How-to

How to Migrate a Custom Weekly Layout into xTiles Planner (Without Losing Your Setup)

"That screen with the navigation is really clear, really easy to see." — Beverly, xTiles user

You built a custom layout in a project — now bring it into Planner

It's common to start out designing a weekly layout inside a regular xTiles project — a personalized set of tiles for each day, colors and structure exactly the way you like them. That layout works well on its own, but it doesn't get the things Planner offers automatically: jumping between weeks without rebuilding anything, past weeks staying archived and one click away, and tasks that surface on their own as they come due.

The good news is that moving a custom layout from a project into Planner takes just a few minutes, and it's a one-time setup. Once it's done, every future week reuses the same structure automatically.

Moving your layout into Planner, step by step

This works with any layout, no matter how customized — the goal is to copy what you already built rather than recreate it from scratch.

1

Select and copy your current layout

On the project page with your weekly layout, click any tile to select it — you'll see a blue border appear. Press Cmd+A (or Ctrl+A on Windows) to select every tile on the page, then Cmd+C (Ctrl+C) to copy them all at once.

2

Paste it into the correct week in Planner

Open Planner and navigate to the week you want this layout to live in — usually your current week. Press Cmd+V (Ctrl+V) to paste. Everything you copied lands in place together, instead of being rebuilt tile by tile.

3

Swap in Planner's native day tiles

Open the Extra section in the tile menu inside Planner and find the built-in day tiles (Monday, Tuesday, and so on). Remove any placeholder day tiles that came over from the project, drag in the matching native day tile, then drag your copied content into it. This step only needs doing once per day tile.

4

Save it as your own template

Once the layout looks right, use the Save option in the corner of Planner to store it as a personal template. From then on, new weeks reuse that same structure automatically — no manual copying required.

Tasks don't need a separate migration step

Any task with a due date, in any project, shows up inside Planner on its own once it's due — there's nothing extra to copy over. Once your layout is in place, tasks from all your different projects simply appear where they belong, right alongside the structure you migrated.

Past weeks don't disappear — they're archived automatically

Once a week is in Planner, moving to the next one doesn't erase it. Use the calendar navigation to jump backward and see exactly how a previous week looked, or forward to start planning ahead — all without duplicating a single tile by hand.

Planner and projects aren't an either/or choice

Migrating your weekly layout into Planner doesn't mean projects stop being useful. They're still the better fit for larger, multi-week efforts — a trip you're planning, a home renovation, anything with its own scope and timeline. Planner is built for the recurring rhythm: daily and weekly productivity that repeats, week after week, without you rebuilding it each time.

Frequently asked questions

How do I copy an entire custom layout from a project into xTiles Planner?
Click any tile in the project to select it, press Cmd+A (Ctrl+A) to select every tile on the page, then Cmd+C (Ctrl+C) to copy them. Navigate to the target week in Planner and press Cmd+V (Ctrl+V) to paste the whole layout in at once.
Do I need to repeat this migration every single week?
No. Once your layout is set up correctly in Planner, save it as a personal template using the Save option in the corner. Every future week reuses that same structure automatically.
Will my existing tasks automatically show up in Planner after I migrate my layout?
Yes. Any task with a due date, from any project, appears inside Planner on its own as it comes due — there's no separate step to bring tasks over manually.
What happens to previous weeks once I start using Planner?
They stay archived automatically. Use the calendar navigation inside Planner to move backward and see exactly how any past week looked, without anything being deleted or overwritten.
Should I still use projects if I've moved my weekly planning into Planner?
Yes — projects are still the better tool for larger efforts with their own scope, like a trip or a renovation. Planner is for the recurring, repeating rhythm of daily and weekly work.
How do I swap the tiles I copied for native day tiles in Planner?
Open the Extra section in Planner's tile menu, find the built-in day tiles (Monday, Tuesday, etc.), remove any placeholder tiles that came over from your project, and drag in the matching native tile before moving your content into it.