Bulk Operations

Bulk Operations allow you to perform actions on multiple tasks simultaneously, dramatically improving efficiency when managing large numbers of tasks. Select multiple tasks and execute common operations like status changes, date adjustments, priority updates, and more.

Available since 9.9.0

Overview

Instead of editing tasks one by one, Bulk Operations enable you to:

Select multiple tasks using Shift + Click
Modify task properties for all selected tasks at once
Execute operations via right-click context menu
Save time when managing similar tasks

Key Benefits:

Efficient batch processing of tasks
Consistent updates across multiple tasks
Reduced repetitive work
Powerful project management workflows

Selecting Tasks

How to Select Multiple Tasks

Hold the Shift key on your keyboard
Click on tasks one by one to add them to your selection
Each selected task will display visual feedback (see below)
Continue Shift + Clicking to add more tasks

Important Notes:

You must hold Shift while clicking each task
Ctrl/Cmd + Click is not supported
Ctrl/Cmd + A (Select All) is not supported
There is no maximum limit on the number of tasks you can select

Visual Feedback

When tasks are selected, they display:

Left border: A colored border appears on the left edge of the task
Background color change: The task background changes to indicate selection
No toolbar: Unlike single-selection, multi-selection does not show a toolbar
Selection count: The right-click menu shows the number of selected tasks

Example:

┌────────────────────────────────────┐
│ ▌ ☐ Review quarterly report       │ ← Selected (border + background)
│ ▌ ☐ Update project documentation  │ ← Selected (border + background)
│   ☐ Schedule team meeting          │ ← Not selected
│ ▌ ☐ Submit budget proposal         │ ← Selected (border + background)
└────────────────────────────────────┘

Deselecting Tasks

You can clear your selection using any of these methods:

Press the Escape key to clear all selections
Right-click and choose "Clear selection" from the menu
Click outside the task list (in empty space)
Execute a bulk operation (selection auto-clears after operation)

View Mode Support

Bulk Operations are available in the following View Modes:

✅ Supported View Modes

List View: Fully supported
Tree View: Fully supported

❌ Not Currently Supported

Kanban View: Multi-selection not available (yet)
Calendar View: Multi-selection not available (yet)

Note: To use Bulk Operations, ensure you're in List View or Tree View. Switch View Modes using the buttons at the top of the view.

Select multiple tasks using Shift + Click
Right-click on any selected task
A context menu appears showing available bulk operations
The menu header displays the number of selected tasks

Menu Structure:

┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 5 tasks selected                    │ ← Selection count
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│ ◻ Bulk change status          >     │
│ 📅 Bulk set date              >     │
│ ⚠ Bulk set priority           >     │
│ 📁 Bulk move to project       >     │
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│ 🗑 Bulk delete                      │
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│ ✕ Clear selection                   │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘

Available Operations

Bulk Change Status

Change the completion status for all selected tasks.

How to Use:

Select tasks
Right-click → Bulk change status
Choose a status from the submenu (e.g., "Todo", "In Progress", "Done")
All selected tasks update to the new status

Submenu Options:

All configured task statuses from your Task Status settings
Each option shows the status checkbox indicator
Status names are displayed (e.g., "Todo", "In Progress", "Done")

Example Use Cases:

Mark multiple tasks as "In Progress" when starting a work session
Change completed tasks back to "Todo" if they need revision
Batch-update project tasks to a custom status

Status Change Behavior:

If changing to a completed status, the completion date is automatically set
If changing from completed to incomplete, the completion date is cleared

Bulk Set Date

Modify date fields for all selected tasks.

How to Use:

Select tasks
Right-click → Bulk set date
Choose from three sub-options (see below)

Set Specific Date

Set all selected tasks to the same specific date.

Submenu:

Due date: Set a specific due date
Start date: Set a specific start date
Scheduled date: Set a specific scheduled date

Flow:

Select date type (e.g., "Due date")
A date picker modal opens
Choose a date from the calendar
All selected tasks are updated with that date

Example Use Case:

Set the same deadline for all tasks in a sprint
Align start dates for a group of related tasks

Postpone by...

Shift dates forward or backward by a specified number of days.

Submenu:

Due date: Postpone/advance due dates
Start date: Postpone/advance start dates
Scheduled date: Postpone/advance scheduled dates

Flow:

Select date type (e.g., "Due date")
An offset modal opens
Enter number of days (positive to postpone, negative to advance)
Each task's date is shifted by that amount

Example Use Cases:

Postpone all tasks by 3 days due to a delay
Advance start dates by 2 days to accommodate early availability
Shift scheduled dates by 1 week for rescheduling

Important: If a task doesn't have the selected date type, the current date is used as the base for offset calculation.

Clear Dates

Remove date fields from all selected tasks.

Submenu:

Clear due date: Remove all due dates
Clear start date: Remove all start dates
Clear scheduled date: Remove all scheduled dates

Example Use Case:

Clear due dates from backlog tasks to remove deadline pressure
Remove start dates when tasks are no longer time-bound

Bulk Set Priority

Change the priority level for all selected tasks.

