# How to export Apple Reminders *Last updated 2026-09-22 · Matthew Blode* Apple Reminders has no bulk export on a current Mac or iPhone. Use a Shortcut, File then Export on Mojave, or an app that reads Reminders on your iPhone. ## The short answer > Apple Reminders has no bulk export command on current macOS, iOS, or iPadOS. Apple documents File then Export only for macOS Mojave or earlier. On a newer device, build a Shortcut that writes a file, let another app read Reminders on your iPhone, or copy and paste titles. Check dates, notes, and subtasks before deleting anything. ## Key takeaways - Current versions of Apple Reminders have no bulk export command. - File then Export works only on macOS Mojave or earlier. - A Shortcut can write a file, but it keeps only the fields you choose. - Some task managers, Done Bear included, read Reminders directly on an iPhone. - Test dates, notes, and subtasks before leaving the original list. --- Apple Reminders has no bulk export button on a current Mac, iPhone, or iPad, and no hidden menu replaces it. The route that works depends on what you need: a file you can read, a direct move into another app, or the task titles alone. ## Check whether your Mac still has Export Open Reminders on your Mac, select a list, and look in the **File** menu. If the Mac runs macOS Mojave or earlier, choose **File → Export**, name the file, and save it. Apple says this creates a file for the selected list. On a newer Mac, the command is gone. Apple’s [iCloud archiving guide](https://support.apple.com/en-us/108306) now suggests sharing a reminder or inviting someone to a list. Sharing lets people work on the same list, but it does not create a backup file. If an old Mojave Mac still syncs your reminders, export from it and open the file to check it. Most people will need one of the routes below. ## Choose the route that fits | Route | What you get | What to check | | -------------------------- | ----------------- | ------------------------------------- | | Mojave File → Export | An ICS file | Only available on an old Mac | | A Shortcut | A file you design | Missing dates, notes, or subtasks | | Another app on your iPhone | A direct copy | Which fields that app carries across | | Copy and paste on a Mac | Task titles | Dates, notes, and list names are lost | Use a Shortcut when you need a file and care about more than titles. Use a destination app’s importer when you want the fastest move. Copy and paste suits one short list that has no important dates or notes. ## Make a file with Shortcuts Open **Shortcuts** and create a new shortcut. Add actions that find reminders, choose one list, repeat through the results, turn each reminder into a line, and save the text to Files. Apple’s [Shortcuts guide](https://support.apple.com/guide/shortcuts-mac/intro-to-shortcuts-apdf22b0444c/mac) explains how actions join together. Decide which fields you need before building the rows. A useful first version has the reminder title, list name, due date, completion state, and notes. Add subtasks or priority only if they matter in the app you are moving to. For a CSV-style file, put one reminder on each row and keep the same field order every time. Use a first row such as `Title,List,Due date,Completed,Notes`. Put a comma between fields and a line break between reminders. Notes may contain commas or line breaks, so test how your Shortcut quotes them before running a large list. Run the shortcut on a list with three reminders first. Include one with a due date, one with a note, and one with a subtask. Open the file and check all three. A shortcut does exactly what you built, so a missing field may produce no error. A shortcut created on a Mac can also run on iPhone and iPad. That makes a Shortcut the main Apple-only route for someone who no longer has an old Mac. ## Move directly into another app Some task managers ask for access to Reminders on your iPhone and copy the tasks directly, with no file in between. TickTick documents a Reminders import in its iPhone app settings. Done Bear’s iPhone app has one under **Settings → Import → Reminders**. Check the result before you treat the move as complete. Open a task with a due date, a note, and a subtask in the new app. A direct import still maps fields from one app to another, and the two apps may not give a field the same meaning. The source list remains useful as a safety copy. Leave it in Reminders until the new app has survived a week of normal use. ## Copy and paste a short list On a Mac, select the reminders in one list, copy them, and paste them into a text editor. Copy and paste is quick and needs no setup. Copy and paste mainly gives you the titles. Dates, flags, priorities, notes, subtasks, attachments, and the original list may not survive. Use it for a small shopping or errands list, and never for work that depends on dates or notes. ## Understand what iCloud does iCloud sync keeps the same reminders on your Apple devices. If you replace an iPhone, signing in can bring the list back. iCloud sync gives you nothing to inspect or import elsewhere, and a deletion can reach every synced device. Keep a separate file or the untouched source list while you test a move. ## Import Apple Reminders into Done Bear Done Bear imports Apple Reminders two ways: directly on iPhone, or from a file on the web. Neither route signs in to iCloud, and neither changes your Reminders lists. On iPhone, open **Settings → Import → Reminders**, allow access, and pick the lists to bring across. Done Bear copies each list’s incomplete reminders once and shows how many tasks and projects it will create before you import. | In Reminders | In Done Bear on iPhone | | ------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------- | | List | A project with the same name | | Incomplete reminder | A task: Inbox if