Task statuses
This guide covers task statuses in Toggl — the four defaults that come with every workspace, how to add custom statuses, how to reorder and delete them, and where they appear across the app. It is for workspace admins and anyone who manages tasks. By the end you will know how to set up a status workflow that matches how your team works, and how to mark tasks done from a task list.
Task statuses track where each task is in your workflow. In Toggl, every workspace starts with four default statuses, and workspace admins can add custom ones to match a team's process.
There is no plan restriction on task statuses — they are available on every plan, including Free. Who can manage them is controlled by the Access settings in Admin Settings.
The four default statuses
| Status | Emoji | Type | Can be deleted? | Can be reordered? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Todo | 🗒️ | todo | No | No |
| In Progress | 🚧 | in_progress | No | No |
| Blocked | 🚫 | blocked | No | No |
| Done | ✅ | done | No | No |
All new tasks get the Todo status automatically. Completing a task toggles it to Done; uncompleting toggles it back to Todo. In task lists, use the round circle next to the task name. Hover it to see Mark as done or Mark uncompleted. The square checkbox at the start of each row only selects tasks for bulk actions.
The default statuses cannot be deleted, renamed, reordered or changed. They are the anchors of the status workflow.
Managing statuses
Open Admin Settings from the sidebar. Under Workspace Setup, open Statuses.
The Statuses section shows the default statuses and any custom ones you have added, in order. You can:
- Add a status — click New status. Enter an emoji and a name, then save.
- Edit a status — click the menu (⋮) next to a custom status and choose Edit. Change the emoji or name.
- Delete a status — click the menu (⋮) next to a custom status and choose Delete. A confirmation asks: "Are you sure you want to delete this status? Tasks in this status will move to Todo status."
- Reorder statuses — drag and drop custom statuses to change their order. This affects the order they appear in the status picker and on the Board.
- Undo a deletion — a toast appears after deleting a status. Click Undo to restore it immediately.
Only custom statuses (type: in_progress) can be deleted, edited or reordered. The four default statuses are locked.
Who can manage statuses
The Access settings in Admin Settings control which access levels can create, update and delete statuses. The permissions are:
- create — can add new statuses
- update — can edit existing statuses
- delete — can delete custom statuses
Workspace admins always have all three. For other access levels, see Who can manage clients, tags and statuses.
Custom statuses
When you create a new custom status, it defaults to:
- Emoji: 🚧 (you can change it in the editor)
- Name: "New status" (change it before saving)
- Type: in_progress (this is set automatically — you cannot choose a different type)
Custom statuses behave like additional "In Progress" steps. They are useful for teams that have more granular workflow stages — for example, "In Review", "Waiting on Client", or "Ready to Deploy".
Where statuses appear
On a task
Open any task and use the Status field to set or change its status. The picker shows all statuses in order, with their emoji and name. Search by typing in the Find a status... box.
On the Board
The Board view is organised into columns, one per status. Drag tasks between columns to change their status. Each column has a menu (⋮) with options to edit the status, delete it (custom statuses only), hide the column, or archive completed tasks (Done column only).
- The Todo column shows the subtitle "All new tasks get this status".
- The Done column shows the subtitle "Your completed tasks live here".
- You cannot drag tasks onto the Todo or Done columns from the Board — use the complete/uncomplete toggle for those.
Click Add status at the end of the board to create a new column and status at the same time.
On the Timeline
Toggle Task statuses in the Timeline toolbar to show each task's status emoji on the Timeline. This is a view-only option — it does not change any data.
In reports
Task status is available as a grouping and sorting option in reports. You can group or sort by task status to see how time is distributed across your workflow stages. Report colours for the default status types:
| Status type | Report colour |
|---|---|
| Todo | Grey |
| In Progress | Blue |
| Blocked | Amber |
| Done | Green |
Custom statuses inherit the In Progress colour unless their name is exactly "In Progress", in which case they use the standard blue.
How statuses interact with subtasks
Statuses do not roll up between parent tasks and subtasks:
- Marking a parent task as Done does not change the status of its subtasks.
- Marking a subtask as Done does not change the status of its parent.
- Each subtask has its own independent status.
Common questions
Can I rename or change the emoji of a default status?
No. The four default statuses (Todo, In Progress, Blocked, Done) are locked. Their names, emojis, types and order cannot be changed. Create a custom status if you need a different label.
What happens to tasks when I delete a custom status?
All tasks in that status move to the Todo status automatically. A toast appears immediately after deletion so you can undo it if you changed your mind.
Can I have more than one "In Progress" status?
Yes. Every custom status you create has the in_progress type. You can have as many as you need — for example, "In Review", "Testing", "Waiting on Client" — and they all function as intermediate workflow steps between Todo and Done.
Why can't I drag a task to the Done column on the Board?
Todo and Done are protected columns. Use the complete/uncomplete toggle (the round mark-as-done circle on the task) to move tasks between Done and Todo instead of dragging. You can drag freely between custom status columns.
Do statuses work on the mobile app?
Yes. The task form on mobile includes a status dropdown showing all statuses in order. The Board view is not available on mobile — see Toggl mobile app for what the mobile app includes.