Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to common questions. If you can’t find what you need, search this help site, ask in the Community, or email us at afriendlyperson@maketimeflow.com.
I accidentally deleted a task in the outliner
Don’t worry — your task isn’t gone. When you delete a task in the outliner (using Backspace/Delete or CmdBackspace), MakeTimeFlow cancels it rather than permanently deleting it. All your task details — notes, subtasks, labels, priorities, time estimates — are preserved.
To restore it:
- Go to the Task Table view (the table icon in the sidebar)
- Click the Status filter and select Cancelled
- Your most recently cancelled tasks appear first — find yours near the top
- Click on the task to open it
- Click the Restore button in the yellow cancelled banner
Your task is back, exactly as it was.
Undo in the Outliner
If you catch the mistake immediately, CmdZ (Mac) or CtrlZ (Windows/Linux) will undo the cancellation right in the outliner.
See also: Finding Tasks, Task Filters in Flow
Something vanished from my @today list
It was most likely a folder or an info node. Your action buckets (@today, @next, @later) display only actionable things — tasks and projects — so what you see is always what you can do. Folders and info nodes are still exactly where you filed them: check the outliner, the Task Table view, or the inbox.
If you meant to act on it, open it and make it a task.
See also: Tasks, Projects, Folders, and Info, Let It Flow
I can’t find a task I know I created
Tasks can be in one of three states: Active, Completed, or Cancelled. By default, most views show only active tasks. If you can’t find a task, it may have been completed or cancelled.
How to search across all statuses:
- Go to the Task Table view
- Set the Status filter to Any — this shows active, completed, and cancelled tasks
- Use the search box to type part of the task name
Narrowing it down
If you remember roughly when you last touched the task, combine the Status filter with the Updated time filter (today, this week, last week, etc.) to narrow results.
See also: Finding Tasks
What’s the difference between completed, cancelled, and deleted?
| State | What it means | How it happens | Can I get it back? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Completed | You finished the task | Toggle done (CmdD) or check it off | Yes — uncheck it or use the status toggle |
| Cancelled | You removed it from your plate | Delete in outliner, or delete via task menu | Yes — use the Restore button in Task Table |
| Permanently deleted | Gone forever | Click the “x” on a cancelled task, or delete in Edit as Text mode | No |
Most of the time when you think you’ve “deleted” a task, you’ve actually cancelled it — and it’s fully recoverable.
Why cancel instead of delete?
We use a “soft delete” approach because tasks often carry valuable context — notes, subtasks, time tracked, labels. Cancelling keeps all of that recoverable, like moving something to cold storage instead of throwing it away.
If you want to fully delete tasks, just select them in the table view, and delete again. They will be fully deleted from the system.
See also: Task Filters in Flow > Managing Cancelled Tasks
Can I email a task into MakeTimeFlow?
Yes. Send or forward it to tasks@maketimeflow.com from the address you use to log in, and it becomes a task: the subject is the title, the body becomes the notes, and it lands in your @inbox tagged #email.
The useful part is the subject line — the whole Task Text Format works there, so you can decide when and how long on the way past:
This long hard task disguised as an email @next 1h start Monday
A few things to know:
- It has to come from your login address — mail from an address we don’t recognise bounces, and aliases count as different addresses.
- A blank subject creates nothing, because the subject is the title.
- Attachments aren’t carried across; the text is.
- Never forward patient or confidential email — the whole message is copied into your notes. Non-patient email only.
See also: Email Into MakeTimeFlow, Task Text Format