Features

Mapping out Kanban Tool's standout properties, including email notifications, board archives, process automation, global search, bulk task updates, file attachments, and options for scaling and filtering your board view.

How to archive tasks on a Kanban board?

Archiving tasks in Kanban Tool is simple and keeps your board clutter-free!
Here’s how you can do it:

Archive a single task

Right-click on a task and select the Archive option from the dropdown menu.

Archiving a task

Archive tasks from any column

By default, archiving is only enabled in the last column. To make it available elsewhere:

  • Go to Settings → Board Editor
  • Click the pencil icon under your chosen column’s name
  • Check Allow tasks to be archived here
Enabling a task archive in a column

Archive all tasks in a column

To archive an entire column’s tasks at once, either:

  • Right-click the column header, or
  • Click an empty space in the column, then choose Archive all
Archiving all tasks in a column

Accessing & searching the archive

Click the folder icon at the top of your archive-supporting column to enter the archive.

Accessing the archive with the folder icon

You’ll see a list of archived tasks for that column, but you can also:

  • Search through tasks archived across all boards, swimlanes, or columns
  • Use the magnifying glass icon for advanced search queries
    (you can use the same syntax as for the board’s global search)

Searching through the task archive

Automate archiving

Want tasks to archive themselves? Set up auto-archiving for an even smoother workflow!

How to restore a task from the archive?

Need to bring an archived task back to your board? It’s easy!

Access the archive

Click the folder icon at the top of any column where archiving is enabled.

Accessing the archive via the folder icon

Restore a single task

Once in the archive, right-click the task you want to restore and select Put back on the board. Restoring an archived task

Restore multiple tasks at once

To select multiple tasks, hold the CTRL key while clicking each task, then restore them all at once.

Related tip: Looking to recover a deleted task? Find out when this is possible.

Are there options for mass task creation?

Besides the regular on-board task creating methods, there are also ways specifically designed for adding multiple tasks at once:

When do I get email notifications about task status changes?

You’ll receive an email when:

  • Someone assigns a task to you
  • Someone assigns a checklist item to you
  • Someone adds a comment to a task and tags you for notification.

Managing task assignment notifications

If you prefer not to receive emails about task & checklist assignments, you can disable them:

  • Go to My Profile → Edit my details
  • Uncheck Notify me by email when tasks are assigned to me

Comment notifications cannot be disabled. In order not to receive an email about a new comment, your name has to be removed from the comment’s recipient list.

Optional email notifications

Kanban Tool also offers additional, optional email updates to keep you informed:

  • Work Summary – A daily overview sent at the end of each day. Learn how to manage it here.
  • Due Date Reminder – Notifies you on the morning of a task’s due date or the evening before. You can also set reminders on individual tasks only. Read more about both these reminder types here.
  • Fully custom notifications (Enterprise plan only) – Automated alerts based on board or card events. Learn how to set them up through Process Automation.

How to enable email notifications?

To enable email notifications about task assignments, please go to
My profile → Edit my details and check the Notify me by email when tasks are assigned to me option.

Want to keep tabs on other project status changes too? Check out the other emails you can turn on!

Do you offer RSS feeds?

Yes, however, please note that this feature is gradually being phased out due to its limitations in today’s privacy-focused web environment.

To generate an RSS link, from the board view, go to Tools → Subscribe to RSS.
The URL feed is generated for each user individually for security reasons, to protect access to your cards, boards, and projects. Your URL should include surl= + a number.

Can I filter the board by specific criteria?

Absolutely! You can quickly refine your view using built-in filters or create custom queries to find exactly what you need.

Built-in filters

Want a quick way to find specific tasks? Click the funnel icon next to the filter box and choose from a range of preset filters. You can apply one or multiple filters at once to narrow down your results.

Filtering the board by preset criteria

Custom filters

Looking for something more specific? Instead of using preset options, type your query directly into the filter box. With the flexible search syntax, you can filter by nearly any card parameter.

