Obsidian task formats compared

A task in Obsidian can be an emoji line, a line with Dataview fields, a line that mixes both, or a whole note with YAML properties. They are not interchangeable, and the choice decides which plugins can see your tasks. This page compares them on the things that matter later: readability, queries, mobile, and how hard it is to leave.

Based on the documentation and source of Obsidian Tasks 8.6, Dataview, Task Genius 9.13 and TaskNotes 4.14, checked in October 2026. For the exact syntax of every field, use the cheat sheet. Task format cheat sheet

Pick one in thirty seconds

Pick emoji lines if: you use the Obsidian Tasks plugin and want the shortest lines. It is the default there and the most common format in forum answers.
Pick Dataview fields if: you write Dataview queries, or you want every field to be a word you can search for in plain text. Obsidian Tasks can use this format too, one format at a time.
Pick Task Genius if: your notes already hold both styles, or you want to move from one to the other without rewriting everything in one go.
Pick task files if: tasks carry their own notes, many properties or a long recurring history, and you are happy to work in table, kanban and calendar views rather than in the note you were writing.

The four formats

Emoji lines (Obsidian Tasks)

Example

- [ ] Call the plumber ⏫ 📅 2026-02-03

Read by: Obsidian Tasks by default, and Task Genius. Dataview understands a few of the date emoji and nothing else.

Good at

Shortest lines of the four. A due date costs 12 characters, against 18 in Dataview style.
The largest body of examples, answers and query recipes, because it is Obsidian Tasks' original format.
Obsidian Tasks queries are strong here: filters, grouping, sorting and custom scripts all work on every field.

Watch out for

Emoji are hard to type by hand and look different on each operating system.
Order matters. Obsidian Tasks reads from the right, and one unrecognized word between fields hides the ones before it.
Pasted text can bring in non-breaking spaces or hidden variation selectors that make a valid-looking line unreadable.
Searching your vault for all tasks with a priority means searching for emoji.

Dataview inline fields

Example

- [ ] Call the plumber  [priority:: high]  [due:: 2026-02-03]

Read by: Dataview, for queries. Obsidian Tasks, if you switch its task format to Dataview. Task Genius.

Good at

Every field is a named word. You can search the vault for due:: with any tool.
Works in Dataview TASK and TABLE queries, which can mix tasks with page data.
Dataview and Obsidian Tasks read both square brackets and parentheses. Parentheses hide the key when Dataview renders the line.

Watch out for

Longer lines, and a lot of bracket noise in source view.
The done date is completion, not done. That one costs people an evening.
Obsidian Tasks reads Dataview fields only at the end of the line and only in lines it counts as tasks. Dataview itself reads them anywhere in the line.
Obsidian Tasks with the Dataview format selected no longer reads its own emoji.

Task Genius (emoji and brackets together)

Example

- [ ] Call the plumber @phone ⏫ 📅 2026-02-03 09:00

Read by: Task Genius. A line that only uses emoji or only uses brackets stays readable by Obsidian Tasks or Dataview.

Good at

Reads emoji and bracket fields on the same line, so a half-migrated vault still works.
Adds a time after the date, project and context fields, and iCalendar recurrence rules.
A setting picks which of the two it writes.

Watch out for

The same fact can be written several ways, which makes your own searches and queries harder to trust.
Task Genius only fields, such as a time after the date, are not understood by Obsidian Tasks.
Recurrence is computed by Task Genius, not by Obsidian Tasks, and the two do not read every phrase the same way.

Task files (TaskNotes)

Example

---
tags:
  - task
title: Call the plumber
status: open
priority: high
due: 2026-02-03
---

Read by: TaskNotes, which needs Obsidian's Bases core plugin. Dataview can query the properties. Task Genius can treat files as tasks through its optional File Source setting. Obsidian Tasks cannot.

Good at

A task can have a full note body: research, links, a checklist of its own.
Properties are typed YAML, so Obsidian's Properties panel and Bases can filter and sort them.
Recurring tasks keep a history of completed and skipped dates on the one file.
Time tracking, reminders and dependencies have real structure instead of being squeezed into a line.

Watch out for

One file per task. A vault with 3,000 tasks gets 3,000 notes.
The task leaves the note where you thought of it. It is linked there, not written there.
Property names, status values and priority values are plugin settings, so files are portable only along with those settings.
Lists must be lists. A single value where a list belongs is the usual reason a task does not show up.

Which plugin reads which

This is the table to check before you change formats. Reading and writing are separate: a plugin can understand a format it never produces.

Plugin	Emoji lines	Bracket fields	Task files
Obsidian Tasks	Reads and writes. The default.	Reads and writes, but only one of the two formats at a time.	No. It reads checkbox lines, not frontmatter.
Dataview	Reads the date shorthands only.	Reads any field, anywhere in a line.	Reads frontmatter as page fields, so it can query task files.
Task Genius	Reads, and can write.	Reads, and can write.	Optional. File Source is off by default.
TaskNotes	No. It can convert a checkbox line into a task file.	No.	Reads and writes. Its native format.

Query power

What you can ask of your tasks depends on the plugin more than the format, but the format sets the limits.

Obsidian Tasks has its own query blocks with filters, groups, sorting, custom scripts and a global query. It sees only checkbox lines.
Dataview has a query language with TASK, LIST and TABLE modes. It sees tasks and page properties together, which is the only way to join them.
Bases, the Obsidian core plugin that TaskNotes builds its views on, filters and sorts note properties in table, card and kanban-style views. It sees files, not lines.
Task Genius has its own views and filters over what it indexes. It does not use the Obsidian Tasks query language.

Mixing formats in one vault

Plenty of vaults hold more than one format, and it works when you know who reads what. Obsidian Tasks and TaskNotes each read only their own kind: checkbox lines for Obsidian Tasks, task files for TaskNotes. Dataview reads both. Within checkbox lines, Obsidian Tasks sees only the format chosen in its settings. If you plan to settle on one, the conversion page has tested scripts.

On a phone

Obsidian on iOS and Android runs community plugins, so every format above works there as it does on a desktop. What changes is how comfortable it is to type emoji or YAML on a small keyboard, and that query blocks render slowly in a large vault.

Separate apps can read the same files without Obsidian. TaskNotes has its own beta web app and iPhone app. TaskForge, a separate app for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android and Windows, reads emoji, Dataview and Task Genius lines and task files from the same folder. It is not an Obsidian plugin and has no tie to Obsidian.

Questions people ask

Is the Dataview format better than emoji for Obsidian Tasks?

Neither is better. Emoji lines are shorter and are what most examples use. Dataview fields are easier to search and work with Dataview queries. If you do not use Dataview, emoji is the lower-friction choice.

Can Obsidian Tasks read my TaskNotes files?

No. Obsidian Tasks reads checkbox lines in the body of notes. TaskNotes stores a task as a whole note with YAML properties, which Obsidian Tasks does not read.

Can I use emoji and Dataview fields in the same vault?

Yes, but a plugin may read only one of them. Obsidian Tasks reads the one chosen in its settings. Task Genius reads both on the same line.

Should I store tasks inline or as separate files?

Inline suits quick, short tasks that belong next to the notes that created them. Separate files suit tasks that grow their own notes, properties and recurrence history. Many vaults use inline lines for small items and files for projects.

Which format is best for portability?

Inline Dataview fields use plain words that any text tool can find. YAML task files are standard frontmatter but depend on the plugin's property names. Emoji are portable as text and fragile as syntax. Whatever you pick, plain Markdown means you can always convert later.