The My Day sidebar in the new Outlook for Windows is a persistent panel for managing your daily schedule and to-do list. It provides a consolidated view of your calendar events and tasks without leaving your inbox. This article explains how to open the sidebar, add items to it, and use it to plan your workday efficiently.
Key Takeaways: Using the My Day Sidebar
- View > My Day: Opens the sidebar to show today’s calendar and tasks from the To Do app.
- Drag-and-drop email: Drag any message from your inbox onto the My Day sidebar to create a new task linked to that email.
- Right-click task > Add to My Day: Pins a specific task from your Microsoft To Do list to the sidebar for focused work.
What the My Day Sidebar Shows and Syncs
The My Day sidebar is a feature of the updated Outlook application for Windows. It displays two primary types of information pulled from other Microsoft 365 services. The top section shows a condensed view of your calendar events for the current day, sourced from your Outlook Calendar. The bottom section lists tasks that you have explicitly added to your “My Day” list within the Microsoft To Do app.
This integration means the sidebar itself is not a separate storage location. It is a dedicated viewing and quick-action pane. Any change you make to an event in the sidebar, like clicking a meeting link, affects the main Calendar. Similarly, checking off a task here marks it complete in the To Do app across all your devices. You need an active internet connection for the sidebar to sync and display the latest information from these cloud services.
Steps to Open and Manage the My Day Sidebar
Follow these steps to enable the sidebar and start using it for daily planning.
- Open the My Day sidebar
Click the View tab on the Outlook ribbon. In the Layout group, click the My Day button. The sidebar will open on the right side of your Outlook window. - Review your daily schedule
Look at the Calendar section in the sidebar. It shows your appointments and meetings for today. Click on any event title to open its details in a pop-up window, where you can join a Teams meeting or edit the event. - Add a new task from an email
Click and hold an email in your message list. Drag it over to the Tasks list in the My Day sidebar and release. A new task is created with the email subject as the task title and a deep link back to the original message. - Pin existing tasks to My Day
Open the Tasks module in Outlook by clicking the Tasks icon in the navigation bar. Find a task you want to focus on today. Right-click the task and select Add to My Day from the context menu. It will now appear in the sidebar’s task list. - Complete or postpone tasks
In the My Day sidebar, click the circle next to a task to mark it as complete. To schedule it for another day, hover over the task and click the three-dot menu icon that appears. Select Postpone and choose a new date like Tomorrow or Next Week.
Using Keyboard Shortcuts
- Toggle the sidebar view
Press Alt+V on your keyboard to open the View tab menu, then press D to select the My Day button. This keyboard shortcut opens or closes the sidebar. - Navigate task list
With the My Day sidebar in focus, use the Tab key to move between the calendar and tasks sections. Use the Up and Down arrow keys to select a specific task, then press Spacebar to mark it complete.
Common Mistakes and Limitations to Avoid
My Day Sidebar Is Empty or Not Showing Tasks
The sidebar only shows tasks added to your “My Day” list in Microsoft To Do. If you created a task in Outlook but did not add it to My Day, it will not appear. Open the To Do app or the Tasks module in Outlook and ensure your tasks are in the specific “My Day” list. Also, verify you are signed in with the correct Microsoft 365 account.
Calendar Events Are Missing from the Sidebar
The sidebar only displays the primary calendar associated with your mailbox. If you manage events in a secondary or shared calendar, they will not show up. Switch your main Outlook view to the desired calendar to see those events for the day. The sidebar also does not show all-day events or tasks with specific start times, only timed appointments.
Cannot Drag Email to Create a Task
This feature requires the new Outlook application. If you are using the classic desktop version, the drag-and-drop function to create tasks does not work with the My Day pane. Ensure you have updated to the new Outlook via the “Try the new Outlook” toggle switch in the top-right corner of the classic app.
My Day Sidebar vs. Calendar and Tasks Modules
| Item | My Day Sidebar | Full Calendar or Tasks Module |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Purpose | At-a-glance daily planning and focus | Comprehensive management and editing |
| View Scope | Today’s events and My Day tasks only | Multiple calendars, all dates, all task lists |
| Creation Method | Quick add via drag-and-drop from email | Detailed forms with all fields and reminders |
| Persistence | Always visible as a sidebar pane | Opens in a separate tab or window |
| Best For | Keeping daily priorities visible while processing email | Scheduling future meetings or managing complex projects |
You can now keep your daily agenda and key tasks visible alongside your email. Try using the drag-and-drop method to quickly convert emails into actionable to-do items. For power users, combine the sidebar with Outlook categories by assigning a color to high-priority tasks added to My Day for instant visual filtering.