Filtering the board by custom criteria

Need to find a task but don’t remember which board it’s on? No problem! Use the all-boards search—located under the magnifying glass icon—to apply the same filtering queries across every board you have access to.

Searching through all boards for custom task criteria

While filtering is limited to the current board view, searching spans across all your boards.

Sticky filtering

Have a board where only certain tasks matter to you? Save your filter settings so they automatically apply every time you enter that board—no need to set them manually every time!

Saving custom board filters to automatically apply upon entering the board

Can I set email alerts for new jobs and due dates?

Want to make sure you never miss an important update? Kanban Tool’s email notifications help keep you in the loop!

You’ll automatically get alerts when a task or checklist item is assigned to you, or when someone leaves a new comment for you. Plus, you can opt in to receive a daily summary of all your tasks due today—so you’re always prepared.

Managing notification preferences is easy—each user can turn them on or off under My Profile → Edit my details.

If you’re on the Enterprise service plan, you get even more flexibility with fully customizable notifications set up with process automation.

Can I delete all tasks in a column?

The simplest way to do this is to select all tasks in the column, right click the selection and hit Delete.

Deleting all tasks with multiple selection

If mass-deletion is a regular part of your process, you can also enable the Delete All function using the Developer Tools power-up.

Deleting all tasks with a Developer Tools script

To activate it:

  • Go to Settings → Power-Ups and enable Developer Tools.
  • In the Developer Tools dialogue window, add this link:
    /scripts/delete-all/delete-all.js
  • This will allow you to delete all tasks in any column, by right-clicking an empty area inside it and choosing Delete all.

Please note that instead of deleting tasks, we strongly recommend archiving them. Archived tasks stay available for process analysis without cluttering your board, whereas deleted tasks will be gone for good.

How can I create and access online Kanban Tool notes?

Kanban Tool used to offer online notes to go with the Kanban boards, but the feature is hidden at the moment. You can activate it by following these steps:

  • Go to your account dashboard and add /addons at the end of your account’s URL. For example:
    https://accountname.kanbantool.com/addons
  • Then, click on Notes and activate them by pressing the green Add to your account box.

You will now be able to use notes for collaborative writing.

Is there a calendar view in Kanban Tool?

Yes! Kanban Tool offers a calendar view to help you stay on top of deadlines.

To enable it, make sure your board has the Calendar Widget activated. You can do this by going to Settings → Power-Ups. Once enabled, a small calendar will appear in the side panel, highlighting days with due tasks.

The Calendar Widget on a Kanban Tool board

For a larger and more interactive view, simply click the magnifying glass icon above the calendar.

Enter the large calendar with magnifying glass

This will open a full monthly task overview, where you can:

  • See all tasks with due dates, start dates, custom dates, timelines (the time span from start to due date), and the upcoming recurring and postponed tasks.
  • Open and edit tasks directly.
  • Drag and drop tasks to different days to update due dates instantly.

The large interactive calendar view in Kanban Tool

Use this view to plan your workflow more efficiently and get a clear picture of your week and month.

Need extra reminders? Consider enabling Task Reminders to get custom alerts about your due dates.

How can I quickly see what my team is up to?

Stay up to date with your team’s activity using these handy features:

  • Live Team Activity feed
    Enable the Team Activity Widget in your board’s Power-Ups to get a real-time feed of your team’s actions on a board.
  • Task Filters
    Use filters to focus on recently updated items and see the most relevant changes at a glance. Filtering for tasks updated today
  • Work Summary emails
    Get a daily recap of your team’s activity across all boards you have access to—perfect for staying in the loop without constantly checking in.

Why can't I add files to my cards?

File attachments are available only on Team and Enterprise plans—they’re not included in the Free plan.

If you’d like to upgrade, head to Account Administration → Plan & Billing Details. Feel free to explore the differences between Team and Enterprise plans here.

