Dates & Reminders

Due dates, start and end dates, reminders, and repeating tasks.

Tasks can have due dates, start and end dates, reminders, and repeating schedules. Here’s how each one works.

Due Date#

The due date is when a task must be finished. Once the due date passes, the task is considered overdue. Overdue tasks are highlighted so you can quickly spot what needs attention.

Overdue task highlighted in the task list

If you’ve enabled it in the settings, you’ll receive an email each morning with a list of the tasks that are overdue.

Due dates are also used for sorting in the Upcoming view and on the dashboard, making it easy to see what is coming up next.

Start and End Date#

Start and end dates define the window during which you plan to work on a task. For example, a report due March 31 (due date) might have a start date of March 20 and an end date of March 28, meaning you plan to do the work during that week.

These dates are primarily used in the Gantt view, where each task appears as a bar spanning from its start date to its end date on the timeline.

Reminders#

Reminder configuration with absolute and relative options

You can set one or more reminders on any task. When a reminder triggers, you receive a notification in the Vikunja UI. If you have email notifications enabled in your settings, you will also receive an email.

Reminders come in two types:

Absolute reminders: Set for a specific date and time (e.g. “remind me on March 5th at 9:00 AM”).
Relative reminders: Set relative to one of the task’s date fields (due date, start date, or end date). For example, “remind me 1 hour before the due date” or “remind me 2 days before the start date”.

Relative reminders require the corresponding date field to be set on the task. For example, a reminder relative to the due date will not trigger if no due date is set.

Repeating Tasks#

Tasks can repeat on a schedule. Vikunja supports the same kind of recurrence rules you know from calendar applications. Some examples:

Every day
Every week
Every month
Every 2 weeks on Tuesday
First Tuesday of the month

When a repeating task is marked as done, Vikunja automatically creates the next occurrence based on the recurrence rule.

Quick Add Magic#

Due dates, reminders, and repeating schedules can all be set directly when creating a task using Quick Add Magic. Instead of filling in fields manually, you can type everything in natural language right in the task title.

For the full list of supported keywords and date formats, see Quick Add Magic.