If you’ve been following our user stories, you may have noticed that a lot of people love to make checklists in Evernote. Whether for work, personal stuff, or both, you can find a reason to make a checklist in Evernote. If you haven’t made one already, we’re here to show you how to do it.
What kind of checklist should I make?
Creating a checklist that’s accessible from any device where you have Evernote installed allows you to get more done by helping you remember stuff you need to do at any moment. Here are some ideas for checklists that you might want to create:
- To-do list: make one for work from your desk on a Monday morning and check it on your phone on a Wednesday.
- Packing list: don’t forget your sunscreen, your bathing suit, or your phone charger.
- Goals list: keep it with you, wherever you are.
- Reading list: keep adding to it — when you’re at the bookstore with your phone, or at the airport with your tablet
- Home repairs list: pull it up on your phone when you’re at Home Depot and grab everything you need.
- Grocery list: add items you need and even share it with your spouse!
- Where to eat list: explore where you live through food and check off restaurants as you try them. See our list.
Ok, how do I get started?
You can make a checklist using several versions of Evernote—Mac, Windows, Web, Android, and others soon—by clicking on the checkbox button in the note formatting bar (on your Android device, you can find the checkbox in the bar above your keyboard). To add items, just click on the checkbox button again and a new checkbox will appear in your note. On a Mac, you can can also create a check-list by going to Format > Insert To-Do. On your Windows PC, go to Format > To-Do > Insert Checkbox (or CTRL + SHIFT + C).
To check the box, just click inside of it. Double click to uncheck it.
Keep it all in sync
Above: checklist on Android
Whenever you update a note, Evernote automatically synchronizes the change to all versions you use, meaning that something you’ve checked off on your phone will also be checked off when you log into Evernote on the Web, or from your desktop, so you’ll never lose sight of what you’ve done or what needs to be done.
Search for your checkboxes in Evernote
To find notes containing one or more unchecked boxes, type in todo:false into the Evernote search box. To find all notes containing a checkbox, type in todo:*. [More about searching in Evernote]
Note Links – Associate Checkboxes with other Notes, or your Calendar
Want to associate your checklist with a calendar reminder? Now you can. You can create a Note Link by right-clicking on the note in a desktop version of Evernote and choosing the option Copy Note Link. Open your calendar and paste in the Note Link. Clicking on the link will open the note (in this case, your checklist). You can read more about Note Links and how they work in this blog post.
How do you use checklists? Tell us in the comments.
188 Comments
Mitch
Checklist feature is too unintelligent to have any use as a to-do list so evernote should not be advertised as to-do list capable. You need to be able to sort a list by checked and unchecked to give it any practical use at all. An alphanumeric sort of checked and unchecked would also be helpful.
Mitch
Actually I now see that Evernote can insert a checkbox anywhere in a note (not just at the beginning of a line) which makes evernote more checklist flexible than many to-do checklist programs out there, but this feature may also make it technically challenging for evernote to sort checklists as currently configured.
Sim
I agree with Mitch. I have tried using the checklist and even for simple a grocery list it is easier to just put things on lines of a note an do it that way. You have to go into “edit” mode to check-off an item! Plus no sorting or hiding checked items or anything.
I like Evernote, but SpringPad does checklists much better. They have different kinds of items, and one of them is a checklist.
@dr3do
Unfortunatley Springpad has no native Desktop-App for OSX/Windows/Linux, right? As I see people are asking for (http://blog.springpadit.com/2010/08/springpad-faq-august-2010/), but… no app, no switch.
mluka
Actually, I’ve never found a better tool (for checklists) than Ontomni’s Listomni. Absolutely superb tool!
CJ Rider
Just set up Thunderbolt, was about to set up google notebook along with all the other google apps – then found this site for Evernote via search – it is exactly what I was looking for!
Very pleased! Five stars!
cj
Tatiana
happy to use a checklist for Evernote planning another masterpiece of the transforming dress or article! Thank you, this is exactly what you need!
Shirley
I agree with Mitch’s first comment. Once we choose checklist a return should automatically add the checkbox. Manually adding it to each line removes quick, easy and on the go use.