Free plan users can still attach files using cloud storage services like Google Drive, Box, Dropbox or OneDrive. Just activate the integration in Settings → Power-Ups, and you’ll be able to link your files directly to your Kanban cards.

How to create repetitive tasks?

To make a one-time copy, feel free to right-click a task and Duplicate it.
To automate cyclical creation of the same work item, please use the Recurring Tasks power-up. Just enable it in board Settings → Power-Ups, and you’re good to go!
Please view this entry for more details on how it works.

How to quickly change location of a Kanban card?

If you’re working with a large Kanban board, and need to move a task across multiple columns in a snap, we’ve got that covered.
Instead of dragging it step by step, you can:

  • Use the tasks' location display to select which column, swimlane and board the task should be moved to: Move task from the location display
  • Enable one of these handy scripts in Developer Tools to speed things up:
    • Save and Done – Adds an open card menu option that lets you send a task straight to the Done column. The Save and Done devtools script
    • Change Column – Adds a Change Column option to the right-click menu of closed cards, making it easy to move tasks any stage of the board. The Change Column devtools script

I want to change how my board looks

Not a fan of white backgrounds? Feel free to customize your board style!

You can make significant changes to the way your Kanban Tool board looks with the Board Background option available in the Settings menu. It opens a search of the entire Unsplash image library and supports uploading your own images. You can also choose a color theme to match your image: Default, Dark, or the minimalist Lite.

I want to change how my board looks

While you’re making changes to how the board looks, you can also scale the board to better suit your available screen size, using the magnifying glass icons.

Upscaled board example I want to change how my board looks - 2

Board Settings are only available to board owners and account admins/owners. If you don’t see the “Settings” link, you are not authorized to change the board layout nor any other board options.

How to search through my boards? Using global search

You are welcome to search through all of the boards and tasks that you have been given access to, by clicking the magnifying glass icon:

Board search location

The search box can also be opened with the standard keyboard short-cut: /

Tasks can be searched for by their name or External ID#.
Important:: searching requires you to use a minimum of 3 characters.

Getting the search results is quick and along with the tasks you were looking for, you will be given a hint of the values you searched by, for instance: when looking for tasks with .png files attached - names of the files will be listed below the found tasks:

Searching for files Please note, that a single search result is limited to 500 tasks.

How to search if I only recall a task name?

When looking for a specific task, i.e. recalling its name but unsure of what board or column it’s in - just enter the task name right into the search box. No quotation marks are needed, regardless of how many words the name consists of: Searching for text

How to search if I only recall some task details?

It’s more likely that you will be looking for a comprehensive view of tasks meeting a specific set of criteria. For that purpose, a significant number of additional queries can be applied to customize the search to specific factors.

The way this works is: you need to give the criteria you want to search by - in other words name the condition, such as assigned to or created by and then the value: assigned to whom, created by whom.

For instance - created_by:@SD - this finds all tasks created by SD, and attachment:? - this finds all tasks with any attachments.

How to search for anything that was assigned to me: tasks & checklist items?

To get this information, just enter your initials with an @, like this: @XY or @xy.
You will see, that an entire task assignment is hinted with initials in a little square, while the checklist item assignment is listed as checklist tick. Searching for assignments

The Search Criteria & the Search Value

To make it easy to understand, we’ll refer to these two as Criteria (LVAL) and Value (RVAL). Between the criteria and value, you need to use an operator - and most of the time, it will simply be “:”.
Note, the search will work both when you separate the LVAL and RVAL with the operator alone, and when you follow the operator with a space.

EXAMPLE   assigned_to:@AB as well as assigned_to: @AB
searches for all tasks assigned to AB
EXAMPLE   attachment:.doc and attachment: .doc
searches for all tasks with “.doc” attachments.

Explaining LVAL & RVAL

A query such as Description:’this is a task in which’ searches for all tasks that have the phrase “this is a task in which” in their description. In this example, description is the criteria (LVAL), ‘this is a task which’ is the value (RVAL), and the : is the operator (relates the criteria to the value).

