Task Notes

Every task in PrimeTask has a description field powered by a rich text editor. It's where you add context, instructions, reference material, meeting notes, or anything else that helps someone (including future-you) understand what the task is about. The editor supports formatting (headings, bold, lists, code blocks), embedded media (YouTube videos, X posts, images), and links. A status indicator in the footer tells you whether your edits are saved, so you always know where your notes stand.

The editor appears on the Task Details Page below the task's core fields. You can also open task notes directly from a right-click context menu on any task in any view (choose Edit Notes to jump straight to the description without opening the full detail page), and task notes are editable during Focus Mode sessions so you can capture thoughts without leaving your focus session. See Task Focus Mode.

How to access task notes

From the Task Details Page: Open any task - the notes editor is below the core fields. See Task Details Page.
Right-click any task → Edit Notes: In any view (list, board, calendar, Gantt), right-click a task and choose Edit Notes to open the notes editor directly in a quick panel - without navigating to the full detail page.
From PrimeFlow: Expand the task's Description on a Task node to read or edit the same notes from the canvas. See PrimeFlow Task Nodes.
During Focus Mode: Task notes are accessible and editable while you're in a focus session, so you can capture ideas and decisions without breaking your flow. See Task Focus Mode.

What you can do

Format text

with headings, bold, italic, underline, strikethrough, and text alignment

Create lists

bullet lists, numbered lists, and checkbox (task) lists

Add code blocks

with syntax highlighting for multiple programming languages

Embed YouTube videos

paste a URL and it auto-converts to an inline player with picture-in-picture support

Embed X posts

paste a URL and it auto-converts to an inline post display

Add images

paste from clipboard, or open the image picker to pick from your Space's shared image library, upload, enter a URL, or search Unsplash

Add links

highlight text and add a hyperlink, or paste a URL

Add blockquotes

for callouts or quoted text

Add horizontal rules

to separate sections

Go fullscreen

for distraction-free writing

Undo and Redo

any change with the toolbar buttons or ⌘Z / ⌘⇧Z - works for every edit including formatting, embeds, and images

Right-click inside the editor

for Cut, Copy, Paste, Paste without formatting, and Select All

Things worth knowing

Saving your changes

The notes editor commits your edits when you press Save Changes. A status indicator in the footer under the editor tells you at all times whether everything is saved, you have unsaved changes, or a save is in progress.

If you want to throw away unsaved edits and go back to the last saved version, press Cancel next to Save Changes. PrimeTask will also warn you if you try to close the app or navigate away with unsaved changes, so you never lose work by accident.

Cancel is your safety net

If you're mid-edit and want to back out, press Cancel before saving. Your edits are discarded and the notes revert to the last saved version. After saving, use ⌘Z or the toolbar Undo button to roll back individual edits instead.

Media preview chips

If your notes contain embedded YouTube videos, X posts, or images, small preview chips appear in the Task Narrative header. Hover a chip to peek at the content without scrolling through the note: videos show a quick frame, images show a carousel, X posts render their card.

Text formatting

The toolbar gives you quick access to:

Bold, Italic, Underline, Strikethrough - standard text formatting
Headings - use headings to organise longer descriptions into sections
Text alignment - left, centre, or right alignment
Bullet lists and Numbered lists - for structured content
Checkbox lists - interactive checklists within the description (separate from the task's dedicated Checklist section - see Subtasks & Checklists)
Blockquotes - for quoted text, callouts, or highlighted sections
Horizontal rules - visual separators between sections

Code blocks with syntax highlighting

Add code blocks for technical tasks - the editor supports syntax highlighting for multiple programming languages. Click the code button, select a language, and paste your code. Useful for bug reports, code reviews, or technical specs.

Embedding media - smart paste

The editor supports smart paste for YouTube and X:

YouTube videos - paste a YouTube URL directly into the description. PrimeTask auto-converts it into an embedded video player that plays inside your notes, whether you're on the task detail page, in the right-click Edit Notes panel, or in Focus Mode. The player is sized to fit the editor comfortably so you can always see the whole frame without scrolling around. Click the picture-in-picture button on the player to pop the video out into a floating mini-player that stays on top as you move around the app - switch tasks, browse the board, check the calendar, and the video keeps playing in the corner. Useful for following tutorials, meeting recordings, or any reference video while you work.

X posts - paste an X post URL and it auto-converts into an inline embed that shows the post card, plays any video inline with working fullscreen, and follows the app's light or dark theme.

