We would like to copy multiple tasks from one project to another, including all their custom field values.
So far, we have tried copying and pasting the tasks using Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V. However, only the project title is carried over, while the custom fields remain empty in the destination project.
Both projects already contain the same custom fields, so we expected the existing values to be copied as well.
Is there a way to copy tasks between projects while preserving all custom field values? Or is there an alternative approach that would allow us to achieve this?
Thanks for explaining the issue! Instead of copying and pasting tasks between projects, I’d recommend using custom field standardization and Asana’s multi-homing feature. This lets you maintain the same task across multiple projects without creating duplicates.
Step 1: Add your custom fields to the field library
In your base project, when creating or configuring a custom field, enable “Add to [team name]’s field library”, as shown in the screenshot.
This makes the field available for reuse, helping standardize the field definition and its options across projects.
GID stands for Globally Unique Identifier. Think of it like a unique student ID in a school: two students might have the same name, but each student ID identifies one specific student. Similarly, when projects use the same shared custom field, they reference the same underlying field rather than separate fields that happen to have the same name.
Step 2: Add the same fields to the destination project
Open the destination project and add the custom fields from the field library rather than creating new ones with the same names. This ensures both projects use the shared field definitions.
Step 3: Multi-home the tasks instead of copying them
Now, you don’t need to copy and paste the tasks. Open each task and add it to the destination project using the option to add it to another project.
This is called multi-homing in Asana. The task remains the same task in both projects, so its custom field values and other task details are retained rather than recreated in a separate copy.
Thanks for your detailed explanation! I understand the benefits of multi-homing, but unfortunately, this doesn’t solve our use case, as we specifically need to create separate copies of the tasks, rather than have the same task in multiple projects.
Our use case is as follows:
We have a project containing all possible media placements for our marketing campaigns. For each individual campaign, we copy the relevant placements (tasks) into the corresponding campaign project.
We would like to duplicate multiple tasks at once, including all their custom field values. Once copied, we need to be able to adjust task details independently for each campaign, such as due dates and budget allocation.
With multi-homing, changes to the task would affect the same task across projects, which is exactly what we want to avoid.
Is there a way to bulk-duplicate tasks between projects while preserving their custom field values, provided that the same custom fields are already available in both projects?
Thanks for clarifying your use case! I understand why multi-homing won’t work here, since each campaign needs its own independent tasks, with separately managed due dates, budgets, and other details.
One alternative worth considering is Asana Project Templates.
If your campaigns follow a similar structure, you can create a project template containing the commonly used media placements, custom fields, and other standard project configurations.
For each new campaign, create a separate project from this template. This gives you an independent set of tasks that you can customize for that specific campaign, including adjusting due dates, budget allocations, and other task details without affecting other campaigns.
You can also update the template as your campaign process evolves, so future campaign projects start with the latest structure.
I hope this gives you a useful alternative to explore! If this approach helps solve your use case, please click the checkmark below this reply to mark it as a solution. Thank you!
