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Custom fields let you add additional data to tasks in your Asana projects. You can create a field for stage, priority, cost, or anything else that’s important to your workflow, team, and company. This allows individuals to have clarity on work happening across their organization.
There are two types of custom fields you can create in Asana:
- Local custom fields are specific to a single project or portfolio.
- Global custom fields are added to your organization's field library meaning they can be reused across your organization.
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Creating a global custom field that is reusable across your organization
To create a global custom field click the Add fields button if you have yet to add fields to the project.
From the Add custom field tab you can:
- Add a field title
- Select the field type
- Add a description
- Add the field to your organization's field library to make it reusable across your organization (global)
Creating a local custom field for a specific project or portfolio
To create a local custom field click the plus icon on the top right corner if you have yet to add fields to the project.
From the Add custom field tab you can:
- Add a field title
- Select the field type
- Add a description
- Do not add the field to your organization's field library, to make it specific to your project (local)
- Delete the field
- Save your changes
Field types and limitations
There are multiple different field types to choose from, some of which have additional options associated with them:
| Field | Additional Option |
|---|---|
| Single-select | Drop-down items, single selection per field |
| Multi-select | Drop-down items, allows for multiple selections per field |
| Text | |
| Date | Choose a date that is separate from a task's due date |
| People | Choose a person from within the organization (this will also add them as a collaborator) |
| Number | Decimal places |
| Percent | Decimal places |
| Currency | Decimal places |
| Choose an option from library | Display recent fields in your organization |
- It is currently possible to have 100 fields in a single project.
- You can have up to 60 fields per task (this can be achieved by multi-homing a single task to multiple projects).
- A dropdown custom field can have up to 500 field value options.
- Rules can also be used to update the contents of a text custom field or a numeric custom field.
The multi-select custom field allows the selection of several different values at a time for a single custom field. When you choose the multi-select custom field type, add all the relevant options in the edit field pane. To use the multi-select custom field in your project, scroll to the field you would like to edit and simply select all applicable options.
Choose an existing field from your library
You can make custom fields global across your organization, so you and your colleagues can use a custom field across multiple projects. You also have the option to make fields that are local to a single project or portfolio.
You can choose global custom fields from your organization's field library.
Navigate to the Customize menu in your toolbar and click Add field.
From here:
- Click Choose from library
- Select the desired field you wish to add to your project from the typeahead results
Asana-created custom fields
You can access a list of Asana-configured custom fields here.
These fields will only be added to your organisation if you create a project using an Asana template which contains that field.
Viewing custom fields in a project
You can view custom fields as columns in a project:
From your project's list view:
Custom fields will be displayed as columns in your main pane's task list.
You can also view custom fields from within a task:
Custom fields will be displayed in the task details pane on the right.
If a task belongs to multiple projects that have different custom fields, all fields will appear in the task details pane.
View-level fields
View-level fields allow you to display different custom fields for board and list views of the same project.
By clicking on the Show fields drop-down menu for list or board view, you can drag and drop custom fields to rearrange them within that menu, and toggle the visibility of fields on and off.
These changes will be auto-saved for that view only, meaning you can have different fields displayed for the list and board view of the same project. You can edit the fields for one view without affecting the other.
The screenshots below show how the list of custom fields differ between the list and board view of the same project.
List view
Board view
Clicking Manage custom fields will take you to the Customize menu of your project, where you can add custom fields, change the order that the fields show in the task pane, and more.
Edit fields
You can edit a custom field using your toolbar or column header.
Click on the pencil icon next to the field name to edit the field.
You can also edit a custom field using the column header. Click the drop-down arrow next to the custom field and select Edit field.
For global custom fields in your organization, edits made to them will apply globally to all the projects you use the field in.
How to delete a field permanently
To permanently delete a field:
- Click the pencil icon next to the field name
- Click Delete field
- Enter the field name
- Click Delete
Edit drop-down fields
When editing a drop-down field, you can:
- Edit the color of the field option
- Remove an option from the field
- Add a new option to the field
- Delete the field entirely
Rearrange drop-down options
Drag and drop the drop-down options to rearrange them in your custom field.