Criteria you can search by (LVAL):

  • Criteria 1: User initials (LVAL)

    The accepted formatting is: @XY or @xy - "@" is always necessary.
  • Criteria 2: Special Criteria (LVAL):

    • assigned_to - finds task assignments - checklist assignment is not included
      EXAMPLE   assigned_to:@am
    • created_by - finds tasks created by particular user
      EXAMPLE   created_by:@zp
    • type - finds tasks of a specific card type, using card type names as you've named them yourself
      EXAMPLE   type:invoices
    • board - searches for tasks from a specific board
      EXAMPLE   board:"Project X" - this will list all tasks from board named Project X (first 500 of them).
      Note: this query is much more useful when used as 1st criteria of many:
      EXAMPLE   board:"Project X" attachment:x1.png

      Please note, how for any criteria or value that uses more than 1 word, quotation marks or apostrophes are being used.
    • swimlane - searches for tasks in a named swimlane
      EXAMPLE   swimlane:"Project 209"
    • stage - searches by column name - as you have named them
      EXAMPLE   stage:done Invoices
      EXAMPLE   stage:'to do' Task 1
      To call out a sub-column "to do", nested under "backlog" parent column, please use:
      EXAMPLE   stage:'backlog / to do'
    • checklist - searches through checklist items only
      EXAMPLE   checklist:deploy
    • attachment - searches by attachment name
      EXAMPLE   attachment:invoice
    • checklist_for - searches for tasks with checklist items assigned to the indicated person
      EXAMPLE   @AM checklist_for:?
      You can also check if there are any tasks with checklist assignments, by typing:
      EXAMPLE   checklist_for:? Searching for checklist assignments
  • Criteria 3: Task Attributes (LVAL):

