How to Use Custom Fields in Asana (2026 Guide)
Custom fields add structured data to Asana tasks — priority, status, estimated cost, stage, anything you’d otherwise bury in a description. Once a field exists you can sort, filter, group, and color by it. Here’s how to set them up and use them.
Custom fields are available on Asana’s Starter plan and above.
1. Add a Custom Field to a Project
- Open the project.
- Click Customize (top-right) → Add field, or click the + at the end of the field columns in List view.
- Choose a field type (next section).
- Name the field and, for dropdowns, add the options and colors.
- Click Create field.
The field now appears as a column in List view and on cards in Board view.
2. Pick the Right Field Type
| Type | Use it for |
|---|---|
| Single-select dropdown | Priority, status, stage — one value from a set |
| Multi-select dropdown | Tags, channels, multiple categories at once |
| Text | Short freeform notes (e.g., client name) |
| Number | Cost, effort points, quantity — supports sums |
| Date | A second date beyond start/due (e.g., review-by) |
| People | A stakeholder beyond the assignee (e.g., reviewer) |
Dropdowns are the workhorses — color-coded options make a board scannable in a glance.
3. Fill In and Read the Values
- In List view, set values inline in each task’s column.
- In Board view, show the field on cards so values appear without opening tasks.
- In the task pane, fields sit near the top under the assignee and dates.
4. Sort, Filter, Group, and Color
This is where custom fields pay off:
- Sort by a number or dropdown (e.g., priority high → low).
- Filter to one value (“show only Blocked”).
- Group by a field to cluster the board or list.
- Color by a field so the whole view is readable at a glance — see Calendar and Board views.
5. Reuse Fields with the Field Library
To keep “Priority” consistent across every project, save it to your organization’s field library instead of creating a one-off:
- When creating a field, choose Add to library (or create it from Admin → Field library).
- Add the same library field to other projects.
Now reporting rolls up cleanly because every project uses the identical field, not five different “Priority” variants.
6. Troubleshooting
I don’t see the option to add a field
Custom fields need a paid plan (Starter+). On free Personal you’re limited to built-in fields.
My field shows in one project but not another
Project-only fields are local to that project. Add the field from the library to share it, or recreate it where you need it.
Reporting across projects looks messy
You likely have several separate fields with the same name. Consolidate on one library field so dashboards and portfolios aggregate correctly.
Custom field values disappeared on recurring tasks
Values carry over by default. If they’re blank, the field was added after recurrence was set up — resave the recurrence. See how to set a recurring task in Asana.
I can’t sum a dropdown
Only number fields total up. Use a number field for cost or effort if you need sums in the column footer.
More on Asana: How to use board view in Asana · How to use calendar view in Asana · How to create a Gantt chart in Asana · How to export Asana to Excel. To keep custom fields like status updated automatically from your other tools, see Carly’s Asana integration.
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