Peter
Agreed… return should give you another check box until you unselect the checkbox…
Peter
I see that this is the case on the desktop app… it’s missing from the iOS app.
Craig
When I’m doing a checklist, it does automatically add the next check box when I hit return. You may need to do an update.
diana
can you add a checklist when using evernote for iphone? I can’t seem to find it. thanks!
diana
oh, sorry, I just found it in the font box!
Yvonne Warthen
Does this work with cozi?
Matthew Hunt
I’d love a removal feature for completed checkbox items, along with some options for timing of removal. For me, checked boxes in my to-do lists become irrelevant/deleted. It would be great to stream-line that process. I envision the option fields as something like:
Check-box removals (on / off)
If On:
Once a check-box is marked as complete, remove the box bullet and line of text associated
a) immediately
b) after syncing
c) in __ duration
Matthew Hunt
Love Evernote btw. Just voted for you on Crunchies “Mobile application of the year.”
Peter
+1.
Darren
I think it would be great to have a function that would allow you to switch on and off a ‘remove line item when checked’ function. That would help keep my checklists clean. I can understand for a ‘books to read’ check list, you might want to reference what you have completed, but most lists you just want to check it to remove it.
Phil
Seems like a fairly natural extension for the developers to consider. an actual “Tasks”/”Todo” list capability with due/dates and sorting by at least due date and alphabetically with a global category to see all unfinished tasks from all lists as well as within each individual list.
Rama
Totally agree, hard to imagine the task list without any due date (especially useful for tasks that have hard deadlines)
Chatty Kathy
I agree with Phil! That and alarms are the only things EN doesn’t have for me.
My “work around” right now for the to-do list is to add a tag to each note with the tag being the due date (eg, 2012 02 07). I can search by tag to find out what is due today or past due based on the tags.
But, I would prefer a regular date field with reminder function instead.
Joanne
I would like to see a due date and completed date on it.
I like to refer back to when something was mailed so I can follow up. I also would like to have a sort by check box, by due date and by completed date.
Here’s one not mentioned: I would like to be able to carry uncompleted tasks forward to a new note. So when I close a note at the end of the week or month I carry those unfinished items forward.
Shane Phillips
I just made my first check list for my trip to san Antonio and Austin Texas in march. I can’t wait to ger away from the crappy new England weather. Hopefully I can visit the Evernote office in Austin it would be so cool. I don’t know if they give tours or not
Alejandro
It would also be nice to have the capability to create a to-do list for shopping or packing (sort of a template) where one could have the possibility to un-check the whole list once you are done with whatever you were doing so that the list is clear for you to use on your next trip or shopping expedition.
Bill
I am looking for the same functionality.
crystal
me too! at this point its still easier to use paper to make a grocery list and stick it in my pocketbook and throw away when done than attempting to click and unclick a box and type everything in i like the idea of a permeant grocery list i can chi and unchk as i go that would make my life easier
Edgar
I use ShoppingList app on iphone and ipad for groceres. Saves a list tht you can check/uncheck as needed. You can also add other checklists, but it’s mainly for groceries. Allows you to sync between shared users. Not sure if they have a desktop app.
Flow
I have tried the check list option and it’s really simple to create them. But what i’m missing is the possibility to have tables as an note. I’ m wanted to create log files for fitness plans in a nice and easy way. Is there any possibility to do tables?
Philippe
Would be really nice to be have basic todo item attributes such as end date, prioritiy, category or label, … attched to check boxes. Even better would be to be alble to visualize all of it in one list of item that could be sorted out by end date or priority or category, status, people, …
The typical use case is meetings where actions are assigned and are entered in Evernote using chek boxes. At the end of day you see all what is on you plate, … and on other team members plate as well.
Laolu
Can’t find the checkbox button on my iPad!
Catherine
Yes please on smart to-do/checklist feature! Online systems are barely useable because noone’s thinking of the complete checklist need experience.
-i want to easily create/add to and deletr one list
- i want to be reminded to do them (at a time and frequency i control)
- i want some/all in my calendar too
-i want to see just today’s to-do’s
I want more than just a way to track/manage my to do list. I want a system that actually encourages me to get things done!
