Create a Restricted Project in Todoist Z3xrrlnlc

If you share a Todoist workspace with colleagues, you already know how useful shared projects can be. But not everything belongs in front of everyone. A sensitive client proposal, a surprise team event, a confidential performance conversation — these deserve a tighter circle. That's exactly what restricted projects are built for.

A restricted project in Todoist is invisible to team members who haven't been explicitly invited. It won't appear in their sidebar, show up in search, or surface in activity feeds. You control the guest list entirely — and no one can request access to a project they can't see.

Here's how to create one, manage it, and use it in a way that actually improves how your team works.

What Is a Restricted Project in Todoist?

Todoist's Business plan supports two types of team projects: standard (open to the whole workspace) and restricted (visible only to invited members).

When a project is restricted, it functions like a private room inside your shared workspace. Tasks still count toward your team's quota, billing stays centralized, and all the usual Todoist features apply — but the contents are walled off from anyone not on the invite list.

A lock icon appears next to restricted projects in your sidebar, distinguishing them at a glance from standard team projects.

This feature is exclusive to Todoist Business. Users on Personal or Pro plans won't see the restricted option when creating or editing projects.

Common use cases for restricted projects:

• Confidential client work covered by NDAs
• HR, hiring, or personnel task tracking
• Executive planning not ready for the full team
• Surprise announcements, events, or gifts
• Personal development goals managed alongside work
• Vendor negotiations or contract reviews

How to Create a Restricted Project in Todoist

The entire process takes under two minutes once you know where the setting lives.

On Desktop (Web or Mac/Windows App)

1. Open Todoist and look at your left sidebar.
2. Hover over the Projects section header — a + icon appears.
3. Click + and select Add team project from the dropdown. If you only see "Add project," your workspace may be on a Personal or Pro plan rather than Business.
4. In the dialog that opens, give your project a name. Optionally choose a color or emoji icon to make it easy to identify.
5. Find the Access field — it defaults to "Anyone in the team can join." Click it and switch the setting to Restricted.
6. Click Add project to confirm.

Your new project appears in the sidebar with a lock icon. No other team member can see it until you invite them directly.

On Mobile (iOS or Android)

1. Tap the ☰ menu to open the sidebar.
2. Tap + New project or the plus icon near the Projects section.
3. Select Team project.
4. Enter a name and customize the appearance as desired.
5. Tap Access and choose Restricted.
6. Tap Add to finish.

How to Add a Person to a Restricted Project

Restricted projects grow by invitation only. No one can request to join a project they can't see, which means you're always in control of who enters.

1. Open the restricted project from your sidebar.
2. Click the Share icon (a person with a + symbol) in the top right corner, or go to Project settings → Members.
3. Type the name or email address of the team member you want to invite.
4. Set their permission level: Member (can add and edit tasks) or Admin (can also manage settings and invite others).
5. Click Invite. They'll receive an email notification and the project will appear in their sidebar immediately.

You can invite people already on your Business workspace, or add someone new — they'll join both the workspace and the project in one step.

Note: Only project admins can invite new members to a restricted project. As the project creator, you're an admin by default. If you want a trusted collaborator to help manage membership, assign them admin access from the Members panel.

Restricted vs. Standard Team Projects: Key Differences

Understanding when to use each type helps you structure your workspace intentionally, rather than defaulting to restricted for everything.

	Standard Team Project	Restricted Project
Visible to all team members	Yes	No
Anyone can join	Yes (if public)	No — invite only
Invitation required	Optional	Always
Lock icon in sidebar	No	Yes
Available on	Todoist Business	Todoist Business only

Use standard team projects when transparency helps the work — sprint boards, marketing calendars, shared product roadmaps. Use restricted projects when visibility itself is part of the design requirement. If the work will eventually go to the whole team, run it in restricted mode during the draft phase, then open access when it's ready.

How to Edit a Restricted Project

You can rename the project, change its appearance, or convert it to a different access type at any point after creation.

1. Right-click the project name in your sidebar (or tap ••• on mobile).
2. Select Edit project.
3. Update the name, color, emoji, or access setting as needed.
4. Click Save.

One important note: if you change the access from Restricted to an open setting, all team members immediately gain visibility. That's a significant, instant change — verify it's intentional before saving.

Copying, Duplicating, and Sharing Links to a Restricted Project

Restricted projects support the same organizational utilities as any other Todoist project, with a few access-aware limitations.

Copy a project link: Right-click the project → Copy link. This generates a direct URL, but only invited members can open it. For everyone else, the link returns an error or access-denied screen — it won't reveal that the project even exists.

Duplicate a project: Right-click → Duplicate. The copy inherits the restricted access setting and the original's member list. Review membership on the duplicate before using it for a new initiative — you may not want the same people in both.

Sorting your projects: You can drag restricted projects up and down in your sidebar like any other project. They sort within your personal project list view independently of their access level.

External sharing: Restricted projects don't support the public share links that personal projects offer. All members must have a seat on your Business workspace — external guests or contractors can't be added through a public link.

Best Practices for Restricted Projects

The setup takes under two minutes. The harder work is using restricted projects in a way that genuinely serves your team rather than fragmenting communication.

