Turn an Asana single-select field into a multi-select
Asana cannot change the type of a custom field. This page makes a new multi-select field with the same options and colors, adds it to your project and copies each task's value into it, subtasks included. Your old field stays exactly as it is.
The dry run is free for any project. Converting is free for projects of up to 25 tasks; bigger ones need a $49 field pass.
Convert a field
1 Your Asana personal access token
Open the Asana developer console at app.asana.com/0/my-apps, press Create new token, give it a name and copy it. The token goes from this page straight to app.asana.com. It is never sent to our server, never stored, and it is gone when you close this tab.
2 Workspace, project and field
Custom fields need a paid Asana plan (Starter or higher). The list shows the single-select fields on the project you pick.
3 The new multi-select field
Asana wants field names to be unique in a workspace, so the new field cannot have the old name while the old field exists. You can rename both in Asana later.
How it works
- Dry run. The page reads every task in the project and every subtask below them, down to ten levels, and counts how many have each option. Nothing is written.
- New field. When you confirm, it creates a multi-select field with the old field's enabled options, in the same order and with the same colors. A field shared across the workspace gets a workspace field; a field that lives only in this project gets a project-only field. Then the new field is added to the project.
- Copy. Each task that has a value gets the matching option in the new field. A task with no value stays empty. A task whose new field already has a value is left alone.
- Report. You see how many values were copied, how many tasks were empty and which tasks failed and why, and you can download the full log as a CSV file.
- Run again if needed. If the tab closes or Asana refuses some tasks, run it again. The page finds the field it made and fills only the tasks that are still empty.
What does not change
The old field and its values are never changed or deleted. Rules, forms, reports, dashboards, saved searches and integrations that use the old field keep using the old field; this page does not switch them. Point them at the new field by hand, and remove the old field from the project when you are happy.
Pricing
Free
$0
The dry run for any project, any size. Converting projects of up to 25 tasks, subtasks counted. Undo is always free.
Field pass
$49 one payment
Unlimited conversions in one Asana workspace for 30 days, any project size. No subscription. The key works for the first workspace you use it with.
Your licence key (keep it):
Prices in USD. Local VAT/GST is included or added at checkout by Paddle depending on your country. Full refund within 14 days, see the terms.
Questions
Is my token safe?
The page sends it only to app.asana.com, in the Authorization header Asana asks for. Our server never sees it, and it is not stored or logged; it lives in this tab's memory until you close it. An Asana personal access token has the full access of your Asana user, so treat it like a password. When you are done, revoke it in the developer console at app.asana.com/0/my-apps.
What exactly changes in Asana?
One new multi-select field is created and added to the project you picked, and each task's value is copied into it. That is all. The old field is not changed or deleted. Rules, forms, reports, dashboards and saved searches that use the old field are not switched to the new one; you change those yourself in Asana.
How fast is it?
Asana allows 1,500 requests a minute on paid plans. The page reads 100 tasks per request, then needs one request per subtask list and one per task it fills, a few at a time, so a project of 1,000 tasks usually takes a few minutes. If Asana asks us to slow down, the page waits as long as Asana says and goes on by itself.
Are subtasks included?
Yes. The page reads the subtasks of every task, and their subtasks, down to ten levels, and fills them too. A subtask that does not carry the old field has nothing to copy and is listed as empty in the log. Completed tasks are included.
What about a task that is in several projects?
A task has one value per field, wherever it lives. The page fills it once. The new field shows in every project the field is added to; this page adds it only to the project you picked.
Can I undo it?
Yes. After a run, or later from the dry run of the same project, press Undo. It clears the new field on every task in the project and, if you tick the box, removes the field from the project. The old field is not touched, so you are back where you started. Undo is free.
What if the tab closes in the middle?
Run it again on the same project and field. The page finds the new field (by the id it saved in this browser, or by its name) and fills only the tasks that are still empty. Nothing is copied twice.
What stays in my browser?
Your licence keys and, for each project you converted, the id of the new field, in this browser's local storage. Nothing of it is sent to us except a key when it is checked. Our server also gets an anonymous count of visits, dry runs and conversions.