How to Use:

Select tasks
Right-click → Bulk set priority
Choose a priority level or clear priority

Submenu Options:

! Priority 1: Lowest priority
!! Priority 2: Low priority
!!! Priority 3: Medium priority
!!!! Priority 4: High priority
!!!!! Priority 5: Highest priority
Clear priority: Remove priority from all selected tasks

Example Use Cases:

Elevate all project tasks to high priority before a deadline
Set a batch of low-priority tasks for backlog processing
Clear priority from completed tasks for cleaner archives

Visual Indicators: Priority is shown with exclamation marks (!, !!, !!!, etc.) in the task display.

Bulk Move to Project

Assign all selected tasks to a specific project.

How to Use:

Select tasks
Right-click → Bulk move to project
Choose a project from the list
All selected tasks are assigned to that project

Submenu Options:

List of all existing projects (dynamically generated from tasks in your vault)
Clear project: Remove project assignment from all selected tasks
If no projects exist, shows "No projects available" (disabled)

Example Use Cases:

Organize inbox tasks into projects after triage
Reassign tasks when restructuring projects
Bulk-remove project tags when archiving

Note: The project list is generated from existing task metadata, not from a static configuration. Create projects by assigning them to individual tasks first.

Bulk Delete

Permanently delete all selected tasks.

How to Use:

Select tasks
Right-click → Bulk delete
A confirmation modal appears showing the number of tasks to be deleted
Click "Delete" to confirm or "Cancel" to abort

Confirmation Modal:

┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Confirm bulk delete                 │
│                                     │
│ Are you sure you want to delete     │
│ 12 tasks?                           │
│                                     │
│ [Cancel]              [Delete]      │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘

Important:

Deletion is permanent and cannot be undone (unless you have version control or backups)
Always double-check your selection before confirming
The deleteChildren parameter is set to false, meaning subtasks are not automatically deleted

Example Use Cases:

Clean up completed tasks in bulk
Remove duplicate or obsolete tasks
Archive cleanup after project completion

Clear Selection

Exit selection mode and deselect all tasks.

How to Use:

Right-click → Clear selection
All tasks are deselected
Selection mode is exited

Alternative: Press the Escape key to clear selection quickly.

Operation Results

Success Notifications

When a bulk operation completes successfully, you'll see a notification:

✓ Changed status to "In Progress": 8 tasks updated successfully

✓ Set dueDate: 15 tasks updated successfully

✓ Deleted tasks: 10 tasks updated successfully

Partial Success Notifications

If some tasks fail during an operation, you'll see:

⚠ Set priority to 3: 7 succeeded, 2 failed

What Happens on Failure:

Successfully updated tasks remain updated
Failed tasks are left unchanged
Error details are logged to the console (press Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + I to view)
A notice displays the count of successes and failures

Common Failure Reasons:

File permission issues
Tasks in read-only files
Corrupted task format
Plugin API errors

Checking Console Errors

To view detailed error information:

Press Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + I to open Developer Tools
Click the Console tab
Look for "Bulk operation errors:" messages
Each error includes:
- Task ID
- Task content
- Error message

Workflows and Use Cases

Daily Task Management

Scenario: You process your inbox every morning.

Workflow:

Open Inbox view in List View
Select all low-priority tasks (Shift + Click each)
Right-click → Bulk set priority → ! Priority 1
Select all high-priority tasks
Right-click → Bulk move to project → "Urgent Work"

Project Rescheduling

Scenario: A project is delayed by one week.

Workflow:

Open Project View for the delayed project
Select all tasks with due dates (Shift + Click)
Right-click → Bulk set date → Postpone by... → Due date
Enter 7 days
All tasks are postponed by one week

Sprint Planning

Scenario: Moving tasks from backlog to the current sprint.

Workflow:

Open Upcoming view in Kanban View (or switch to List View for multi-select)
Switch to List View temporarily for bulk operations
Select all sprint tasks (Shift + Click)
Right-click → Bulk change status → "In Progress"
Right-click → Bulk set date → Set specific date → Due date → (Sprint end date)
Switch back to Kanban View to visualize progress

Task Cleanup

Scenario: Archiving or deleting completed tasks from last month.

Workflow:

Open Custom View with filter: Completed = Yes, Completed Date < 30 days ago
Switch to List View
Select all tasks (Shift + Click)
Right-click → Bulk delete
Confirm deletion

Weekly Review

Scenario: Reviewing and reprioritizing tasks for the upcoming week.

Workflow:

Open Upcoming view in List View
Select all medium-priority tasks for next week
Right-click → Bulk set priority → !!! Priority 3
Select tasks without due dates
Right-click → Bulk set date → Set specific date → Due date → (End of week)

Best Practices

1. Use List View for Bulk Operations

While Tree View is supported, List View provides a clearer, flatter structure for selecting multiple tasks. Switch to List View before performing bulk operations for better visibility.

