To set a reminder on Windows 11, open Microsoft To Do, create a task, select it and choose Remind me > Pick a date & time. Choose the alert time and confirm it. Use Add due date separately for the task’s deadline; a due date alone is not the timed reminder.
These instructions cover the To Do Windows app. Microsoft’s older Cortana reminder commands no longer provide this route. Before relying on a reminder for an important deadline, check its saved details and try a short test alert on the device you plan to use.
Open To Do and Choose the Right Account
Search Start for Microsoft To Do. If it is absent, use the Windows download on Microsoft’s official To Do page to reach its Store listing. Choose the app published by Microsoft rather than a similarly named reminder app. Installation may be restricted on a managed PC.
Sign in to the account where you want to keep these tasks. Microsoft supports active personal Microsoft accounts; work or school access depends on the organization’s licensing and Exchange Online support. Its To Do account requirements explain the restrictions. If an organizational account fails, ask IT to check access rather than changing workplace policies.
Create a Task and Set Its Alert
- Open a list such as Tasks, enter a useful name in Add a task and press Enter. The new item should appear in that list.
- Select the item to open its detail pane. Choose Remind me, then Pick a date & time for a specific alert.
- Choose a future date and time. Confirm with Save in the picker, then check the reminder displayed in the task details.
- Optionally choose Add due date and select the deadline. Review both fields so you can tell when the task is due and when the alert is scheduled.
Microsoft documents the reminder and deadline controls in its due dates and reminders guide. Its Windows keyboard instructions also describe creating tasks with Enter and saving a custom reminder. You do not need to hunt for a separate Save button for the entire list.
Check a Reminder Before Depending on It
For a first test, use a disposable task such as “Check reminder settings” with an alert a few minutes ahead. Leave the PC awake and observe what happens when that time arrives. Then inspect the task details and notification center. This distinguishes an incorrectly scheduled task from an alert that Windows hid.
A useful real example is a Friday report: set its deadline to Friday and its reminder to Thursday afternoon, leaving time to act. Put the action in the title and supporting context in a note, rather than creating several identical tasks for the same deadline.
Allow Notifications and Check Do Not Disturb
Open Settings > System > Notifications. Turn Notifications on. Find Microsoft To Do under apps and other senders, if listed, and enable the banners, notification-center entries and sound you want. Press Windows + N to check the notification center.
Do not disturb can suppress banners. For a troubleshooting test, turn it off temporarily. To retain it afterward, review Set priority notifications, including the calls/reminders allowances and allowed apps. Also check automatic rules and Focus sessions if it keeps turning on. See Microsoft’s notification settings documentation and our Do Not Disturb and Focus assist guide for the paths.
Seeing a task in To Do proves that the task exists; it does not prove that an alert reached your screen. If To Do is missing from the sender list or no banner arrives, reopen the app, check its saved reminder and repeat the awake-PC test. Do not treat a sleeping or powered-off computer as a dependable alarm.
Set Repeating Tasks and Change a Reminder
Open the task details and select Repeat to choose an interval such as daily, weekdays, weekly or a custom schedule. Check the saved recurrence alongside the reminder. A repeating task and a timed alert serve different purposes, so verify the first occurrence before depending on the next one.
To change an alert, reopen its reminder control and choose the replacement time. To cancel only the alert, use Remove reminder. To stop recurrence, choose Never repeat. These controls leave the task available for review. Completing the task is a separate action; do not mark it done simply to edit its alert.
Optional: Type the Date and Time in the Task Name
To Do for Windows supports smart recognition from version 2.66, in English (EN-) languages. For example, while adding a new task, type “Review invoice tomorrow 3pm” and check the highlighted time before saving. Open its details afterward to confirm the actual reminder.
Microsoft’s smart-recognition guide notes that recognition does not run while editing the title in the details pane. Use the explicit reminder controls there. If recognition is unavailable or guesses incorrectly, set the fields manually. You can disable Recognize dates and times in task titles in To Do Settings; this avoids interpreting a word in a task name as a date.
Sync Tasks With Another Device
Sign in to To Do with the same account on the PC and phone. Microsoft’s syncing instructions describe this requirement. Confirm that the same task and reminder appear on both devices before relying on either alert. Each device’s notification permissions still need attention.
If a task is missing on one device, compare accounts first and check the connection. Personal and work accounts can contain different lists even when the app looks identical. Avoid creating duplicate reminders while diagnosing a sync problem; first establish which account holds the original task.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use Cortana to set these reminders?
No. Microsoft retired the standalone Cortana voice assistant in Windows in 2023, as explained in its Cortana support notice. Use To Do’s task controls for this method. An old “Hey Cortana, remind me” tutorial does not describe the current Windows 11 route.
Why did the deadline arrive without an alert?
Check that a reminder was saved as well as a due date, then check the selected time and notification settings. Try the short test above. If that test still fails, record the To Do version, account type and what appeared in notification center before contacting support.
What should I do after a missed reminder?
Review the unfinished task directly in To Do. Decide whether to complete it or reschedule its alert. Notification-center history can help diagnose delivery, but it should not replace the task list as your record of unfinished work.
Matthew Burleigh is the founder, head writer, and editor of Solve Your Tech, which he launched in 2012. He has written technology tutorials since 2008 and worked in IT since 2003, including small-business support, IT management, and consulting. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science from Arizona State University.
Matthew writes practical guides for Windows, iPhone and iPad, Microsoft Office, Outlook, Google apps, and Android. Solve Your Tech’s guides are tested on current devices or checked against official product documentation, with clear steps, sources, and update dates.
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