If you remove a drop-down value from your field's value options, tasks that use that value will retain the deleted value. The field can then be changed to another value, but you are not able to change a field back to a deleted item.
Edit number fields
When editing a number field, you can:
- Modify the field by currency, number, percentage, custom label or unformatted.
- Modify the number of decimal places being displayed
- Delete the field entirely
Reducing your field's decimal places will retain all current values, but they will be rounded up/down. Increase your field's decimal places and the original value will appear again.
Remove custom fields from a project
Remove your field from a project if it is no longer needed or applicable.
You can also select the Remove field from project option by clicking on the drop-down arrow next to the custom field name in the column header.
Removing a field only removes it from the current project, it does not delete the field entirely. Other projects in your organization with the same field will retain it and the field could still be added to other projects in your organization.
Retained values
Removing a field from your project does not delete your field's values from your project's tasks.
If your field is populated, the custom field and its value will still appear in the right pane of your task's details.
If your field is empty, the custom field will also disappear from the right pane of your task's details.
Hide a custom field
You can hide a custom field by clicking into the Customize tab in your toolbar and pressing the toggle icon.
Sort by custom fields
From your project toolbar
Sort your project by custom field on your List View.
To sort your project by custom field:
- Click the sort icon in your project's toolbar
- Select your custom field
If you want to save this as your default view, click the drop-down arrow next to the project header and select "Save layout as default."
Sort using the caret in your column header
You can also sort by custom field using the caret in your project header.
Adjusting a task's custom field value will automatically re-sort the project.
Custom field and search views
Use search views to search for tasks using the same custom field across multiple projects.
Start by clicking the search bar to access the advanced search options. From there, click Add filter, then select Add custom field.
The custom field must be added to your organization's field library to show up in the advanced search options.
Currency and percentage field labels
You can create a numeric custom field based on currency or percentage.
From your project's list grid view:
- Click on the Customize icon in your toolbar
- Click Add field
From your add custom field tab:
- Add field title
- Add field type
- Add units, decimals or preview
- Choose your field’s edit access
- Create field
Calculate summation values
By clicking on Sum at the end of the column, you can calculate:
- The sum
- The average
- Minimum values
- Maximum values
- Summation count
Permissions
Who can modify a project's custom fields?
In an Asana Starter, Advanced, Enterprise, and Enterprise+ team, division, or organization, anyone with access to a project can add, edit, or remove its custom fields, assuming they have Editor and not Commenter access within the project. This also applied to users with a team, division or organization on legacy tiers Premium, Business, and Legacy Enterprise.
In private projects: the project owner and the project members can view and modify the project's fields.
Public projects in a request to join or private teams: the project owner, the project members, and members of the project's team can view and modify the project's fields.
Public projects in a public team: the project owner, the project members, member of the project's team, and all organization members can view and modify the project's fields.
Organization guests (those that do not have a company email address) are unable to create, edit, or delete custom fields. Neither can they search for them using the advanced search tool. They will only be able to input or edit the values of existing custom fields.
Lock custom fields
Customers on Asana Advanced, Enterprise, and Enterprise+ tiers, as well as legacy tiers Business and Legacy Enterprise, have the option to lock custom fields either upon creation or when editing an existing field.
When accessing the settings of a custom field, you can choose to make the custom field editable by all members or to restrict edit access to just yourself.
The custom field lock can be overridden by the member who locked the field or an Asana admin at any time. To unlock a custom field as an admin please reach out to our Support Team.
Using custom fields
Custom fields help you track work according to your team’s needs. The name and value of any field is up to you and possibilities are almost endless. Here are a few examples that show field types across different workflows:
Custom fields are the best way to tag, sort, and filter work. See them in action with a free 30 day Asana trial. Try for free
Priority
You can use custom fields to indicate a task’s priority level. For example, an engineering team using Asana for bug tracking can create a drop-down field to set the priority level (low, medium, high) of the bug.
Once implemented, you can filter tasks down in the list view to focus just on tasks with a certain field value set. Click Filter at the top of your task list, then Custom filter. This will allow you to view just the "high" priority tasks, for example.
Use colors to distinguish between the drop-down field options. Red can mean “high priority”, for example.