    • id - task ID, can be read from an open task URL
      EXAMPLE   id:11877513
      EXAMPLE   id=11877513
    • board_id - board ID, can be read from an open board URL
      EXAMPLE   board_id=150238)
    • recurring_schedule - searches through tasks that are due to recur in a specified time-frame
      EXAMPLE   recurring_schedule:2017-03
      EXAMPLE   recurring_schedule:2017-03-20 type:invoices
    • description - searches through task descriptions
      EXAMPLE   description:XYZ
      EXAMPLE   @AM description:xyz
      Note, how when wanting to search through tasks assigned to specific user, their initials need to go before any other criteria and value.
    • name - looks through task names (titles) only
      EXAMPLE   name:XYZ
    • priority - defines what task priority to look for. Note, that Kanban Tool sees priorities as:
      0 [normal], 1 [high] and -1 [low]
      EXAMPLE   priority:-1 xyz
      EXAMPLE   @am priority:1 description:"do it urgently"
    • tags - searches by tags found in tasks
      EXAMPLE   tags:urgent
      EXAMPLE   @XY tags:urgent tags:"external work"
      Note, how when looking for multiple values of the same criteria found in one task, the criteria name needs to be re-entered.
    • external_id - searches by tasks's external id
      EXAMPLE   external_id:673409
      Searching for the id# alone (e.g., 673409) will find a task using the value for external id too, but the query will not be limited to external id values only. Using external_id:673409 is more specific.
    • created_at, updated_at, due_date - these all refer to the time-frame in which a task was either created, updated or for when its due date was set
      EXAMPLE   created_at:2017-02-27
      EXAMPLE   @AM created_at:2016-05 tags:urgent priority:1
      EXAMPLE   due_date:<2017-03-17 (lists tasks with due dates up until 17th of March)
      EXAMPLE   due_date:2017-02-18 (lists tasks with due date exactly on Feb 18th)
      EXAMPLE   due_date:>2017-03-01 (lists tasks with due dates further than or on March 1st)
      EXAMPLE   due_date:>2017-03 (lists tasks with due dates further than or in March)
    • comments_count - searches by the number of comments posted for a task
      EXAMPLE   comments_count>10 tags:urgent (all tasks with more than 10 comments and with the "urgent" tag) EXAMPLE   @AM comments_count<3
      EXAMPLE   comments_count=0 (searches for tasks that have no comments made on them)
      EXAMPLE   comments_count:? priority:1 (looks at how many comments are in each card with high priority)
    • size_estimate - refers to and searches by the Task Difficulty field
      EXAMPLE   size_estimate>=2 board:'Jake LK Board'
    • subtasks_count - checks for the number of checklist items
      EXAMPLE   subtasks_count>3 board:"KBL project" priority:1
    • subtasks_completed_count - this query only looks at the checklist items that have been completed
      EXAMPLE   subtasks_completed_count=1 board:"Jameson Bard And Co."
    • attachments_count - searches by the number of files attached to the found cards
      EXAMPLE   attachments_count>=8 board:"Purchasing Department"
      EXAMPLE   attachments_count<20 attachments_count>15 (this will find cards with attached between 15 and 20 files)
    • custom_field_1 - (and "custom_field_2" down to "custom_field_15")
      - this search looks for cards with specified values in custom fields.
      EXAMPLE   custom_field_1:XYZ
      EXAMPLE   custom_field_1=30
      Note, that for as long as you know the name that was given to a specific custom field, you can use that name instead of "custom_field_1". For instance: If a "custom_field_1" was called Number of People Invited, you could ask for -
      EXAMPLE   "Number of People Invited">=30
    • external_link - a text-based search through the links added to cards
      EXAMPLE   external_link:docs.google (will search for all cards that have an external link to Google Drive)
    • block_reason - searching through the reasons why tasks are blocked, so refers to blocked tasks only. Of course, what you'd be looking for here are the blocking reasons accepted and most used by your team.
      EXAMPLE   block_reason:"Needs more information"
      EXAMPLE   block_reason:2
      EXAMPLE   block_reason:? - this will list all of the blocked tasks
    • time_estimate - searches by the amount of time that was set as in the Estimated Time field.
      EXAMPLE   time_estimate>10:12 (searches for tasks with time estimate over 10 hrs. 12 minutes)
      EXAMPLE   time_estimate=02:00
      Please note, that this time format is required: HH:MM and using other values may result in finding incorrect information.
    • timers_total - will list tasks for time worked via Time Tracking for an amount specified by value
      EXAMPLE   board:Orders timers_total>02:30
      EXAMPLE   timers_total>06:00 timers_total<08:30
      Please note, "timers_total" value will be 100% accurate only for tasks that are not timed at the time of making the query.
    • timers_active_count - searches by how many team members are currently running Time Tracking timers for each task
      EXAMPLE   board:"Project GHY" timers_active_count>=1 (will find all tasks on which more than 1 person is currently running a timer)
      EXAMPLE   timers_active_count>=3 (will show all tasks on your account, on which there are 3 or more people working at the time of querying)
  • Criteria 4: Field Name (LVAL)

    You are welcome to make queries by the field names that you find in a translated version of Kanban Tool:
    EXAMPLE  Beschreibung:'Das is'
    EXAMPLE  Prioridad:1

As you can see - the global search does have some serious superpowers.
It’s been shown by what criteria you can search boards - let’s sum up the values and operators (what relates criteria to values) that are supported.