• Use them with intention. Over-restricting creates information silos. Before setting a project to restricted, ask: will the team eventually need visibility? If yes, plan the transition upfront.
• Name projects descriptively. "Q3 Hiring Plan" is far clearer than "Private Stuff" — you'll appreciate this when the invite list grows to eight people and you're searching six months later.
• Audit membership quarterly. Roles change. Someone who needed access in January may not need it in April. Go to Project settings → Members and review who's still relevant.
• Apply internal structure. Restricted projects benefit from sections, labels, and due dates just as much as open ones. Don't treat the access setting as a substitute for organization.
• Don't skip offboarding steps. When someone leaves the team, remove them from restricted projects through your workspace admin settings — not just the ones you remember off the top of your head.
• Communicate when it matters. If a colleague wonders why they can't see a project, a brief "there's a restricted project for this; you'll be invited when it opens" prevents confusion and preserves trust.

How to Archive or Delete a Restricted Project

When a project wraps up, you have two options: archive or delete.

Archiving removes the project from your active sidebar while preserving all tasks, comments, and attachments. This is usually the better default — you can unarchive and reference past work at any time.

1. Right-click the project in your sidebar.
2. Select Archive project.
3. Confirm. The project moves to Projects → Archived in settings.

Deleting is permanent. All tasks, comments, and attachments are gone and cannot be recovered.

1. Right-click → Delete project.
2. Type the project name to confirm the deletion.
3. Click Delete.

For restricted projects that held sensitive information, archiving is usually preferable to deletion. If questions arise later about past decisions, the archived history gives you a reliable record.

How to Remove Someone from a Restricted Project

Revoking access is immediate and clean.

1. Open the project → click the Share icon or go to Project settings → Members.
2. Find the person's name → click ••• next to it → select Remove from project.
3. Confirm the removal.

The project disappears from their sidebar the moment you confirm. Their past comments and completed tasks remain visible to remaining members in the project history, but they can no longer view, edit, or interact with any content.

If you manage access regularly on a large restricted project, consider assigning a second admin so this responsibility doesn't rely on one person.

The Real Reason Restricted Projects Make Teams More Effective

There's a subtler benefit to restricted projects that goes beyond access control: they make your task manager more honest.

When people know certain sensitive work is genuinely private — not just buried in a folder anyone could stumble across — they're more likely to capture it faithfully in their system. The difficult personnel matter, the candid post-mortem note, the work-in-progress that isn't ready for scrutiny: these end up in the task manager instead of in someone's head or a hidden note on their phone.

Research in organizational psychology consistently finds that appropriate information boundaries, when paired with a foundation of team trust, help people focus better and act with more confidence. Restricted visibility isn't about exclusion — it's about creating the right container for different kinds of work.

The alternative is fragmentation: some work in Todoist, other work kept outside the system because "anyone could see that." That split quietly degrades the usefulness of your entire workspace over time.

Used with intention, restricted projects close that gap. They're not about secrecy for its own sake. They're about building a workspace where every kind of work — open or closed, routine or sensitive — can live in the same reliable system.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Todoist plan do I need to create a restricted project?

Restricted projects are only available on Todoist Business plans. Personal and Pro users don't have access to team workspace settings, including the restricted access option. If you don't see the option during project creation, check your workspace plan in Account Settings.

Can workspace admins see restricted projects they haven't been invited to?

No. Even workspace admins cannot see a restricted project unless they've been explicitly invited. The restriction is enforced at the project level, not the workspace level. Workspace admins have elevated permissions in other areas — billing, member management, workspace settings — but restricted project visibility is controlled entirely by the project's own member list.

Can I convert an existing standard team project to restricted?

Yes. Open the project, go to Edit project, find the Access field, and switch it to Restricted. Members already in the project keep their access. The change takes effect immediately — the project disappears from the sidebar of anyone not on the member list.

Is there a limit to how many people I can add to a restricted project?

Todoist doesn't enforce a specific per-project member cap. The practical limit is your Business workspace's seat count. Everyone added to a restricted project must hold an active seat on the workspace.

Can I assign a task inside a restricted project to someone who isn't a project member?

No. Tasks within a restricted project can only be assigned to current project members. You'll need to invite the person to the project before you can assign them work within it — the assignee selector will only show existing members.

What happens to a restricted project when its creator leaves the team?

The project itself doesn't disappear, but if no admin remains it becomes difficult to manage. Best practice is to designate at least one additional project admin before a key team member offboards. Workspace admins can take over management of orphaned projects through the admin console.

Can I create a restricted project from a template?

You can import a template into a project and set that project to restricted. As of current Todoist functionality, the restricted access setting is not stored within templates themselves — you apply it in the Access field when creating or editing the project after applying the template.

Can someone outside my Business workspace be added to a restricted project?

No. Restricted projects are internal to the workspace. All members must hold a Business workspace seat. Unlike personal Todoist projects, there's no external guest link or public share option for restricted team projects. If you need external collaboration, a personal shared project or a separate tool may be more appropriate.

Will someone be notified when they're removed from a restricted project?

Todoist does not send a removal notification. The project simply vanishes from their sidebar without explanation. If the change is likely to raise questions, a quick message explaining the situation prevents confusion and maintains good working relationships.

Does a restricted project count toward team task or project limits on a Business plan?

Yes. Restricted projects behave identically to standard team projects for billing and quota purposes. Tasks, attachments, and project counts all apply toward your Business plan limits regardless of the visibility setting. Restricting a project changes who sees it — not how it's counted.

Sources & Further Reading

• Create a Restricted Project in Todoist — Todoist Help Center
• Introduction to Todoist Projects — Todoist Help Center
• How to Collaborate with Your Team in Todoist — Todoist Help Center

Reviewed by The Positivity.org Editorial Team · Last updated April 16, 2026