When I select several tasks from the List view, I am unable to remove them from projects. Asana will only let me move them to another project or another section. Am I doing something wrong?
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@Pamela_Harasyn
Here is what I did and it works:
- Press Ctrl key and select multiple tasks
- This opens up small ‘Controls’ section, where you have option to delete the selected tasks.
Check screenshot:
Thanks.
Vaibhav
Thanks, Vaibhav. I do not want to delete them completely, though. Just remove them from any projects. I still want them out floating in the abyss so I can get back to them if needed.
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If you multi-select the tasks as Vaibhav illustrates, then click the “Edit project or section” button in the bottom controls panel, you’ll get a popup list of all projects of the selected tasks; you can then click the little “X” to the right of any project to remove all selected tasks from that project.
(I moved this topic to the Tips and Tricks forum section.)
In that case, if those tasks are assigned to you, go to My Tasks, Select multiple tasks, and delete projects.
Step 1: Select tasks in My Tasks view
Note these tasks belong to 2 different projects
Step 2: Delete tasks from the projects
Hope this helps. 
Hi @Phil_Seeman,
This is what I see when I click on “Edit project or section” from list view of the project. (There is no ‘X’ to click)
This is where ‘My tasks’ view, as I mentioned in my reply to @Pamela_Harasyn, would help.
Thanks.
Vaibhav
Thanks gentlemen,
I would like to be able to do this for tasks from the project List View, though, as sometimes the tasks are not mine and/or owned by several people.
Hi @Pamela_Harasyn,
I do not think that is currently a possibility.
However, it would be a good practice to:
- allow users to manage their own tasks. Increases accountability.
- create tasks using + icon and then not assigning them to any project until we are sure.
- To have fewer unassigned tasks for better visibility, especially when you intend to get to them later on.
A workaround to this would be:
Create a project called ‘Floating tasks’ OR ‘Unassigned tasks’ OR ‘Backlog’ and bulk move tasks from Project list view to this new project.
Regards,
@Vaibhav_Khatri
Hmmm, interesting - in one of my workspaces, I get an “X” to remove the tasks from a project; in another of my workspaces, I have what you show - no “X” and a “move” pencil icon instead.
The former is a Business space and the latter is a Premium space.
I can only conclude that the difference is due to one of these factors:
- Business vs. Premium (seems very unlikely)
- Some type of permissions difference
- An A/B test that Asana is currently running on two different variations of that controls panel
@Marie or @Emily_Roman, any thoughts on this difference between my workspaces?
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@Pamela_Harasyn and @Vaibhav_Khatri,
WAIT - here is the difference, and how you can accomplish what you want from the Projects list view!
It turns out if one or more of your selected tasks is assigned to another additional project besides the current project, you get the “X” icon to remove from projects - including to remove from the current project!
(I think this seems like a bug - if not, it’s quite an odd design IMO. @Marie and @Emily_Roman, what do you think - bug or as designed?)
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I tried:
- assigning a task to 2 different projects.
- Then I selected multiple tasks including the task which is assigned to 2 projects. The X shows up.
- However, you cannot X tasks from both the projects. The moment we X one project, the X from the 2nd project disappears.
Seems that the intent is to not allow a user to remove task from all projects when in project list view.
This doesn’t look like a bug either. Here is the reason why I think this is a useful validation and not a bug:
-
Imagine a scenario where I remove a task from Project, which is assigned to you. I would lose access to the task completely. It wouldn’t show in the project. It wouldn’t show in the My Tasks view. I can now access that task only from your "My Task’ view.
-
In case of @Pamela_Harasyn’s scenario, if she removes the task (assigned to her team member) from a project, she’ll lose access to it completely.
Therefore, it makes sense that from “My Tasks” view, we are able to remove tasks from all projects, but not from Project list view.
Thanks.
@Pamela_Harasyn, @Phil_Seeman, @Vaibhav_Khatri, @Bastien_Siebman, and all,
See the feedback and vote over here; I reported this back in June:
Larry
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That is not true. Unassigned tasks that do not live in a project still exist on Asana, you just have to use the serach box to get to it since there are no other views that would bring it up. This is what I would like to do with some tasks - for them to be searchable but not tied to a project or owner. It is a bug in that I can remove tasks from a project one by one, but no more than one at a time.
Search*
@lpb,
Ah, thanks, Larry - I totally missed that thread! (I just voted.)
@Pamela_Harasyn,
Be sure to read the thread @lpb refers to - it explains all. It’s actually not a bug - it’s working the way it was designed - while in your case, you’re wanting to intentionally orphan tasks, overall I think Asana has found that on balance, people orphan them unintentionally and then lose them (not knowing they can be found via Advanced Search as you say), hence the reason Asana doesn’t let you do what you’re wanting in that control panel. Add your vote for a change over on that other thread!
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Hi folks,
This is a known issue, I was about the link Larry’s post but looks like he was quicker than me. Make sure to upvote this thread and I’ll keep you in the loop as soon as I have an update on our end!
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