<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Some projects don’t only happen once. If you find yourself doing repetitive work and re-creating the same type of project again and again, save time by re-using your original project and turning it into a </span><strong>project template</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">. You can then re-use the template as many times as you want.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">You can export project templates as CSV files, or as weblinks that you can easily save for later use or share with others. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Here’s how: </span></p>
<div class="box-note">
<p>You can only create project templates from the web or desktop apps. This feature isn’t available on mobile.</p>
</div>
<h2><span style="font-weight: 400;">Creating project templates</span></h2>
<div data-platforms="">
<div data-platform="web mac">
<ol>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Open the project you want to duplicate. </span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">In the top-right corner, click on the <strong>three dots icon</strong>.</span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Select <strong>Export as a template</strong>. </span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Choose whether you want to save the template as a CSV file or as a shareable weblink.</span></li>
</ol>
</div>
<div data-platform="windows-10">
<ol>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Open the project you want to duplicate. </span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">In the top-right corner, click on the <strong>three dots icon</strong>.</span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Select </span><strong>Export to template</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">. </span>
</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Choose whether you want to save the template as a CSV file or as a shareable weblink.</span></li>
</ol>
</div>
</div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Your project template will be an exact duplicate of the original including all due dates, comments, and files.</span></p>
<div class="box-tip">
<p>You can also easily <a href="https://support.todoist.com/hc/en-us/articles/115001800469" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">duplicate tasks</a> within a project.</p>
</div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Additionally, you can also create a custom template to import tasks from a different program or spreadsheet using a CSV file. <a href="https://support.todoist.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000748525-How-to-format-your-CSV-file-so-you-can-import-it-into-Todoist">Learn more about how to format your CSV file so you can import it into Todoist.</a></span></p>
<p>You’ll have the option to “Use relative dates” in your template. That means that dates like “tomorrow” or “in 5 days” will be set based on the date you import the template into a new project. For example, if you create your new project and import the template on May 5, any task with a due date of “tomorrow” will be due on May 6.</p>
<div class="box-warning">
<p>When downloading a project, the start date of a recurring due date will not be saved in the template. As an example, if you have a task with the recurring due date <em>every year starting January 31</em> and you then export and import a template with that task, the task's due date will be changed to <em>every year</em>.</p>
</div>
<h2><span style="font-weight: 400;">Importing project templates from a shareable weblink</span></h2>
<ol>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Click on the weblink for the project template you want to re-create (see step 4 above).</span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Click </span><strong>Use This Template</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span>
</li>
</ol>
<p><img src="https://get.todoist.help/hc/article_attachments/360001056379/New_Templates_Image.png" alt="New_Templates_Image.png"></p>
<p>A new project will appear at the bottom of your project list with all of the original project’s tasks, including all due dates, comments, and files.</p>
<h2><span style="font-weight: 400;">Importing pre-made project templates from todoist.com/templates</span></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">If you're looking to get a headstart on your project, browse the Todoist library of 60+ pre-made templates in categories ranging from work to personal to creative. Find the templates at <a href="https://todoist.com/templates">todoist.com/templates</a>.</span></p>
<h2><span style="font-weight: 400;">Importing project templates from a CSV file</span></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The project will be populated with all of the original project’s tasks – including all due dates, comments, and files. </span></p>
<div class="box-tip">You can re-create the project template even faster by dragging and dropping the CSV file directly into an existing project.</div>