June
I keep a master pantry/grocery list in another application where I can easily sort and filter. (e.g. I have columns set up for Need, Aisle, Item)
Once I have filtered the master list for items I need and then sort by aisle, I want to cut and paste the list into evernote to take on the go on my phone.
It’s frustrating to paste the list as text and then not be able to apply a bullet or checkbox as a “format” to the entire list in one swoop. It makes the entire experience frustrating.
June
Also, if you jump in and start typing a list and want to go back and apply checklist functionality as a format, you can’t. Again this adds to the frustration factor immediately. When I’m brainstorming, I brainstorm first and then go back and edit/format.
Lee H
I’m trying to go completely paperless. I currently use a spiral notepad to right down quick to-do’s and I scratch them out once they are done. I’ve started using the evernote to-do, but it would be nice for an item marked as completed to be automatically removed to a “completed” to-do list.
lewis hooper
Lee, you might check out checkvist (see my post below)online tool at http://www.checkvist.com (Note spelling)
it automatically moves completed items so that you don’t see them on the list.
Its an online service so you can use it with Evernote at least until evernote becomes a bit more functional in this area.
Evernote is my goto tool for research, collecting data, writing etc, but checkvist is my guide for what I have to do next. It functions as a mini project management tool.
In my workflow checkvist functions as a subset of evernote.
lewis hooper
The todo/checkbox feature of evernote just doesn’t work for me. Its far to cumbersome to lay out the tasks
I do have a workaround that works quite well for me.
I use Checkvist (note spelling) with evernote checkvist is found at http://www.checkvist.com to create an online daily chores list for myself and my son. Its actually a great tool for creating this type of list in a hierarchical manner with the ability to assign dates and status etc. For my son I clip the checkvist list into his evernote chores workbook. We sometimes have a “debate” over whether the chore was done properly but in the main it works quite well. Copying to evernote as a clipped page also gives us a history of what he has done over time, and is actually useful for him to see.
Mrthermister
Sorting Tasks: Here’s what I use for sorting and it only requires one piece of 3rd party software: Dolphin Text Editor Menu (Windows). Instead of using check boxes, I use the following: “() ” (without the parens of course) = left paren, right paren, space. Important note is no space between the parens. So an undone task looks like: () Task. A completed task looks like: (x) Task. Then I use Dolphin Text Editor Menu to sort the list in-place, and the incomplete items float to the top – Viola! A sorted task list.
You can use this method for other uses as well: date sorted – if you use dates in the format “yymmdd” (4 digit year is not needed), or other numeric text sorting as long as you use the format of “00″ or “000″ depending on how many list items you need such as 01, 02, 03…10, 11, etc. Then these will be alpha sorted correctly. I’m sure you could extend this to other ideas.
Another idea is to combine tasks with dates.. for instance
() 120326 Task1
(x) 120401 Task2
() 120501 Task3
(x) 120227 Task4
would sort to:
() 120326 Task1
() 120501 Task3
(x) 120227 Task4
(x) 120401 Task2
Viola! Not only task sorted, but date sorted as well. So using this method, you instantly add due-date sorted tasking to Evernote, just as long as you don’t use its checkboxes.
Hazpoco
I like evernote but I agreed with the shortcomings of the todo functionality (no true check lists, no on-the-fly marking as complete (edit mode?), no ability to reuse commonly bough items.
For me (usecase: shopping lists for myself shared with my family), I found Wunderlist to be superior to anything on the market. Springpad is great but its usefulness is for the same things that Evernote does well. ToDo is not one of them.
Matt
The to do lists check boxes dont sync with sticky notes and neither does the strike out text.
This would be an awesome feature for the next update.
Graham Roberts
This is for Windows users only at the moment, but some of the calendaring issues can be overcome with TuskTasks. ## insert date and time reference between the hashes ## sticks a reference in the calendar which can be sync’d with Google.
Examples are
## tomorrow ##
## tomorrow at 10am ##
## Friday at noon ##
## 21st April at 1600 ##
Just started using it. Will update when I have some more info.
Amin
It is a good start, but my main complaint is that checklists don’t disappear once you’ve checked them off. They just sit there, until you delete or something. It would be good to have a system where they get “hidden” once you have checked them off. Hiding would also allow for looking back at what you did.