Syncing tasks and decisions from meetings with OneNote

The same rules apply when you sync tasks from Word.

Step I: Write your task or decision in OneNote
While taking meeting minutes, simply write out a task or decision using this pattern inside the “Minutes” column associated with the agenda item:

Task: action item @name date

Decision: decision

Put the date straight after the last name, with nothing else in between. The date is optional. For the date formats you can use, see Accepted date formats in Syncing tasks and decisions with Decisions Meeting Documents Manager for Word.

Important note: Additional synonyms (words) for Task: and Decision: are supported. Scroll to the end of this article and look for the Synonyms section for details.

Important note: Due to limitations in OneNote, avoid using line breaks (hitting ‘Enter/Return’) when typing decisions and tasks.

Type this: Decision: Minutes are approved

NOT THAT: Decision: Minutes are

approved

Additional examples of tasks and decisions are provided at the end of this article.

Assigning people

• Put an @ in front of each person, with a space before each @. You don't need a comma between people. Keep all the names and the date on the same line.
• Type the name as it appears in Teams, without a comma. If Teams shows Miller, Julie, write @Miller Julie. Given name then family name also works, like @Julie Miller.
• IMPORTANT: Don't put a comma inside a name. Decisions reads a comma as the start of a new person, so @Miller, Julie can be split in two and assigned to the wrong colleague, or to two people. Without a comma, the full name is read as one name.
• If two colleagues have the same name, use the person's email address instead, like @julie.miller@company.com.
• You only need to type the start of someone's display name, so you don't need to add their department, location or anything in brackets.
• You can assign tasks to members of the team the meeting belongs to, or to members of the channel if the meeting is in a private or shared channel. For a recurring meeting saved in OneDrive, you can assign tasks to the meeting's attendees.
• If a name matches more than one person, Decisions picks one of them. Check the assignees in the overview before you click Save.

Step II: Click “Sync tasks and decisions”
After typing the tasks and decisions, click “Sync tasks and decisions” beneath the agenda table.

Step III: Click “Save”
An overview will be presented after you click "Sync tasks and decisions." It shows the tasks and decisions associated with each agenda item. Check that each task has the right assignee and due date, then click "Save."

Syntax

Task: <Title> @User <Date> <Description>

Task: <Title> @User @User <Date> <Description>

Decision: <Description>

Synonyms

The following synonyms are supported

English

• Task:
• Action:
• Decision:
• Orientation:

Norwegian

• Oppgave:
• Oppfølging:
• Beslutning:
• Vedtak:

German

• Aufgabe:
• Aktion:
• Entscheidung:

French

• Tâche: (or Tache:)
• Décision: (or Decision:)

Swedish

• Uppgift:
• Beslut:

Dutch

• Taak:
• Besluit:

Examples

The following entry will create a task and assign it to Julie Miller:
Task: Write documentation @Julie Miller

To also assign a deadline, simply add the date:
Task: Write documentation @Julie Miller 30.11.2026

To assign two people:
Task: Write documentation @Julie Miller @Tom Hansen 30.11.2026

The following entry will create a decision:
Decision: The minutes are approved

In the OneNote meeting minutes, they will appear like this:

FAQ

• Why was my task assigned to the wrong person, or to two people?
• This usually happens when there's a comma inside a name. Decisions reads the comma as a new person and matches each part on its own. Write the name without a comma, and check the assignees in the overview before you click Save.
• How do I assign a task to more than one person?
• Put an @ in front of each person, with a space before each @, and keep everything on one line with the date at the end. You don't need a comma between people.
• What if two colleagues have the same name?
• Use the person's email address, like @julie.miller@company.com.
• Do I need to type the suffix in someone's display name?
• No. You only need to type the start of the display name, so you can leave out the department, location or anything in brackets.
• Which names does Decisions match against?
• The display name, given name, family name and email address from Entra ID (Azure AD).