How to Use Subtasks in Asana (2026 Guide)
Subtasks break a big task into the concrete steps it actually takes to finish. In Asana each subtask is a full task in its own right — it can have its own assignee, due date, description, and subtasks of its own. Here’s how to use them well, and the two behaviors that trip people up.
1. Add a Subtask
Subtasks live inside the parent task’s detail pane.
Web and desktop
- Click any task to open it.
- Scroll to the Subtasks section (below the description).
- Click Add subtask.
- Type the subtask name and press Enter.
- Keep typing names and pressing Enter to add several in a row.
Mobile (iOS and Android)
- Tap the task to open it.
- Tap the subtask icon (a small branching-list icon) or Add subtask.
- Type the name and tap Done.
2. Assign, Date, and Detail Each Subtask
A subtask is a real task, so it has its own fields. Click a subtask to open its detail pane, then set:
- Assignee — often different from the parent’s owner.
- Due date — each subtask can have its own deadline.
- Description, comments, attachments, and followers.
Set assignees and dates at the subtask level when you’re delegating the pieces of a larger deliverable to different people.
3. Make Subtasks Visible in a Project
This is the single most common point of confusion: subtasks do not appear in the project’s list or board by default. They only live inside the parent task.
To surface a subtask alongside other project tasks:
- Open the subtask.
- Click the Projects field (the multi-home field near the top).
- Add it to the project and section you want.
The subtask now shows in that project’s views and stays linked to its parent. This is called multi-homing.
4. Nest, Promote, and Reorganize
- Nest deeper: A subtask can have its own subtasks. Asana supports several levels, though more than two or three gets hard to follow.
- Promote a subtask to a task: Drag the subtask out to a project, or open it and add it to a project, then remove it from the parent if you want it to stand alone.
- Reorder: Drag subtasks up and down within the parent.
- Convert a task into a subtask: Drag one task onto another in list view, or use Tab + S keyboard shortcut after selecting a task.
5. Troubleshooting
My subtasks don’t show up in the project board
Expected. Subtasks aren’t in the project until you multi-home them (step 3). Add the subtask to the project via its Projects field.
Completing the parent didn’t complete the subtasks
By design — parent and subtask completion are independent. Asana warns you if you complete a parent with open subtasks, but it won’t auto-complete them. Mark each subtask done separately, or close them before completing the parent.
Subtask assignees aren’t getting notified
Each subtask notifies its own assignee and followers, not the parent’s. Confirm the subtask itself has the right assignee, not just the parent task.
Subtasks disappeared after I used a template or recurrence
Subtasks carry into recurring instances but reset to incomplete. If they vanished entirely, the task was likely duplicated (which omits subtasks unless you check the box) rather than recurred. See how to set a recurring task in Asana.
I can’t find a subtask later
Subtasks buried inside parents are easy to lose. Multi-home the ones you track actively, or assign them to yourself so they appear in My Tasks.
More on Asana: How to set task dependencies in Asana · How to add milestones in Asana · How to use custom fields in Asana · How to set a recurring task in Asana. To turn incoming requests into Asana tasks automatically, see Carly’s Asana integration.
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