com"
Publish update,Post the final update to users,3,Delivery,Launch readiness,,

Common mistakes and how to avoid them

  • Missing header row: always include headings in the first row.
  • Wrong heading names: use accepted headings or synonyms, or fix mappings in the upload step when preview is blocked.
  • Invalid priority value: use 0-10 or one of Urgent/Important/Medium/Low.
  • Invalid due date value: use ISO yyyy-MM-dd or a UK day/month/year date, or leave the cell empty.
  • Description too long: keep descriptions within 32,768 characters to match Planner limits.
  • Mixed separators in the header: if both commas and semicolons appear unquoted in the first row, save as comma-separated UTF-8.
  • Unsupported separator: tab- or pipe-separated files are not supported; save as comma-separated UTF-8.
  • Extra columns: unexpected columns can be ignored for import, but keeping only supported columns reduces confusion.
  • Empty task names: each row must include a task name.

Next step: see Import workflow for the full in-app process.