Having your to-dos and lists in the right place helps to feel organized and to stay on top of your tasks.
While moving items in Things is as easy as drag & drop, there are a few more options can be even more efficient. Check out our tips below.
In this article:
Drag and drop
No matter if you’re using Things on a Mac, iPad, or iPhone, you can use drag and drop to:
- Change the position of a to-do or heading inside a list.
- Change the order of checklist items inside of their to-do.
- Change the order of projects and areas in the sidebar/main lists view.
On Mac and iPad you can also drag and drop to-dos on top of other lists in the sidebar to move them there.
The Move dialog
The Move dialog is especially convenient for users who have a lot of lists, who want to target a specific heading, or for iPhone-only users.
Mac
Basic option
- Select one or more to-dos.
- Click → in the toolbar at the bottom of the app window.
- In the Move dialog, click the new destination.
If you don’t see the toolbar, re-enable it via View > Show Toolbar.
Advanced options
Here are some additional things you can do in the Move dialog:
- Start typing the destination’s name: Works great if you have a lot of lists, as you don’t have to scroll through them all.
- Project headings: They are not shown by default, but just start typing their name to find them.
- Create new projects: Just type the new project’s name, then click + New Project "[your project name]"
Move new to-dos from Quick Entry (with Autofill)
When you use our handy Quick Entry (with Autofill) feature, just click on the button labeled Inbox and you can perform all the move operations explained above.
iPad & iPhone
Basic options
- Tap a to-do to open it or or swipe left on it to select it.
- Tap Move in the toolbar at the bottom of the screen.
- In the Move dialog, tap the new destination.
You can select multiple items at once. Learn more on our iOS gestures page.
Advanced options
Here are some additional things you can do in the Move dialog:
- Pull down to search: Pull down with your finger and just start typing your destination’s name.
- Project headings: They are not shown by default. Pull down to search, and type their name to find them.
- Create new projects: Pull down to search, type the new project’s name, then click + New Project "[your project name]"
Move new to-dos when creating them
Drag the blue + over to the left corner and drop it on the Inbox target that’ll appear there.*
In the Quick Entry window that comes up, tap Inbox and you can perform all the move operations explained above.
See our iOS gestures in action here.
The Move dialog will automatically only offer destinations that match the selected content. Projects can only be moved into an area. Headings can only be moved between projects.
Move via keyboard
On your Mac and iPad* you won’t have to lift your fingers off the keyboard even once to accomplish everything listed above.
Mac
To learn how to select and move items in Things, please refer to our extensive documentation here.
It might also be useful to know that ⌘ Cmd + ⇧ Shift + M
- works on both collapsed and open to-dos.
- works inside of Quick Entry (with Autofill), too.
- of course works on a selection of multiple to-dos.
iPad
To learn how to select and move items in Things, please refer to our extensive documentation here.
It might also be useful to know that ⌘ Cmd + ⇧ Shift + M
- works on both collapsed and open to-dos.
- of course works on a selection of multiple to-dos.
Inside the Move dialog, you can also start typing without having to pull down first.
Remove content from a project or area
If you change your mind and no longer want a to-do associated with a project or area, or move a project out of an area, here’s how:
Mac
- ⌥ Opt + click on a to-do and select Remove from Project/Area ?
- ⌥ Opt + click on a project in the sidebar > Move... > x No Area ?
If you prefer to use the keyboard, ⌘ Cmd + ⇧ Shift + M allows you to select x No Project/Area for a to-do. To use this shortcut on a project, you have to select the project inside of an area (not the sidebar).
iPad & iPhone
Enter the Move dialog as explained further up and tap x No Project/Area at the top.
For iPad users with an external keyboard, hit ⌘ Cmd + ⇧ Shift + M > x No Project/Area