# Inbox View

The **Inbox** is a special project that serves as the default location for uncategorized tasks. It appears in the main navigation alongside other projects and tags.

## What the Inbox Is

The Inbox is a **distinct project**, not a filter or temporary holding area. It has full project properties including theme settings, task lists, and navigation integration. Tasks appear in the Inbox when they don't belong to any specific project.

## When Tasks Appear in the Inbox

A task appears in the Inbox automatically when:

- It's created in a tag context without a default project configured
- It's created without explicit project assignment
- Data repair operations fix tasks with missing project assignments

The Inbox serves as the fallback project when no default project is configured or when the default project doesn't exist.

## How the Inbox Works

**Quick capture**: The Inbox provides a frictionless way to add tasks without immediate categorization. You can add tasks quickly and organize them later.

**Progressive organization**: Tasks start in the Inbox and can be moved to specific projects when you're ready to categorize them. You can drag and drop tasks from the Inbox to another project in the navigation, or assign a project via task editing.

**No orphan tasks**: Every task must belong to a project, with the Inbox as the safety net. The system ensures all tasks have valid project assignments, defaulting to the Inbox when necessary.

## Inbox Tasks and Other Features

**Tags**: Inbox tasks can have tags assigned normally, just like tasks in any other project.

**Scheduling**: Inbox tasks can be scheduled, have due dates, and appear in the planner. When scheduled for today, they may also appear in the Today View.

**Time tracking**: Inbox tasks are treated identically to tasks in other projects for time tracking and reporting. Time spent on Inbox tasks is tracked under the Inbox project.

## Moving Tasks Out of the Inbox

When a task leaves the Inbox, its project assignment is updated to the target project's ID. This can happen through:

- Manual drag-and-drop to another project in the navigation
- Explicit project assignment via task editing
- Moving to archive (which removes it from active project lists)

## Related

- [[4.06-Project-View]] — How projects organize tasks
- [[4.01-The-Today-View]] — Today's task list
- [[4.03-Planner-View]] — Day-level planning for future days
- [[4.04-Schedule-View]] — Time-specific scheduling
- [[2.05-Manage-Scheduled-Tasks]] — How to set due dates and schedule tasks
