Help - my tasks keep getting deleted

[DKissinger]

Guys and gals, help! I'm brand new here and not sure where is the correct place to post this. It's happened many times that I would set a Task for myself and then later when I'm ready to work on that task, it has already been marked as completed even though I wasn't the one who marked it as complete.

As a result, completed tasks fall of the todo list which means I make forget about them and put my client/prospect relationships at risk. This happened today, less than an hour ago, and I only figured it out when I remember the tasks by myself and then check the associated Contact in HS.

Any idea why this is happening? If it's a user error what am I doing wrong? I am on the free plan and not using any automations, workflows, integrations or other advanced features. I want to advance to a paid plan but I can't if I don't know how to resolve the issue of my tasks going away before I mark them as complete.

Let me know any ideas, thanks! If this post is in the wrong place I'll be grateful your guidance on where it should go.

[DKissinger]

All - I think I've found what is going on with this issue, and it's either a bug or an area where I could benefit from detailed documentation. I've managed to replicate the issue:

When you are logging a call, email, etc with a contact, and there is an open Task, then the system prompts you with the button "Log call and complete task". However, as shown in this screenshot the system shows a banner of an open/pending Tasks, even if that task is not related to the contact record I have open. In this screenshot, I am logging a call with Michele Brown while a banner is displayed with a Task for Karen Van Ness.

When I click on "Log call and complete task" it links my call log to Michele Brown however it marks complete the Task for Karen Van Ness, which is not what I want and is completely unrelated.

This is literally what I have been experiencing and is not consistent with my understanding of this platform. A call log or note linked to one contact should not trigger action on another contact.

With that in mind, I wonder if y'all can help me with these questions:

• Can I disable the Task banner at the top of the screen? Not just click "x" to close it but disable it.
• Can I manage the Task banner display so that it only shows open Tasks for the contact I am actually viewing?
• Can I manage it so that Tasks are not marked as complete unless they are associated with the contact I am currently viewing?
• Isn't this effectively an Automation? Is it a default setting? I haven't gotten into running Automations yet.

I am on the free plan but will move to the paid plan once I get this figured out. As a UX consideration, I feel that this issue should be either better documented, easier to control (even on the paid plan), be eliminated, or made explicit as an Automation.

Thanks everyone!

[BrandonWoodruff · Accepted solution]

Hello!

1. Why you’re seeing a “complete task” banner for unrelated records
   The “Log call and complete task” banner you’re seeing is part of HubSpot’s default activity editor. It looks at any open task assigned to you, not just tasks on the record you’re viewing. When you click “Log call and complete task,” it will always mark the oldest open task complete—regardless of which contact it’s on—then link your call to the record you have open. This isn’t a bug per se, but the way HubSpot’s back-to-back task completion workflow works for users on any plan.

2. Can I disable the task banner entirely?

   • No. There isn’t a toggle to turn off this banner globally in either the free or paid tiers. You can click the “×” to dismiss it for now, but it will reappear whenever you have an open task due.

3. Can I scope the banner so it only shows tasks for the contact I’m viewing?

   • Not out of the box. HubSpot’s activity editor doesn’t filter the “complete task” prompt by the record you’re on—it always pulls from your full to-do queue. You’d need to work through your Tasks tool (CRM > Tasks) or the Prospecting workspace to focus on tasks per contact.

4. Can I prevent tasks from being completed unless they’re on the current record?

   • Again, no native setting. When you use the “Log call and complete task” button, HubSpot will always complete whatever task it surfaced, even if it’s associated with a different record. Your only safeguard is to log your call via Log call (without the “…and complete task” button) and then manually complete the correct task in the Tasks queue afterward.

5. Is this an Automation or default setting?

   • It’s default HubSpot behavior, not a workflow or custom automation you set up. There’s no “hidden” workflow behind it—it’s just how the UI was built to help users breeze through tasks in sequence.

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Next steps and workarounds

• Use the standalone Tasks tool (CRM > Tasks) or the Prospecting workspace to complete tasks in context. That way you can click into each task and be sure you’re marking the right one complete.

• Log activities separately: click Log call (not “…and complete task”) and associate your call only to the contact record. Then go to your Tasks view and complete the task for that same contact.

• Submit a feature request to HubSpot via your account’s Help & Feedback—this UX quirk is common feedback, and the product team does review those for future improvements.

Once you move to a paid plan, you’ll get access to custom cards and the UI Extensions framework—technically you could build an extension that hides that banner or re-routes the complete action, but it would require developer work (and still no out-of-the-box toggle). For now, the safest approach is to separate “log activity” from “complete task,” and handle each action in its own step.

Let me know if this helps, or if you have any other questions!

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✔️ Was I able to help answer your question? Help the community by marking it as a solution.

Brandon Woodruff Senior Software Developer @ Pearagon Still have questions? Reach out at brandon@pearagon.com

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[DKissinger]

Thank you for your thorough reply to my issue! Based on this feedback it appears that it is a function of the Hubspot ecosystem.

However, the solution mentioned in #1 above makes an assumption about user workflow that is not easy to make work with a multi-threaded workflow. As stated above "it will always mark the oldest open task complete". It assumes that the oldest open task is always next. This chronological prioritization of tasks doesn't work for me because the priority of my tasks changes often based on what happens IRL with my leads that get qualified and as new leads come in.

The chronological priority solution (usually) works for a single-threaded work flow - such as contacting a single lead - but it does not work for a mult-threaded workflow which is what I am doing by keeping up outreach to several leads at once. In an ideal lead qual scenario, this should be the case as multiple leads suggest a fuller pipeline, and therefore chronologial order of Tasks doesn't always work.

Whether this is paid feature or something that has yet to be developed, it would be helpful to be able to assign any Task attribute (or none) as the determinant on how Tasks are prioritized for which one comes next - and therefore which one should be associated with the current note, message or call that I am logging.

Again, if I am incorrect or missing something or just need an RTFM refresher, I am grateful for your feedback.

I found a workaround btw, which is that I can click on "x" to remove the Task banner at top and in that way the Task is no longer marked complete as a result of my logging a call, message or note.

Cheers!

[DKissinger]

Hi all - thanks for your responses. I've been testing and trying to figure it all out. I am using the mobile app but I haven't done much editing on it yet. Also I am the only user on my account. Part of this issue is probably user error, which is this: I sometimes set myself a task to follow up with a sales lead, then at some point later I log a call or email, and click the button that says "Create note and complete task".

So yeah, we used to call that an RTFM error. However I'm not sure that this was the only cause of this issue so I'm still intermittently testing it. 

More to come!

[Jaycee_Lewis]

Hey, @DKissinger 👋 I set up a free account to test this out. Here's what I did:

• created a Task
• completed the task
• adjusted the filters to show completed Tasks
• hover over a record 
• click the “History” button
• from there I can see all actions associated with the Task including the time and User or other automation that completed the task

GIF of my view from a Free HubSpot account

Talk soon! — Jaycee

[Shae_Taylor]

Welcome to the Community!

This is a very frustrating issue! I can't see your system, but here are a few things to check: 

• Is there another user that is logged in with your account? It could be that they are marking those tasks as completed without knowing what they are doing. 
• It's always a good idea to clear out your cache or try a different browser to rule out a UI glitch. HubSpot is stable but sometimes browser extensions or cookies could cause weird behavior. 
• Do you have the mobile app downloaded? It could be possible that there are a few that are being marked as completed on accident. This is less likely if you are experiencing a high volume of issues. 
• You could set up your task filters to show "due today" or "over due" to possibly prevent more tasks being completed prematurely. 

Unfortunately with the free plan, you aren't able to see acitivity logs, however if you ever do upgrade to Sales Hub Starter or Pro then you'll be able to see the history and attribution. 

I'd be interested to hear if any of these are a solution to your frustrating issue. 

Happy to help however I can!