Approvals
Approvals are available on Asana Advanced, Enterprise, and Enterprise+ tiers, as well as legacy tiers Business and Legacy Enterprise. Visit our pricing page for more information.
It is a process that speeds up the workflow cycle. The approver can execute one of 3 actions: Approve, Request changes, or Reject.
How to create an approval
- Click on the three dot icon from within your task pane
- Click Mark as approval
You can also visit How to complete an approval and identifying an approval
Search
If you want to single out only the tasks marked with a certain field across different projects, you can use advanced search to search by that field’s name. For example, the content marketing manager could do an advanced search for only the tasks marked as "Drafting" to find out how many new content pieces are in the works across the entire team.
Costing
Another way to use custom fields is to track work requests and time costing. A design team might have a template task for others to make design requests. They could use a number custom field for the requester to input how much time they anticipate for the work. Then, designers can prioritize hours accordingly and know how much they’re working on before deciding to take on more work or not.
Multi-select tasks with number fields to add up their sum:
Once you multi-select tasks with numeric fields that you wish to add, the following pane will appear at the bottom of the screen displaying the number of tasks selected as well as numeric fields included. It will also include the option to:
- Move tasks between sections
- Edit a project or a section
- Copy task links
- Delete tasks
- Click on the three dot icon for additional actions
Information tracking
If you use Asana for candidate tracking or account tracking, you can use a text field to enter specific information like an email address, phone number, company, or address.
Using tags vs. custom fields
Tags and custom fields allow you to categorize, filter, and denote information in Asana. In general, custom fields are best for standard use across an organization, while tags are more informal. We strongly advocate for the use of custom fields, which are more robust and visible than tags. Depending on your workflow, you might find that your team uses them in different ways, but here some scenarios to help you decide:
Use custom fields if you:
- Want to add certain data to all the tasks in a project
- Need to give additional context to group similar tasks for easy viewing, more informally and without the same level of granularity as custom fields allow
- Have standard information you need to track on tasks across projects (e.g., priority level, time costing, work stage)
- Want to make sure your teammates fill out certain information for each task in a project
- Need to sort or search by specific data fields
Use tags if you:
- Need ad-hoc tagging, you have unlimited options, or aren't quite sure what needs to be tagged at the time of creation
- Need to see the tag from My tasks
- Only need to mark a few tasks within a project
- Want to mark template tasks
Using custom fields in subtasks
It's important to note that subtasks do not automatically inherit the project association, tag, nor the assignee or collaborators of their parent tasks, even though you might see the name of the parent's project at the top of the subtask details pane.
The first level of subtasks will inherit the custom fields of the parent task automatically. In order to be able to pull custom field information the next level of subtasks (sub-subtasks) will need to be added to the project by using Tab+P to open the project field, or by clicking the three dots in the upper-right corner of the subtask pane and selecting Add to project.
Tracking URL links using custom fields
You can track links in custom fields when using a text field. If you enter a URL link in the text field, you can then access the link directly from the task pane. Once you click a link from a custom field, the page will open in a new window or tab.
To track a URL link using a text field:
- Enter the URL in the text field
- Click the Visit link icon either directly from the main pane or in the right task pane
Custom field notifications help to keep everyone in your project up to date on what stage work is in and what needs to happen next. It will streamline the process of getting work approved so you can quickly move work through stages to ensure you hit your deadlines.
The person who makes a change to a custom field will not receive a notification.
Custom field notifications
You can turn on custom field notifications at any time for both new and existing drop-down fields.
Check the Notifications box when creating a new drop-down field to notify task collaborators when this field's value has been changed.
To turn on notifications for an existing field:
- Click the Customize file
- Click the Fields tab
- Click the pencil icon to edit the field settings and check the Notifications box
Custom field notifications are only available for drop-down fields.
Once you are a task collaborator, you will receive an inbox notification every time a field value is changed.
Who will receive custom field notifications?
If a custom field is public to your organization or team and someone checks the notifications box, anyone using that field at the time will receive notifications every time that field's value has been changed. If you want to be notified when a field's value has been changed for a specific task, you need to be a task collaborator.
Project members will only receive custom field notifications if they are following the task where the field value has been changed.
Want to learn more? Check out all the features of Asana Custom Fields.