Values you can search by (RVAL):

As shown in the examples above, values can take form of:

  • A number
  • Number of minutes, hours, days, weeks, months or years, as in: 20.minutes, 3.hours, 7.days, 3.weeks, 2.months, 2.years.
    For singular numbers, you can also use minute, hour etc.
    • EXAMPLE   time_estimate:>15.minutes
    • EXAMPLE   created_at:>2.hours
    • EXAMPLE   due_date:=3.days
    • Note, that for some queries, you may want to use an additional indicator to specify whether to look in the future or past time, as in:
      EXAMPLE   due_date:>2.days.from_now
      vs.
      EXAMPLE   due_date:>2.days.ago
  • A date - this is the supported format: 2015-01-02
  • Time - this is the supported format: HH:MM
  • User initials - @XY or @xy
      Please note: user initials as RVAL (value for your chosen criteria) are supported for queries such as:
    • assigned_to
      EXAMPLE   assigned_to:@DC
      EXAMPLE   checklist_for example: checklist_for:@DC
    • created_by
      EXAMPLE   created_by:@DC
    • In any other case, you're welcome to add user initials to the beginning of a query, to limit the search results to tasks assigned to this person only
      EXAMPLE   @DC description:"XYZ" due_date:2017-03-04 priority:1

Complete list of search operators - what to use between LVAL & RVAL:

  • matching value
    EXAMPLE   description:"Do you know"
  • :=  an exactly equal value
    EXAMPLE   custom_field_1:=3453
  • :?  shows all tasks that have any value in the given criteria
    EXAMPLE   checklist_for:? (will list all tasks that have checklist items assigned to anyone)
  • :!  does not include
    EXAMPLE   priority:!1 (will show all tasks that have a priority other than high)
  • :!?  is an empty field
    EXAMPLE   checklist:!? (finds tasks that have no checklist items added)
    EXAMPLE   due_date:!? (finds tasks with no due date set)
    EXAMPLE   assigned_to:!? (finds unassigned tasks)
  • :<  date-related only earlier than (a date)
    EXAMPLE   due_date:<2017-03-17 (will list tasks with due dates before 17 March 2017)
  • :>  date-related only later than (a date)
    EXAMPLE   due_date:>2017-02-18 (will list tasks with dates past 18 Feb 2017)
  • for numerical values only equal to
    EXAMPLE   size_estimate=6 (lists tasks with Difficulty set to 6)
  • for numerical values only larger than
    EXAMPLE   time_estimate>10:00
  • for numerical values only less than
    EXAMPLE   time_estimate<02:00
  • <=  for numerical values only less than or equal to
    EXAMPLE   subtasks_count<=4
  • >=  for numerical values only larger than or equal to
    EXAMPLE   subtasks_count>=4

Navigating the search results

After clicking a task from the search results, you can view and edit it on the screen without loading the original board that the card is on.

The narrow bar just below the card title displays the board and column in which the open task is.

When you’ve opened a task from the search results, using the arrows on both sides of the card lets you navigate through the results list, as opposed to navigating through the neighboring tasks on the board - which is how these arrows work when you click a card from the board view and not from search results.

Opening a task from search results and navigating through other results with the side arrows

Final Notes

Please note, there should be no spaces used between the criteria, operator and value, like so: LVAL:RVAL

Also, for searches that use multiple queries, simply list one query after another, separating by space, like so:
LVAL:RVAL LVAL>RVAL LVAL=RVAL
EXAMPLE   @DV board:”Project D” description:”Casey Toners” due_date>2017-03-20 priority:1
EXAMPLE   checklist_for:@hg priority:1 due_date<=2017-03-01

As demonstrated in the above examples, any value that you are searching by (RVAL) that is made of more than 1 word, needs to be placed in quotation marks or apostrophes.

Search in comments and lists

The global search can also be used to reference a specific task inside a comment message window or within an individual checklists item. Just type # to open the search window.

Accessing the search window from a Kanban Tool comment message or a task checklist item

In case you have any problems with using the global search functionality, feel free to for help.

Can I save a filtered view of my board?

Yes - for keeping a set of filters always active on your board, just use the Remember this filter option, listed in the filter menu: Saving a board filter

It will remain applied for as long as you want, regardless of reloading the board view or closing the browser. In the latter event, when you re-open the board in a new window, you will be reminded that the filter is active with this little notice: Active filtering notification

To remove the filter, use the Click here to clear filter option, shown on the filtering notice, or the Clear filter setting in the filters menu, or the x mark in the filters box.