<div data-platforms="">
<div data-platform="web mac">
<ol>
<ol>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Create a new project (or open an existing project) to import your template into. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">In the top-right corner, click on the <strong>three dots icon</strong>.</span></li>
<li>Select<strong> Import from template</strong>. Please note that your CSV file needs to be UTF-8 encoded. You can learn more about this in the next section of this article.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Select the CSV file template from your computer (see step 4 above).</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"></span>
</li>
</ol>
</ol>
<div class="box-warning">Please note that your CSV file needs to be UTF-8 encoded. You can learn more about this in the next section of this article.</div>
</div>
<div data-platform="windows-10">
<ol>
<ol>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Create a new project (or open an existing project) to import your template into. </span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">In the top-right corner, click on the <strong>three dots icon</strong>. </span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Select </span><strong>Import from template</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span>
</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Select the CSV file template from your computer (see step 4 above).</span></li>
</ol>
</ol>
<div class="box-warning">Please note that your CSV file needs to be UTF-8 encoded. You can learn more about this in the next section of this article.</div>
</div>
</div>
<h2>How to save your CSV file with UTF-8 encoding</h2>
<p>In order for Todoist to import your CSV file correctly, it'll have to be encoded using UTF-8 formatting. Below you can learn how to save your CSV file with UTF-8 encoding in Microsoft Excel, Numbers, and Notepad!</p>
<div data-accordion="">
<h4>Save your CSV file using UTF-8 encoding in Microsoft Excel</h4>
<ol>
<li>Open your CSV file in Microsoft Excel.</li>
<li>Click <strong>File </strong>in the top-left corner of your screen.</li>
<li>Select <strong>Save as...</strong>
</li>
<li>Open the drop-down menu next to <strong>File format</strong>.</li>
<li>Select <strong>CSV UTF-8 (Comma delimited) (.csv)</strong>.</li>
<li>Click <strong>Save</strong>.</li>
</ol>
<h4>Save your CSV file using UTF-8 encoding in Numbers</h4>
<ol>
<li>Open your CSV file in Numbers.</li>
<li>Click <strong>File </strong>in the top-left corner of your screen.</li>
<li>Select <strong>Export to...</strong>
</li>
<li>Select <strong>CSV...</strong>
</li>
<li>Click <strong>Advanced options</strong>.</li>
<li>Open the drop-down menu next to <strong>Text Encoding</strong>.</li>
<li>Select <strong>Unicode (UTF-8)</strong>.</li>
<li>Click <strong>Next</strong>.</li>
<li>Once you've chosen a name and location for your file, click <strong>Save</strong>.</li>
</ol>
<h4>Save your CSV file using UTF-8 encoding in Notepad</h4>
<ol>
<li>Open your CSV file in Notepad.</li>
<li>Click <strong>File </strong>in the top-left corner of your screen.</li>
<li>Select <strong>Save as...</strong>
</li>
<li>Select the following options:
<ol>
<li>Open the <em>Save as type</em> drop-down menu and select <strong>All Files</strong>.</li>
<li>Open the <em>Encoding</em> drop-down menu and select <strong>UTF-8</strong>.</li>
<li>Rename your file using the <strong>.csv </strong>extension. For example, if you want to name your file "Work" you should save your file as <em>Work.csv</em>.</li>
</ol>
</li>
<li>Click <strong>Save.</strong>
</li>
</ol>
</div>
<h2>FAQ</h2>
<div data-accordion="">
<h4>My project is in <a href="https://get.todoist.help/hc/en-us/articles/360013988740" target="_self">board view</a> and I want to export it as a CSV file. If I later import it again, will it retain board view?</h4>
<p>Yes, it will! Whether you export a project as a CSV file in list view or in board view, it'll retain that view once imported.</p>
<h4>Will completed tasks be included in my templates?</h4>
<p>No, unfortunately not. Only active tasks will be exported/imported.</p>
<h4>Will template URLs expire?</h4>
<p>No, they will not expire.</p>
<h4>Are template URLs public?</h4>
<p>Yes, anyone who has access to a template URL will be able to access that template and see the tasks in that template.</p>
</div>

Importing or exporting project templates

Introduction to: Sections

How to use board view

Introduction to: Projects

Manage your view

What’s the difference between the Team Inbox and my personal Inbox?

Create a sub-project

Duplicate a project

Archive a project

View archived projects

Add a section

Edit a section

Archive or delete a section

What’s the difference between the Inbox and a project?

How to format your CSV file so you can import it into Todoist

Use a template from todoist.com/templates

Projects & Sections

Importing or exporting project templates

Available for

Platforms

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