undated, Today if due today or earlier | | Reminder due later | A task in Anytime, with the due date as its deadline | | Notes | The task description | | Due time | A reminder, when that time is still ahead | | Repeat rule | A line such as “Repeats: weekly” in the description | | Completed reminder | Skipped | The iPhone route does not read subtask links, flags, priorities, tags, or attachments, and an imported task with a repeat rule does not repeat. Running the import again skips reminders it already copied. On the web, open **Settings → Import**. Choose Apple Reminders for an old `.ics` export. An `.ics` file from Reminders needs no column matching, because calendar fields already have known names. The web importer reads notes, subtasks, repeat rules, completed reminders, and attachment links from that file. It lists the links in each task's description, and the files stay in Reminders. The [Apple Reminders migration page](/migrate/apple-reminders) maps every field. A Shortcut-made CSV or JSON file gives you more control over the fields. Choose the matching file format instead of Apple Reminders, and Done Bear will ask which column holds the title, due date, notes, and completion. Check that screen carefully. The web importer shows a preview before it writes anything. Check the number of tasks, completed items, dates, and any fields it could not read, then choose where the tasks go. You can [start free and open the importer](/sign-up?returnTo=%2Fonboarding%3Fintent%3Dimport). The [Done Bear import guide](/docs/help/importing) explains the preview, field matching, date handling, repeat imports, and undo. If a Shortcut put a date into ordinary text, no importer can know that the text was meant to schedule the task. Import one small list first. The [Apple Reminders comparison](/apple-reminders-alternative) explains when Siri, HomeKit, or location alerts make staying with Reminders the better choice. If you are leaving because of a Windows PC, [Apple Reminders on Windows](/blog/apple-reminders-on-windows) is the decision page and the [Windows app](/windows) is the native install. If the missing app is Things, see [Things 3 for Windows](/blog/things-3-for-windows). ## Check the result before deleting anything Pick three reminders you know well: one with a date, one with a note, and one with a subtask. Find each one in the new app and compare it with Reminders. Count the items in one source list and compare that number with the import preview. A matching total does not prove every field survived, but a different total tells you to stop. After the import, download the report the completion screen offers and read the reason beside each skipped row. Then add and complete a few real tasks for a week, and keep the source list during that test. Exporting or importing never requires you to delete anything, and removing the safer copy early gains you nothing. ## Frequently asked questions ### Can I export Apple Reminders to CSV? Not from Reminders itself. Apple does not provide a CSV export. You can build a Shortcut that reads reminders and writes one row per reminder to a file, or use another app that imports Reminders. Test a short list first, because the file holds only the fields you told the Shortcut to include. ### Why did File then Export disappear from Reminders? Apple removed the command from newer versions of Reminders. Its current archiving guide limits File then Export to macOS Mojave or earlier. The Reminders app was rebuilt with iOS 13, and Apple has not added a replacement bulk export command to current macOS, iOS, or iPadOS. ### Does iCloud back up Apple Reminders? Not in a form you can move. iCloud keeps Reminders in sync across your Apple devices, which helps when you replace a device, but it gives you no file to download and import into another app. A deletion can sync too, so make a separate copy before a large cleanup or migration. ### Can I export Reminders from my iPhone? Not with an export button, because the iPhone Reminders app has none. The Shortcuts app can read reminders and write a text or CSV-style file, but you build the steps yourself. Some task managers, including TickTick and Done Bear, ask for permission and copy reminders directly on the iPhone instead. ### Can Done Bear import Apple Reminders? Yes, two ways. In the Done Bear iPhone app, Settings, then Import, then Reminders copies the incomplete reminders from the lists you pick and leaves Reminders unchanged. On the web, Done Bear imports an old Reminders .ics file, or a CSV or JSON file made by a Shortcut, and previews every task before writing anything. ## Where this information comes from - [Apple, Archive or make copies of the information you store in iCloud (File then Export in Reminders applies to macOS Mojave or earlier, and newer versions offer sharing rather than a bulk file export)](https://support.apple.com/en-us/108306) - [Apple, Reminders User Guide for Mac (the current Reminders User Guide for Mac documents no bulk export procedure)](https://support.apple.com/guide/reminders/export-and-import-reminders-remnd0a3620b/mac) - [Apple, Intro to Shortcuts on Mac (custom shortcuts combine actions and can run on Mac, iPhone, and iPad)](https://support.apple.com/guide/shortcuts-mac/intro-to-shortcuts-apdf22b0444c/mac) - [TickTick, Backup and Import (TickTick’s iOS app imports Reminders directly from Settings)](https://help.ticktick.com/articles/7055781405648748544) - [Done Bear, Importing from another app (the Done Bear iPhone app copies incomplete Apple Reminders under Settings, Import, Reminders, and the web importer reads .ics, CSV, and JSON files)](https://donebear.com/docs/help/importing) --- Every Done Bear page is listed at https://donebear.com/llms.txt. Any page has a markdown copy at its URL plus `.md`. Start from the map rather than guessing a path.