Just paste the link

You don't need a special button for YouTube or X embeds. Paste the URL into the description and PrimeTask recognises it automatically.

Images

Add images to the description in a few ways:

Paste from clipboard - copy an image and paste it directly into the editor
Image picker - click the image button in the toolbar to open the picker with Library, Unsplash, and URL tabs plus an Upload button

The picker's Library tab shows every image already saved in your current Space, so you can reuse an image across tasks without uploading or pasting it again. Pasted and dropped images join this library automatically - paste once on any task and it's available everywhere in the Space.

The URL tab downloads the image into your Space's local storage before inserting, so the image keeps working offline and survives if the remote link goes away. Unsplash search is also available; PrimeTask asks for your consent the first time before connecting.

Images scale to fit the editor width, so they stay readable on wide displays and shrink to fit in narrow surfaces like the right-click Edit Notes panel. Click any embedded image to open it in a fullscreen viewer, with arrow keys to cycle between every image in the current note.

Images appear inline in the description and are visible wherever the task is previewed (task cards, search results, and more).

Same image library as cover picker

The Library tab shares its contents with the task cover picker. An image uploaded or searched for as a cover also shows up when you're inserting into notes, and vice versa. One library per Space, not one per surface.

Images in descriptions vs task attachments

Images pasted into the description are embedded in the rich text content. File attachments (uploaded via the Attachments section) are separate files attached to the task. Use description images for inline context (screenshots, diagrams); use attachments for files you want to download or reference separately. See Task Attachments.

Links

Highlight text and click the link button to turn it into a hyperlink. Or paste a URL - the editor recognises it and makes it clickable automatically.

Fullscreen editing

Click the fullscreen button on the toolbar to expand the editor to fill the screen. Useful for long descriptions where you want to focus on writing without the rest of the task detail page around you.

Right-click menu

Right-click anywhere inside the editor to open a menu with Cut, Copy, Paste, Paste without formatting, and Select All. Cut and Copy are disabled when no text is selected. Paste without formatting is handy when you copy text from a webpage or Word document and want to drop it in as plain text, matching the editor's own style.

Paste without formatting

Use it when pasting from sources that bring lots of formatting you don't want (fonts, colours, backgrounds). The text drops in clean, inheriting the editor's own styling.

Undo and redo

Every edit - typing, formatting, embed inserts, image pastes, deletions - is tracked in the editor's history. Click the Undo or Redo button on the toolbar, or use ⌘Z / ⌘⇧Z. The buttons disable automatically when there's nothing to undo or redo.

Common questions

"Did my notes save?"

The footer under the editor tells you at all times. If you see All changes saved, you're good. If you see Unsaved changes, press Save Changes to commit, or Cancel to discard them. If you navigate away with unsaved edits, PrimeTask will warn you first so you don't lose work by accident.

"Can I undo something I just typed?"

Yes - use ⌘Z (or Ctrl+Z on Windows), or click the Undo button in the toolbar. The editor tracks every edit, including formatting, embeds, and image pastes. Redo is on ⌘⇧Z and is also on the toolbar.

"I pasted a YouTube link but it's just showing as text."

Make sure you pasted the full URL (starting with https://). The editor recognises standard YouTube URLs and auto-converts them. If the URL isn't a valid YouTube link, it stays as plain text.

"Can I use Markdown in the description?"

The editor is a rich text editor (WYSIWYG), not a Markdown editor. You format text using the toolbar buttons. Common Markdown-like shortcuts work during typing (e.g., typing **bold** may auto-convert), but the primary interface is the toolbar.

"What's the difference between checkbox lists in the description and the task's Checklist section?"

Checkbox lists in the description are just formatted text - they don't contribute to the task's progress calculation. The dedicated Checklist section on the task detail page has proper done/not-done tracking that feeds into the task's auto-calculated progress. For tracking completion, use the Checklist section. For inline notes with checkboxes, use the description. See Subtasks & Checklists.

"Can I embed content other than YouTube and X?"

Currently, auto-embed works for YouTube videos and X posts. For other content, paste the URL as a link - the editor makes it clickable. Images can be embedded inline via paste, upload, or URL.

Where to go next

If you want to…	Read this
See the full task detail page	Task Details Page
Add file attachments and cover images	Task Attachments
Use subtasks and checklists for progress tracking	Subtasks & Checklists
Create a task	Creating Tasks
Return to the Tasks hub	Tasks Overview