Deleting ToDo and or Planner tasks (in bulk)

[ClevrCompuBloke]

I have created various flows that allow automation of tasks on a regular basis (one for a finance team who need to be reminded of up to 70 repetitive tasks each day between two people).

I see that since 2017 folk have been asking for completed tasks to be able to be cleaned up or deleted. in planner https://powerusers.microsoft.com/t5/Building-Flows/Delete-Planner-task-when-complete/m-p/41326 

and in ToDo

https://powerusers.microsoft.com/t5/Building-Flows/Delete-Todoist-Task/m-p/77999#M7763

Since this question was asked a few years ago, and you can manually delete tasks in ToDo (in bulk by a page at a time) has anyone discovered a way to bulk delete completed tasks?

[v-bacao-msft]

Hi @ClevrCompuBloke ,

Unfortunately, Power Automate still not add this feature to delete the task, please check these ideas so that it might be considered for future release:

https://powerusers.microsoft.com/t5/Power-Automate-Ideas/Flow-delete-tasks-in-planner/idi-p/54920

https://powerusers.microsoft.com/t5/Power-Automate-Ideas/Planner-Trigger-Task-Deleted/idi-p/57511

https://powerusers.microsoft.com/t5/Power-Automate-Ideas/quot-Send-an-HTTP-Request-via-Planner-quot-...

Besides, we could try to use Graph API to delete the specified task but I am afraid that I am not able to provide a suitable method for you for the time being. I will try it on my side, if there is any solution, I will post back.

Best Regards,

[ClevrCompuBloke]

Thanks @v-bacao-msft  its not a big deal.

You can delete via ToDo in bulk a page at a time, so and this does remove them from planner and whilst its a manual task and has do be done by the person who had the item assigned to them, it does work.

🙂

[VictorIvanidze]

Hi @ClevrCompuBloke ,  you can do that  using GRAPH API (premium action  'Invoke an HTTP request'). 

Invoke the following HTTP request:

DELETE https://graph.microsoft.com/beta/me/outlook/tasks/<taskID>

to delete a task.

[ClevrCompuBloke]

 @VictorIvanidze  Im not familiar with that, can it be used to delete in bulk ?

[VictorIvanidze]

At first you have to get a list of tasks and then you will delete them one by one.

[v-bacao-msft]

Hi @VictorIvanidze ,

Could you please provide a template to help us achieve this requirement?

Thank in advance.

Best Regards,

[VictorIvanidze]

Hi @v-bacao-msft ,

I'm afraid I can provide a template only on commercial basis.  I believe I gave enough info to help everybody to  write such flow. 

[v-bacao-msft · Accepted solution]

Hi @ClevrCompuBloke ,

Please try to refer to the following method to delete tasks in Planner task.

Check this link and make sure we have Group.ReadWrite.All permission.

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/graph/api/plannertask-delete?view=graph-rest-1.0&tabs=http

First, we need to get access-token from Graph explorer.

If you have got the access-token, then we could configure Flow to delete the task.

• Use List tasks to get tasks, you could use Filter array or condition to filter tasks.
• The fill the access-token we have got in Compose.
• Use the following expression to get Etag.

item()['@odata.etag']

• Finally, configure HTTP action to delete tasks.

Image reference:

Hope this helps.

Best Regards,

[ClevrCompuBloke]

I will try this over the weekend, its a bit busy at work right now.

Thanks

[cglambert]

I have a workaround for this really important need of a bulk delete feature.

We create and delete hundreds of tasks per day. Using a free Chrome browser tool for GUI automation, iMacros, you can record yourself deleting one task at the top of a column, then loop and play the macro and delete 99 tasks at a time in a few seconds. There are two caveats:

1) After you record the macro, before saving, you have to delete the line that reloads the Microsoft Teams web page.

2) This tool can be dangerous, whereby if new tasks come in and change your view, you could automate deleting the wrong tasks. In order to prevent this, first set your task filter to only select items from a single column of your view (e.g. low priority tasks ready for deletion). That way, if new tasks come in they will not add new frames and confuse the macro.

It is all a bit clunky, hence the need for a proper feature. However, if you are deleting hundreds of tasks a day as I am, this could save hours of your life from such drudgery.

[ClevrCompuBloke]

right now, we are using ToDo to delete a page at a time, it's not ideal but there are only two people who use Planner for such a volume of automated tasks per day so it's manageable.

[DD2020]

Can the "Queries" field, in HTTP step, be configured to delete tasks with due date past a certain age?

[GodTigga]

This didn't work. It runs successfully but nothing happens, when you check planner the tasks are still there

[Imke]

Hi @v-bacao-msft ,

thanks for this solution.
Can you tell how long the Access Token that has manually been retrieved is valid within the flow?

Thanks!

[Imke]

Hi @v-bacao-msft 

I'm getting "Bad Request - Invalid Hostname" -error. Any idea what this could cause it?

[Uttam]

I am able to get this done using the "Delete a Task (Preview)" action, may be this was not available earlier. 

Screenshot of the flow that worked for me below:

[DD2020]

Tasks can be viewed in “list” mode, in Teams, selected and deleted bulk.

This is a recently made available feature, in Teams, seemingly 3rd party.

[Steviebca]

@ClevrCompuBloke I have the tasks added to "Tasks by Planner" which lets you see the tasks as a list, you can filter completed, select all (select the 1st task then Ctrl+A), then using the 3 dots at the top I can delete them all.

I'm sure there's a nice power automate to do the same job but handy for now

[C-F111]

Hello,

I know this is an older thread but I've been trying to do the same thing and came up with this solution with some of the new Power Automate features. It seems to work the way I need it to!