How to Set a Due Date in Asana (2026 Guide)
To set a due date in Asana, open the task, click the Due date field, and pick a day, or press Tab + D and type something like “next Friday.” From there you can add a due time, a start date, make it recurring, and let task dependencies shift dates automatically. Here’s the full picture for 2026.
1. Set a Basic Due Date
- Click a task to open its detail pane.
- Click the Due date field near the top.
- Pick a date from the calendar picker.
In List view you can also click directly in the Due date column on the task’s row. The date then shows on the task and feeds into Calendar view and Timeline view. Overdue tasks turn red so they’re hard to miss.
2. Add a Due Time
A date alone means “sometime that day.” For real deadlines, add a time:
- Open the Due date picker.
- Click Set time (shown as Due time).
- Enter the time, for example 5:00 PM.
Now the task is due at a specific hour, which matters for reminders, time-zone-sensitive work, and same-day handoffs. Due time is available across plans.
3. Add a Start Date
Sometimes a task isn’t a single deadline but a stretch of work. Add a start date to give it a duration:
- In the date picker, click Set start/due dates (or the Start date toggle).
- Choose a start date and a due date.
The task now spans a range. On Timeline and Calendar, it renders as a bar across those days instead of a single point, which makes it obvious when work overlaps. Start dates are handy for anything that takes more than a day, like “Draft report” running Mon to Wed.
4. Set a Recurring Due Date
For tasks that come back on a schedule (weekly report, monthly invoice, daily standup):
- Open the Due date picker.
- Click Set to repeat.
- Choose a cadence:
- Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Yearly
- Periodically (for example, “3 days after completion”)
- Custom intervals like every 2 weeks on specific days
When you complete a recurring task, Asana automatically generates the next instance with the next due date. The new copy carries over the assignee, subtasks, and details. For the full walkthrough, see how to set a recurring task in Asana.
One thing to know: the recurrence is tied to completing the task (for “periodically” rules) or to the calendar (for fixed daily/weekly rules), so pick the type that matches whether the next deadline depends on when you finished the last one.
5. Use Natural-Language Date Entry
Asana parses plain-English dates, so you rarely need to click through the calendar:
- Select or open a task and press Tab then D to jump to the date field.
- Type a phrase instead of a date:
todaytomorrownext Fridayin 3 daysnext monthJun 30
- Asana converts it to a real date as you type. Press Enter to confirm.
This works in the date picker anywhere it appears, and it’s the fastest way to schedule when you’re adding tasks in bulk.
6. How Dependencies Affect Due Dates
If you mark a task as dependent on another (it can’t start until the first finishes), the dates interact:
- When you shift the predecessor task’s dates, Asana can prompt you to shift dependent tasks so the schedule stays consistent.
- On Timeline, dependencies show as connecting arrows, and dragging one task can offer to move the chain.
- Dependent tasks display an indicator when their predecessor isn’t done yet, so an assignee knows they’re blocked.
This keeps a project’s dates honest: push one deadline and the downstream work moves with it instead of silently going stale. Full details are in how to set task dependencies in Asana.
Quick Reference
| Want to | Do this |
|---|---|
| Set a due date | Click Due date or press Tab + D |
| Add a deadline hour | Set time in the picker |
| Give it a duration | Set start/due dates |
| Repeat it | Set to repeat |
| Type a date fast | Natural language: “next Friday”, “in 3 days” |
| Keep the schedule synced | Add dependencies |
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More on Asana: How to set a recurring task in Asana · How to set task dependencies in Asana · How to use Calendar view in Asana · Asana integration
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