It’s easy to add notes to to-dos and projects in Things. Although most notes will only be a line or two, others can be quite lengthy and include detailed plans, references, or brainstorms.

As a note gets longer, it becomes increasingly important to structure it to quickly find relevant information. Here are some ways Things can help.

In this article:
  1. Structure notes with bullets
  2. Style text with Markdown
  3. Spellcheck and Substitutions
  4. Search notes with Find in Text
  5. FAQ

Structure notes with bullets

Bullet lists in Things are as easy to use as typing - followed by a space. You can use them to organize information so that it’s easier to read.

Write great bullet lists

In addition to using - for bullets, you can also type *, +, • or 1.. To indent a row, simply put the cursor in front of the bullet and hit the Space key, or use ⌘ Cmd ] on Mac and iPad & Vision.

Keyboard shortcuts are localized. Please look up the correct combination for your keyboard’s language here: Mac and iPad & Vision.

Style text with Markdown

You can format the text in the notes section to make it **bold** or *italic*, or to ::highlight:: phrases that deserve extra attention. In long notes, add structure with # Headings.

Using Markdown to format text in notes

Markdown is a bit different from the Rich Text editors (Apple Pages etc.) that you might be used to. To apply the formatting, you just need to add a few easily-accessible characters, like *, :, or #. Things will then turn this Markdown syntax into styled notes or checklists. The special characters will remain visible, making it easy for you to edit them later on.

Learn more in our Markdown Guide.

Use keyboard shortcuts or the menu to format text

If you are used to doing everything from the keyboard, then you’ll be happy to discover that you can fall back on shortcuts, and they are the same between the Mac, iPad, and Vision. The most common ones you’ll probably already know: ⌘ Cmd I makes text italic and ⌘ Cmd B makes it bold.

Learn more about keyboard shortcuts for Mac and for iPad & Vision.

If you have trouble remembering the basic Markdown syntax, you can also use menus to style your text.

Mac
  1. On your Mac, open Things.
  2. Select any text inside the notes section of a to-do or project.
  3. Right-click on the selection and select Edit → Markdown.

Alternatively, you can also go to the menu bar at the top of your screen and click Edit → Markdown.

iPad & iPhone
  1. On your mobile device, open Things.
  2. Open a to-do and tap inside the notes section or a text selection.
  3. In the pop-over, tap Format and select the style you want to use.

For more style options, hit > at the end of the popover.

Vision

In Things for Vision, please follow the same steps as described in the iPad & iPhone tab above.

Spellcheck and Substitutions

On the Mac, autocorrect and substitutions in the notes section can be customized. Here's how:

  1. Open any to-do.
  2. Right-click into the notes section.
  3. Select Spelling and Grammar or Substitutions.
  4. Check or uncheck options according to your preferences.

On mobile devices, these settings are global and can’t be changed on a per-app basis.

If you want to write code snippets or commands in the notes and keep dumb quotes and dashes, but have smart quotes and dashes in regular text, use code fences:

Code fences help retain dumb quotes and dashes

Search notes with Find in Text

With longer notes you might need some help quickly locating a specific word or phrase.

Description...

The content of notes was already included in searches when using Quick Find → Continue Search. With the new Find in Text feature, the scope of the search is narrowed down to the note you are currently working on.

Of course, you can trigger Find in Text from the keyboard on both Mac and iPad & Vision. If you prefer using the menu, here’s how:

Mac
  1. On your Mac, open Things.
  2. Open a to-do or project.
  3. Place your cursor inside the note or checklist.
  4. In the menu bar at the top of your screen, click Edit → Find in Text

Hold down ⌥ Opt while in Edit to change the menu to Find and Replace in Text.

iPad & iPhone
  1. On your mobile device, open Things.
  2. Open a to-do.
  3. Tap … > Find in Text in the toolbar at the bottom.

At this time, Find is limited to notes inside of to-dos on mobile devices. Find in Text is not available in checklists and project notes.

On an iPad with a hardware keyboard, you can also use these keyboard shortcuts.

Vision

In Things for Vision, please follow the same steps as described in the iPad & iPhone tab above.

FAQ

Can I hide the Markdown syntax?
No. Though we might consider hiding links in the future.
Can I style my to-do titles?
In order to keep your lists looking tidy, the styling will not show in to-do titles or names of projects or areas. For eye-catching titles, consider using emojis.
Can I change the text size?
Yes. You can adjust the size of the text in Things on all of your devices. Learn more.
Can I change the text color?
No, it’s not possible to change the text color.
Can I hide links behind text?
Not at this time. Links will be displayed at full length.
Can I use buttons instead of writing these special characters?
Yes, there are menu options. Scroll up to see them.
Can I add images to my notes?
Images, or attachments of any kind, are not supported at this time. You can upload them to a cloud service and copy the URL to your photo or file into the notes, though.
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