What are recurring tasks?
A recurring task is a task Marvin creates for you again and again, on a pattern you choose. For example, "Open mail" every Monday, or "Morning routine" every day with the same subtasks each time.
There are two parts to every recurring task:
The repeat: the rule that says what to create and when. You manage these on the Recurring Tasks screen.
The occurrences: the actual tasks Marvin creates from the repeat. These are normal tasks that you check off like any other.
How to make a task recurring
From an existing task
Click the task to open its details.
Click the Recur button (the circular arrow).
Choose how often it repeats and click Add Recurring Task.
You can also right-click the task and choose Make recurring. If you don't see it right away, look under More in the right-click menu.
Screenshot to add: A task's details open, with the Recur button highlighted.
By typing it
When you add a task on the web or desktop app, you can type the pattern into the title. A weekday, like "Bins out every Monday", repeats on that day. "Daily", "weekly" or "every 3 days" make a task that comes back that many days after you check it off, so it never piles up. The words are taken out of the title, and the Recur button shows what Marvin understood before you press Enter.
From the Recurring Tasks screen
Open the main menu and click Recurring. Then click Add Recurring Task (or Add Recurring Project).
On the mobile app
Tap Recur when you add a task, or open an existing task and tap Recur there.
Screenshot to add: The mobile add sheet with the Recur button.
Choosing how often it repeats
Screenshot to add: The recurring task settings window, showing the Repeat options, "Create occurrences" and "If you miss one".
The main options are:
Daily: every day.
Weekly: once a week, on the day you pick.
Monthly: once a month, on the date you pick. If you pick the 31st, shorter months get it on their last day.
X times/week: on the weekdays you pick, for example Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Every X days: for example every 3 days, following the calendar.
After completion: the next one is created a set number of days after you check off the current one. These can never pile up.
Click More patterns for:
Every X weeks / months / years.
On / Off: a number of days on, then a number of days off, for example 4 days on and 3 days off.
Custom: type the pattern in words, like "every 2 weeks on Tuesday" or "every month on the last Friday". Marvin shows how it understood it and the next dates. See Custom recurrence patterns.
If you miss one
This setting decides what happens when a day passes and you didn't check the task off:
Keep them all: every missed one stays on your list. Good for things you really still owe, like invoices.
Keep just one: you only ever see one copy, however many you missed. The oldest stays, so you can see how long it has been waiting.
Only the current one: you only see today's copy. Missed ones drop off once their day is over.
New recurring tasks start on Keep just one. Older recurring tasks keep all missed copies unless you change them, or change the default in the settings on the Recurring Tasks screen. Nothing is deleted by this setting, so switching back brings the hidden copies back.
Tip
Want a daily task that simply disappears if you didn't do it, like "Clear my inbox"? Choose Only the current one.
Create occurrences: on the day or ahead of time
By default, a new recurring task appears on its own day. That way it is one row in your lists, and search doesn't show a long list of copies.
If you plan your week or month ahead and want to see upcoming copies in your calendar and planning views, choose to create them a number of days ahead under Create occurrences.
You can change the default on the Recurring Tasks screen, using the settings button at the top. It applies to recurring tasks you create after changing it, and to older ones that never had their own setting.
Start dates and deadlines
The repeat sets the day each copy is scheduled, meaning the day you plan to do it. A deadline is something different, and most recurring tasks don't need one. If yours does, use Deadlines for each one:
Hard deadline (due date): a number of days after the scheduled day.
Soft deadline (end date) and Available from (start date): shown when you have those features turned on.
Under More options you can also set:
Starts on: the date the first copy appears.
Stop repeating on a date.
Only on weekdays (M-F).
Which section of your day it goes into, if you use daily sections.
What every copy gets
Anything you add to the task in the recurring task settings is copied onto every new occurrence: subtasks, the note, time estimate, reward points, labels, star, frog, and the category or project it belongs in.
If a task has comments, they are lost when you make it recurring.
A time of day: add the time to the title, for example "Take medication 8pm" or "Standup 9:30am". Each copy then has that time and shows at that time on your calendar.
Changing titles: words like $MONTH or $YEAR in the title are replaced with the date of each copy. See Recurring Task Magic Words.
Where recurring tasks show up
Your lists, projects and Master List show the actual task you have to do, looking like any other task with a checkbox. If nothing is open right now, nothing shows. The repeats themselves are listed on the Recurring Tasks screen.
Recurring tasks have a small recurring icon next to the title. Click it to open the recurring task settings.
Screenshot to add: A recurring task in a list, with the recurring icon next to its title.
You can change this in Features → Recurring Tasks: hide the icon, or show the repeat in your lists instead of the task.
Editing a recurring task
On the web and desktop app, editing a task in your day or list changes only that one copy. To change all of them, click the recurring icon next to the title (or open the Recurring Tasks screen and click the pencil). Your changes are applied to open copies from today onward.