Is there a due date reminder functionality?

Automatic, on the day due date reminders

Kanban Tool’s due date reminder email is a great way of staying on top of all your due tasks across multiple boards. At a time chosen by yourself, you’ll get an email notification of all your tasks due today (if an AM hour is chosen) or due on the next day (if a PM hour is selected). The email will name due dates for tasks that were assigned to you or created by you and kept unassigned, so - by assumption - meant for you.

To manage your reminder email preferences, please go to My Profile and access the Edit my details page, choose the time of the email arrival and save changes. Automatic due date reminders Note: If you don’t want to receive these emails, simply select “Never” from the hour selection dropdown.

Individual, ahead of time due date reminders

If you’re interested in being reminded of a particular task, as opposed to all due tasks, and you’d like to get the reminder days or weeks ahead of the due date, please use the Task Reminders power-up. Not only does it allow for custom email date and time choice, but it also lets you choose whom to send the email to - several people can be notified at once.

Furthermore, you can give the reminder a form other than an email - for example, on a given date and time - set a task to move to the top of a column, have its color, assignment, or priority changed. Sometimes this will be of more use than an email.

Task Reminders - Timeframe selection

If you’re not sure how to use due dates functionality with Kanban Tool, please visit this page.

Is it possible to mass update tasks?

Yes, you can perform updates on several tasks at once. Simply highlight a few tasks by clicking them with the CTRL key pressed, then right-click any of them to use Edit # tasks: Editing several tasks at once

To make mass edits, please use the import functionality. For as long as you provide IDs of tasks already present on the board, the imported information will overwrite current data placed in them. It’s a very good way to manage changes across a large number of tasks in one go.

Process automation

Process automation is a clever way for you to determine action on the board to be causing a reaction. For example, you can make tasks of a certain type (color) get assigned to a relevant team member, you can change card priority basing on a set due date, have tasks move to the next stage upon a chosen custom field being filled-in, or set a custom email notification for when a card meets a set of your requirements: task values, position in a given column or swimlane, and many more.

To add an automation rule to a Kanban board, please go to board Settings - Process Automation and use the widget provided. There are a few examples predefined for your convenience, but you are most welcome to create any rules possible on your own. It’s easier than it may seem!

Please note, all automation rules and trigger buttons are only available to users with project manager, account administrator or owner privileges.

Below are a few examples of great automation use cases (Click on the images to see full sizes):

  • When a task is created in swimlane Project DYN, assign it to Francois: Automation Rules
  • When a task is moved to the Today column, change assignment to Rick, add a due date for right now and give it a high priority: Automation Rules
  • When a task receives a time estimate exceeding 20 hrs, send a notification to Aksel, the team supervisor: Automation Rules
  • When a task is moved to Monitoring, change the card type to financial analysis.
    This is fantastic help especially, for when you have set up different card templates for different card colors: Automation Rules
  • When any task on the board is updated in any way, send a notification to Jónsi.
    Note, that leaving a field blank is also recognized as a selection criteria, just like in this example: Automation Rules
  • When a task is moved to Done, clear its due date field: Automation Rules

You may also create rules, which will run at regular time intervals, instead of executing on basis of a specified event only, for example:

  • Archive red tasks in the Done column, that have not been updated for 7 days. Automation Rules
  • Notify me of high priority tasks becoming due in 2 days. Automation Rules
  • Notify Daria when there are tasks that have been worked on (timed) for more than 8 hours. Automation Rules

Also, it is possible to create automation rule trigger buttons, on clicking which, a specified set of changes will be applied, either to one task (when using task buttons or menu options) or to all tasks (when using board buttons).

