---
url: /guides/break-down-with-subtasks.md
description: Split a large task into subtasks and follow its progress.
---

# Break a task down with subtasks

Split a task into subtasks when it is too big to do in one go: each step gets
[fields](/reference/task-fields) of its own, such as a [status](/concepts/statuses) or an
[assignee](/guides/assign-and-watch-tasks), and the parent task shows how many are done. A
subtask is a full task that lives in the same [list](/concepts/hule-model) as its parent, and it
can have subtasks of its own.

::: info In GTD terms, this is a project
In [GTD](/concepts/gtd), an outcome that takes more than one action is a **project**. In Hule it
is a task with subtasks, one for each step, and a [GTD session](/guides/run-a-gtd-session) marks
such a task as **Project · 3 subtasks**, with the number of steps.
:::

## Before you start

::: warning Subtasks on, and permission to create tasks
The list must have **Subtasks** turned on, which it is in every preset
([turn it on](/guides/set-up-a-list#turn-features-on-or-off) in **Configure** → **Features**).
You also need permission to create tasks in the list
([Permissions and access](/reference/permissions-and-access)); without it, **Add subtask** and
the row's **+** are hidden.
:::

## Add subtasks

1. [Open the task](/guides/create-and-edit-tasks#edit-an-open-task).
   The **Sub-tasks** section is in the task window.
2. In the **Sub-tasks** section, click **Add subtask**, type the title and press `Enter`.
   The subtask appears in the section, and the counter next to the **Sub-tasks** title shows done
   and total, for example `0/1`.
3. Type the next title and press `Enter`.
   The field stays open for the next one; `Esc` closes it.

![The Sub-tasks section of Move to a new flat: four subtasks, Book the movers done, the counter at 1/4, the Add subtask row and the section's sort button and gear](/shots/guides/break-down-with-subtasks-1.light.webp){.light-only}
![The Sub-tasks section of Move to a new flat: four subtasks, Book the movers done, the counter at 1/4, the Add subtask row and the section's sort button and gear](/shots/guides/break-down-with-subtasks-1.dark.webp){.dark-only}

Other ways to add one:

* In a [List view](/concepts/views), point at the task's row and click **+**. The **+** appears
  while the view's **Show subtasks** setting is on (it is by default).
* In a task's [**…** menu](/guides/create-and-edit-tasks#task-menu-duplicate-move-delete),
  choose **Add subtask**.
* While the task is open, press `Cmd+N` (`Ctrl+N`) in the
  [desktop app](/guides/install-the-desktop-app), or `Cmd+M` (`Ctrl+M`) in a browser
  ([Keyboard shortcuts](/reference/keyboard-shortcuts)).

To break a subtask down further, open it and add subtasks the same way. There is no limit to the
depth.

## Subtask progress counters

A subtask counts as done when its status is in the [**Done** stage](/concepts/statuses).

* In the open task, the counter counts all subtasks at every depth.
* On a task's row in a view, the counter counts only its direct subtasks.

## Subtask display: hide, sort, expand

| Control | Where | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| **Hide completed** / **Show completed** (eye icon) | the **Sub-tasks** section | hides or shows finished subtasks, in every task you open |
| **Group by** | the **Sub-tasks** section | groups the subtasks by a field, in every task you open |
| **Sort sub-tasks** | the **Sub-tasks** section | orders the subtasks, in every task you open |
| **Sub-task display settings** (gear) | the **Sub-tasks** section, for people who can edit the list | opens the list's settings on **Sub-tasks**, where you choose what each subtask row shows |
| **Expand subtasks** | a task's row in a view | shows its subtasks in the tree |

## Parent change: make a task a subtask, or top-level

1. Open the task's [**…** menu](/guides/create-and-edit-tasks#task-menu-duplicate-move-delete)
   and choose [**Move…**](/guides/create-and-edit-tasks#move-a-task).
   The **Move task** dialog opens.

   ::: warning Edit access needed to move
   Moving needs edit access to the task, and to the target list if you change it, see
   [Permissions and access](/reference/permissions-and-access).
   :::

2. In **Parent task**, type part of the parent's title and pick it. To make a subtask a
   top-level task again, choose **(none — root task)**.

   ::: warning The parent must be in the target list
   **Parent task** searches only the list picked in **Target list**. For a parent in another
   list, pick that list in **Target list** first.
   :::

3. Click **Move**.
   The task now appears under its new parent, and its own subtasks move with it.

In a view, you can also drag a task onto another task of the same list. To lift a subtask out,
drag the last subtask under its parent to the left: the further left you drop it, the more levels
it goes up.

::: danger Deleting a parent deletes its subtasks
[Deleting a task](/guides/create-and-edit-tasks#task-menu-duplicate-move-delete) deletes all its
subtasks with it, and there is no trash to restore them from. To
keep the subtasks, make them top-level first: **Move…** → **(none — root task)**.
:::

## Moving-flat example, broken down

```text
Move to a new flat                1/4
├── Book the movers               done
├── Pack the kitchen
├── Change the address
│   ├── Bank
│   └── Post office
└── Hand back the old keys
```

The row in the list shows `1/4`, counting the four direct steps. The open task counts all six
subtasks and shows `1/6`.

## If it doesn't work

* **There is no Sub-tasks section or Add subtask.** Either the list has **Subtasks** turned off
  ([turn it on](/guides/set-up-a-list#turn-features-on-or-off) in **Configure** → **Features**),
  or your permission set doesn't let you create tasks in this list: ask a workspace admin, see
  [Permissions and access](/reference/permissions-and-access).
* **You can't make a task from another list a subtask.** A subtask always lives in its parent's
  list. Move the task into that list and under the parent in one go, see
  [Parent change](#parent-change-make-a-task-a-subtask-or-top-level).
* **You want to delete a parent but keep its subtasks.** Make the subtasks top-level first, then
  delete the parent ([Parent change](#parent-change-make-a-task-a-subtask-or-top-level)).
* **There is no + on the task's row.** The view hides subtasks. Open the view's **List settings**
  and, under **Subtasks**, switch on **Show subtasks** ([Views](/concepts/views)). The view's
  **Slice** set to **Tasks and subtasks** or **Subtasks only** also turns **Show subtasks** off:
  set it back to **Tasks**.

## Related

* [Create and edit tasks](/guides/create-and-edit-tasks): fill in each subtask's fields.
* [Task fields](/reference/task-fields): what a task, and so a subtask, holds.
* [The Hule model](/concepts/hule-model): where subtasks sit in the tree.
* [GTD in Hule](/concepts/gtd): the method behind projects.
* [Run a GTD session](/guides/run-a-gtd-session): turns a task's steps into subtasks as you sort it.