2. Double-Check Selection Before Deleting

Always verify your selection count before executing Bulk delete:

Check the menu header: "X tasks selected"
Review the confirmation modal carefully
Use Clear selection (or Esc) if you selected wrong tasks

3. Use Postpone for Relative Date Changes

When rescheduling, prefer Postpone by... over Set specific date if tasks should maintain their relative timing:

Set specific date: All tasks get the same date (e.g., all due on Jan 15)
Postpone by: Each task's date shifts by the same amount (e.g., all shift 3 days later)

4. Batch Similar Tasks Together

Group similar operations to minimize selection effort:

Instead of selecting all tasks at once, do operations in batches:
1. Select and update status for Group A
2. Select and set priority for Group B
3. Select and move to project for Group C

5. Leverage Project-Based Selection

Use project or tag filters to narrow visible tasks before bulk selecting:

Apply filter to show only relevant tasks
Select all visible tasks (easier than manual selection in large lists)
Execute bulk operation
Clear filter

6. Test with Small Batches First

When using a bulk operation for the first time:

Select 2-3 tasks as a test
Execute the operation
Verify the results
Proceed with larger batches once confident

7. Combine with View Modes

Use the right View Mode for context, then switch to List View for bulk operations:

Plan in Calendar View → Switch to List View for bulk date changes
Track in Kanban View → Switch to List View for bulk status changes
Organize in Tree View → Use Tree View directly for hierarchical bulk operations

Limitations

View Mode Restrictions

Not supported in Kanban View: Multi-selection is unavailable
Not supported in Calendar View: Multi-selection is unavailable
Only List and Tree View: Must be in these View Modes to use bulk operations

Workaround: Temporarily switch to List View to perform bulk operations, then switch back to your preferred View Mode.

No Select All

No Ctrl/Cmd + A: Cannot select all visible tasks with a keyboard shortcut
No "Select All" button: Must manually Shift + Click each task

Workaround: Use filters to reduce the visible task count, then Shift + Click the remaining tasks.

No Ctrl/Cmd + Click for Toggle Selection

Cannot toggle individual tasks: No way to add/remove single tasks from selection without Shift
Cannot deselect one task: Must clear all and re-select

Workaround: Be careful with initial selection. Use Clear selection if you make a mistake, then re-select.

Selection Clears After Operation

No persistent selection: After executing a bulk operation, selection is automatically cleared
Cannot chain operations: Must re-select tasks for each operation

Workaround: Plan to execute only one operation per selection, or use filters to maintain the same visible task set for re-selection.

No Undo for Bulk Operations

Operations are immediate: Changes are written to files immediately
No built-in undo: Must manually revert changes

Workaround:

Use version control (Git) for your vault to enable rollback
Test with small batches before large operations
Keep backups of your vault

No Progress Indicator for Large Batches

No loading bar: Large bulk operations may appear to "hang"
No cancellation: Cannot abort an in-progress operation

Workaround:

Be patient with large selections (100+ tasks)
Check the console for progress logs if needed
Avoid selecting thousands of tasks in a single batch

Troubleshooting

Tasks Not Selecting

Issue: Clicking tasks while holding Shift doesn't select them.

Solution:

Verify you're in List View or Tree View (not Kanban or Calendar)
Ensure you're holding Shift before clicking
Try releasing and re-pressing Shift
Refresh the view (close and reopen)

Issue: Right-click menu shows single-task options instead of bulk menu.

Solution:

Verify multiple tasks are actually selected (visual feedback should be visible)
Ensure you right-clicked on a selected task (not an unselected one)
Try clearing selection (Esc) and re-selecting tasks

Some Tasks Failing in Bulk Operation

Issue: Notification shows "X succeeded, Y failed".

Solution:

Open Console (Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + I) and check error messages
Common fixes:
- Ensure files are not read-only
- Check file permissions
- Verify tasks are not in a corrupted format
- Reload the plugin (Settings → Community Plugins → Reload)
Successfully updated tasks remain updated; manually fix failed tasks

Bulk Delete Not Working

Issue: Confirmation modal appears, but tasks aren't deleted.

Solution:

Check if files are locked or in use by another application
Ensure Obsidian has write permissions
Verify tasks are not in read-only files
Check Console for error details

Selection Deselecting Unexpectedly

Issue: Tasks deselect while trying to add more to selection.

Solution:

Ensure you're continuously holding Shift (not tapping it)
Avoid clicking outside the task area
Don't press Escape accidentally
Disable any conflicting plugins or hotkeys

View Modes: Switch between List, Kanban, Tree, and Calendar views
Task Status: Configure task statuses for bulk status changes
Date & Priority: Understand date and priority fields modified by bulk operations
Project: Learn about project organization for bulk project moves
Workspace: Use workspaces to organize different task contexts
Filtering: Filter tasks before bulk selection for efficiency

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