Cant see the make subtask or promote subtask options - Ms Planner

Question

Cant see the make subtask or promote subtask options - Ms Planner

Oluwademilade Olafisoye 20

I am trying to convert a board plan to a grid plan - so I have both views for a project

I am on premium plan but on this particular project, I cant make items subtasks. no option for that shows up like in my other projects

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Answer accepted by question author

Demi Nguyen 3,030 Independent Advisor

Hello Oluwademilade Olafisoye,

Thank you for providing the details.

Could you please confirm whether you created the affected project yourself, or whether it was created and shared by another user?

Please also verify that this specific project is a Premium plan, rather than a Basic plan. Having a Premium license does not automatically convert every existing plan into a Premium plan. Both Basic and Premium plans can display Grid and Board views, while features such as summary tasks and subtasks are available with Premium plans.

In my test, the Premium plan displayed a purple plan icon next to the plan name, while the Basic plan did not. Could you please check whether the affected project displays a similar purple icon?

User's image

Please also confirm whether the plan includes Premium views such as Timeline, People, Goals, or Assignments. If these views are unavailable, the project may still be a Basic plan.

If possible, please share a screenshot showing the plan name, available views, and the menu where Make subtask or Promote subtask should appear. Before sharing it, please hide all user names, project data, and organizational information.

Another possibility is that a filter, search, or grouping option is currently applied in Grid view. Please clear all active filters, search terms, sorting, and grouping, then select a regular task and check whether Make subtask or Promote subtask appears.

Finally, please open the same project in Planner on the web and check whether the options are available there. This will help determine whether the behavior is related to the project type or the interface currently being used.

Please update me with the screenshots and test results so I can better understand how the project appears on your side.

Kind regards,

Oluwademilade Olafisoye 20 Reputation points

2026-10-28T13:21:10.6766667+00:00

Hi Thank you for this - I wont be able to share much screenshots but here's the task menu
The plan was created by someone else and from all indications, this particular plan was done in Basic

I guess my next question is - is there a way I can convert it to Premium with minimum disruption to the plan and people assigned?
Demi Nguyen 3,030 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-10-28T14:52:05.4333333+00:00

Hi,

Yes, you may be able to convert the plan even if it was created by another user. Microsoft states that any member of an eligible Basic plan can convert it to Premium, provided that the member has the required Planner Premium license.

However, Microsoft also notes that the conversion feature is still being rolled out, so the option may not yet be available in every tenant. Please review the eligibility requirements and conversion steps here: Converting Basic plans into Premium plans | Microsoft Learn

If the conversion option is available, I recommend discussing the change with the plan creator and other members before proceeding. After a successful conversion, the original Basic plan becomes read-only and is archived for 90 days, while the team is redirected to the Premium plan.

I hope this helps you determine whether conversion is available for this plan.

Kind regards,
Oluwademilade Olafisoye 20 Reputation points

2026-10-28T15:49:11.95+00:00

Thanks, namesake - this is helpful in narrowing down my options.
Demi Nguyen 3,030 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-10-29T12:09:23.1066667+00:00

You’re very welcome! I’m glad the information helps

1 additional answer

Your answer

Oluwademilade Olafisoye 20 Reputation points

2026-10-28T13:21:10.6766667+00:00

Hi Thank you for this - I wont be able to share much screenshots but here's the task menu
The plan was created by someone else and from all indications, this particular plan was done in Basic

I guess my next question is - is there a way I can convert it to Premium with minimum disruption to the plan and people assigned?
Demi Nguyen 3,030 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-10-28T14:52:05.4333333+00:00

Hi,

Yes, you may be able to convert the plan even if it was created by another user. Microsoft states that any member of an eligible Basic plan can convert it to Premium, provided that the member has the required Planner Premium license.

However, Microsoft also notes that the conversion feature is still being rolled out, so the option may not yet be available in every tenant. Please review the eligibility requirements and conversion steps here: Converting Basic plans into Premium plans | Microsoft Learn

If the conversion option is available, I recommend discussing the change with the plan creator and other members before proceeding. After a successful conversion, the original Basic plan becomes read-only and is archived for 90 days, while the team is redirected to the Premium plan.

I hope this helps you determine whether conversion is available for this plan.

Kind regards,
Oluwademilade Olafisoye 20 Reputation points

2026-10-28T15:49:11.95+00:00

Thanks, namesake - this is helpful in narrowing down my options.
Demi Nguyen 3,030 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-10-29T12:09:23.1066667+00:00

You’re very welcome! I’m glad the information helps

Answer 1

Subtasks are only available in premium plans in Planner. If this one project does not show Make subtask or Promote subtask while other projects do, the most likely cause is that this specific project is still a basic plan, even if the account has a premium license.

What to check:

Open the plan and confirm whether it is a premium plan.
- Basic plans support Grid, Board, Schedule, and Charts.
- Premium plans add views such as Timeline, People, Goals, and Assignments.
If the plan is a basic plan, convert it to a premium plan.
- Eligible basic plans shared with a Microsoft 365 group can be converted to premium plans.
- Any member of an eligible basic plan can convert it, but a Planner premium license is required.
If the option is missing in Teams, try opening the same plan in Planner on the web.
- A similar case reported that the conversion option was still visible in the web interface when it was not visible in Teams.
If the plan was created as a new plan, create it as a new premium plan rather than a basic plan.
- Microsoft notes that features such as subtasks and dependencies are available when creating a new premium plan.

Important limitation:

Some plans cannot be converted to premium. Plans created outside the Planner core app or with business rules cannot be converted, including:
- Published Plans
- Loop task list plans
Conversion is also not available in GCC.

So the practical answer is: having a premium license is not enough by itself. The specific plan must be a premium plan for subtask options to appear.

References: