Task View or Timeline

On Windows 10, Timeline is an experience that came with the April 2018 Update, and it introduces a new way to resume activities you were working in the past, but it’s not a standalone feature. Instead, it’s an extension of Task View that allows you to see and resume a web page you were reading (using Microsoft Edge), finish working in a Word document, or pick up an app where you left off in addition to switching between running apps and work with virtual desktops.

Timeline works by tracking the stuff you do on your computer and then organizing them into a list within Task View. Using this feature, you can resume activities originated on the same or from another computer or pick up documents you started on your Android or iOS device as long as they’re connected with the same Microsoft account.

Also, it integrates with Cortana, which means that you’ll see the digital assistant popping up now and then suggesting tasks you should continue, as such you might hardly need to lift a finger to resume a previous activity from other devices, including your phone.

How to navigate Timeline on Windows 10

You can access the Timeline experience in at least two different ways. You can click the new Task View button in the taskbar, or you can use the Windows key + Tab keyboard shortcut.

Once in Task View, you’ll find your Timeline activities below the list of your current running applications.

Task View organizes your timeline activities using links, but these are deep-links to a specific piece of content within an application, which makes it easier to pick up right where you left off.

Items are sorted in chronological order and each day contains two rows of activities, but the number of links will depend on the size of your screen.

If you can’t see the task you want to resume, you can click the See all button in the header of the group to view that day activities organized by hours.

In the left side, there’s a convenient annotated scrollbar to quickly scroll through all the items. Also, on the top-left side, above the scrollbar, you’ll find an option that you can use to search an activity using keywords.

Although you can clear your activities using the Settings app, within Timeline, it’s possible to right-click an item to access a context menu with options to open or remove a particular task, or you can use the Clear all option to delete every activity for a specific day.

The cloud powers Timeline, so if you have more than one computer, you’ll see the same activities across all your devices using the same Microsoft account. (Activities from other devices will appear with a label in the upper-right corner indicating the name of the computer.)

Also, if the activity was started with a Microsoft Store app that isn’t available on the PC you want to resume the task, Windows 10 will guide you to get the app.