Changing the repeat pattern itself recreates the copies you haven't completed yet, so changes you made to a single copy can be lost.
Reminders are the exception: setting a reminder on any copy sets it for the whole recurring task, unless you switch it to just that copy.
On the mobile app, the edit screen of a recurring task has a This instance / All instances switch. It starts on All instances.
The Recurring Tasks screen
Open the main menu and click Recurring to see all your recurring tasks and projects. For each one you can:
Edit it (pencil).
Pause or resume it. While it is paused, its future copies are removed and no new ones are created. Paused items stay on this screen, so you can find them again later.
See its history of completed copies and its upcoming copies.
Delete it.
At the top you can Pause all, which is handy when you go on holiday.
Screenshot to add: The Recurring Tasks screen, showing one row with its edit, pause, history and delete buttons, and "Pause all" at the top.
Skipping or deleting
When you delete a recurring task from a list, Marvin asks whether you mean Just this one or All occurrences:
Just this one skips that day. The repeat carries on.
All occurrences deletes the repeat and all its open copies. Completed ones are kept.
If Marvin doesn't ask, this question has been turned off in Features → Recurring Tasks, and deleting removes just that copy.
You can also delete a repeat from the Recurring Tasks screen.
Frequently asked questions
I can't find the button to make a task recurring.
Click the task to open its details and click Recur, or right-click the task and choose Make recurring. See How to make a task recurring.
My recurring tasks pile up when I miss a day. How do I stop that?
Open the recurring task settings and set If you miss one to Keep just one or Only the current one. To change it for older recurring tasks all at once, use the settings button on the Recurring Tasks screen.
Can a task show up every day but disappear if I don't do it?
Yes. Set If you miss one to Only the current one.
Can I create recurring tasks on the mobile app?
Yes. Tap Recur when you add or edit a task.
How do I give a recurring task a time, so it shows on my calendar?
Put the time in the title, for example "Daily meeting 10am". See What every copy gets.
Can I get a reminder for a recurring task?
Yes. Open the reminder on any copy and set a time. It applies to every copy of the recurring task. You can also put the time in the title and turn on automatic reminders, and each copy reminds you then (or earlier, if you set a default number of minutes before).
Can the same task have different times on different days?
One recurring task has one time. Create two recurring tasks instead, for example "Exercise 8:30am" on Monday and Thursday, and "Exercise 1:50pm" on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. If you want to count it as one thing, track it as a habit too.
How do I set a time estimate, reward points or subtasks?
Add them to the task inside the recurring task settings. Every new copy gets them.
Can I repeat a whole set of tasks together?
Yes, either as one task with subtasks, or as a recurring project with tasks inside. See Recurring projects.
How do I put a recurring task in a project or category?
Create the task inside the project and make it recurring, or open the recurring task settings and change its category or project there. All new copies go to the new place.
Can recurring tasks go into a time block automatically?
Yes, in two ways. Put a time in the title, for example "Review inbox 9am", and it goes into the time block that covers that time. Or link the time block to a category or label, and tasks from there show up in it. You can also drag a copy into a block on the day.
I changed one copy and the others didn't change.
On the web and desktop app, editing a copy only changes that copy. Click the recurring icon next to the title to change all of them. See Editing a recurring task.
How do I skip one occurrence without marking it done?
Delete that copy and choose Just this one. If you'd like to keep a record of days you did and didn't do something, a habit is a better fit, since recurring tasks only record the ones you completed.
How do I delete a recurring task completely?
Delete any copy and choose All occurrences, or delete it from the Recurring Tasks screen. Copies you already completed stay in your history.
I paused a recurring task. Where did it go?
Open the main menu and click Recurring. Paused items are still listed there. Click the pause button again to resume it.
My recurring tasks stopped appearing.
Check the Recurring Tasks screen: they may be paused, or Pause all may be on. Also check that the repeat hasn't reached its Stop repeating on a date.
I just created a recurring task and it isn't in today's list.
The first copy appears on the first day that matches the pattern, counting from the Starts on date. A weekly task for Thursday created on Monday first shows up on Thursday.
Why don't I see future copies in my calendar or week view?
New recurring tasks are created on their own day. To see them ahead of time, set Create occurrences to a number of days ahead.
Can a recurring task come back right after I finish it?
The shortest is After completion with 1 day: the next one appears the day after you check it off.
Can I repeat on specific dates each month?
For one date, use Monthly and pick it. For other patterns, use Custom, for example "every month on the 2nd last Friday".
What's the difference between a recurring task with a due date and one without?
Every copy is scheduled on its day either way. A due date adds a deadline to each copy, a number of days after the day it's scheduled. Most recurring tasks don't need one.
Is there a list of words I can use in titles, like the month or year?
Yes, see Recurring Task Magic Words. For example "$MONTH $YEAR budget" becomes "May 2026 budget".