  • Create a button on the board, clicking which will check for overdue tasks in Production column, and send a notification about them to set users. Automation Rules Buttons like this are added to a board's side panel, under Process Automation. Automation Rules - Button
  • Create an in-task button, clicking which will send the task to Production column, and change multiple details of the task for you - assignment, due date, type, custom field selection, in this example. Automation Rules Automation Rules - Button
  • Add an extra task menu option, letting you move the task straight to Completed. Automation Rules Automation Rules - Menu Option

For detailed information on the syntax needed for own automation rules creation, be sure to view this page. Should you get stuck or come across any issues, feel free to for help.

Process automation rules limitations

Kanban Tool Enterprise subscribers can use process automation with the following limitations:

  • 10 rules per board, for accounts with up to 5 members
  • twice as many rules, as the number of users, for accounts with more than 5 members
    (for example 20 rules per board for a 10-user account, 100 rules per board for a 50-user account)

During the free trial period you can define up to five automations on each board.

Please note, process automation is only available to the Enterprise plan subscribers.
You can change your service plan any time from Account Administration - Plan & Billing details
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Can I use file attachments?

Kanban Tool Team and Enterprise plan subscribers can add file attachments to their task cards. The size limit for each file is 20 MB. You can add as many files to a card as you need.

Attachments are not supported in the Free service plan, but free users are welcome to attach files from a file hosting service of their choice - Google Drive, Box, Dropbox or OneDrive.

Can I move tasks from one board to another?

Yes! You can move tasks across all boards within your account. To do so, right-click a task and choose “Move to”. This option gives you a choice of moving this task to another board, or of moving over its copy. Can I move tasks from one board to another?

You can also transfer tasks between boards through an open card’s location menu. Task location menu

My board looks very small. Can I scale its size?

We believe that the compact size of Kanban Tool default boards and cards is one of its strengths, allowing you to get an at a glance view of a complex workflow and easily spot its bottlenecks.

Still, if your board is not too big, and you’re left with lots of space on your Kanban Tool page, then we welcome you to use the board zoom. It’s available under Settings - Board Background:

Zooming in on the board view

Of course, you can also decrease the scale - zoom out, and take further advantage of following a large workflow as a whole, e.g. on a widescreen.

Board Settings are only available to board owners and account admins/owners.

What keyboard shortcuts does Kanban Tool support?

If you're looking to speed up your board and tasks navigation, there's a bunch of keyboard shortcuts to take advantage of:

In the board view:

  • Ctrl++ zoom in
  • Ctrl+- zoom out
  • Space start or pause your last active task timer (for the Enterprise plan subscribers)
  • / search for tasks across all boards
  • Shift+/ apply a filter to the board
  • X disable any applied board filters

On a selection of tasks, or when pointing at a task:

  • E archive selected tasks
  • Del delete selected tasks
  • , move the selected tasks to the previous stage (to the left)
  • . move the selected tasks to the next stage (to the right) Use keyboard shortcuts on selected tasks
  • M assign selected tasks to yourself
  • Enter open the selected task
  • Ctrl+C copy selected tasks
  • Ctrl+V paste copied tasks, or turn text from your clipboard into the board as tasks
  • Ctrl+X cut selected tasks
  • Menu / Apps open the context menu

In the open task view:

  • Esc to close the task, or exit the fullscreen view
  • Tab to navigate between all of the task's inner fields
  • There is also a number of shortcuts for use in the Description field text formatting

When adding a new task:

  • Ctrl+Enter create and close the new task
  • Ctrl+Shift+Enter create, close and add another task

When deleting or archiving tasks:

  • Ctrl+Z undo action
  • Ctrl+Y redo action

How do I visualize my project timeline?

The nature of the Kanban method is visualizing the project by tasks’ completion stages, which usually become the board’s columns. This is how we recommended using Kanban Tool.

Kanban Tool board with columns representing stages of work completion

To visually track the project timeline, you can use task due dates and start dates. A combination of the two will allow you to preview the tasks’ timeline in the interactive calendar.

Timeline view between a task start and due date

A setup like this gives you the best of both worlds: a Kanban view with task positions determined by completion stages, and a calendar view displaying each item’s timeline.