How to add Buckets in Microsoft Planner

​Microsoft Planner uses buckets to group and organise tasks within a plan. They act like categories or columns that help structure your work visually and logically. By default, Microsoft Planner creates a bucket called To Do, however you can rename this default bucket as well as create your own buckets to identify different stages of a project.

Buckets can be named by:

• project stage or phase;
• client name;
• department;
• timeframe;
• outcome or goal;
• project segments;
• type of work;
• location;
• or anything that suits your project.

Create a Bucket

You can create up to 200 buckets in a single Plan. You can also rename and move buckets as needed to better suit your project.

To create a new bucket:

1. Open a web browser and go to https://planner.cloud.microsoft/.
2. The My Tasks screen will appear.
3. Select the plan you wish to add buckets to, or click Create a plan:

4. Select a Basic plan then give the new plan a name and click Create a plan.
5. You will see the default bucket called To do:

6. In the second column you will see a prompt to Add bucket, click the button.
7. Enter a name for the new bucket.
8. Press Enter to finish entering the name.
9. Immediately an Add task button will appear underneath your new bucket:

10. Repeat the process to add more buckets.

Move a bucket

To change the order of the buckets:

1. Hover over the bucket name you wish to move.
2. Click the ellipsis (…) button next to the name and click to open the menu:

3. From the menu you will have Move left and/or Move right options.
4. The last bucket will only have options to Move left.
5. The first bucket will only have options to Move right.

Rename a Bucket

Microsoft Planner will allow you to rename a bucket if needed. You can also rename the To Do bucket to something that you might find more useful.

1. Click the ellipsis (…) button next to the default To do bucket.
2. From the menu, choose Rename:

3. Edit the name.
4. Alternatively, you can double click on the bucket name and it will allow you to edit the name directly.

Delete a bucket

If you decide you no longer need a bucket you can delete it however it will also delete all tasks contained within it.

1. Click the ellipsis (…) button next to the bucket.
2. From the menu, choose Delete:

Add colour to a bucket

When using the Board view in Planner you are now able to add a background colour to the bucket. This was previously a Premium feature but is now available with a Basic Plan as well.

1. Hover over the Bucket name.
2. Click the Color picker button:

3. Choose a colour from the options.
4. The bucket will now display a background colour:

Using buckets in Microsoft Planner is a simple yet powerful way to bring structure and clarity to your projects. Use buckets to organise tasks by phase, priority, team, or any other method, buckets help ensure that everyone stays aligned and work flows smoothly from start to finish. Be sure to comment below with any questions or check out other Planner posts.