Migration
Move from Apple Reminders to Done Bear
Apple Reminders has no bulk export on a current Mac. Copy reminders in the Done Bear iPhone app, or bring an .ics file from an older Mac to the web importer.
Last updated
Free up to 250 tasks, completed tasks included. No credit card.
The short answer
Done Bear imports Apple Reminders two ways. The iPhone app copies incomplete reminders, with notes and due dates, from the lists you pick. The web importer reads an .ics file, one list at a time, with subtasks, repeating rules, completed reminders and attachment links. Current versions of Reminders have no bulk export, so that file comes from an older Mac.
Key takeaways
- The Done Bear iPhone app copies incomplete reminders directly, one project per list.
- On the web, Done Bear accepts an Apple Reminders .ics file, one list per upload.
- File then Export works only on macOS Mojave or earlier.
- An .ics file keeps repeat rules, and the iPhone app writes them as text.
- The one-time imports never sign in to iCloud or change your Reminders lists.
What to export from Apple Reminders
The file to bring from Apple Reminders: Exported .ics list. These are the steps the import wizard shows, so the file you make is one it accepts.
- 1.Use an existing .ics export, or select a list in Reminders on macOS Mojave or earlier.
- 2.On that older Mac, choose File → Export… and save the .ics file.
- 3.Upload one .ics file at a time and check the preview before importing.
The long version: how to export Apple Reminders
What Apple Reminders concepts become in Done Bear
This table is the whole mapping from Apple Reminders to Done Bear. Read the notes column before you import, because the exceptions are there.
| Apple Reminders | Done Bear | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| List | Project | From a file, the project takes the list’s name, or the file name when the list has none. On iPhone, each list you pick becomes a project. |
| Reminder | Task | From a file, a reminder with no title is skipped and the preview says so, and created and modified dates carry over. On iPhone, a reminder with no title arrives as Untitled reminder. |
| Notes | Description | |
| Due date | Deadline | A deadline of today or earlier shows the task in Today, on both routes. |
| Due time | Reminder | From a file, the time is read in the list’s own time zone, or the one you pick in the wizard when the list names none. On iPhone, only a time still ahead sets a reminder, so past reminders do not fire on import. |
| Start date | Start date | From a file only. A start of today or earlier lands in Today, and a later one in Upcoming. |
| Repeat | Repeat rule | From a file, a rule Done Bear can run exactly is kept as one. A rule it can only approximate arrives narrowed, with a warning. A rule it cannot run is kept as text in the description, and no repeat is stored. On iPhone, the repeat arrives only as a line of text, such as Repeats: weekly. |
| Subtask | Checklist item | From a file, a subtask with no dates, notes, tags, repeat or attachments becomes a checklist item on its parent. Any other subtask, or one whose parent is not in the file, imports as a task of its own. The iPhone app reads no subtask links. |
| Completed reminder | Logbook | From a file, completed reminders arrive completed, with their completion date. The iPhone app skips them. |
| Category | Label | Each category in the file becomes a label, and a label you already have with the same name is reused. The iPhone app reads no tags. |
| Priority | Not imported | Read for the preview only. Done Bear tasks have no priority field. |
| Attachment | Link in the description | From a file, each attachment link is listed in the description and the file stays in Reminders. The iPhone app reads no attachments. |
| URL | Line in the description | From a file only. The link is added at the end of the description. |
| Flag, location and early reminder | Not imported | The preview lists a location as a field Done Bear has no place for. |
What comes across and what does not
Done Bear imports the fields below from Apple Reminders. The second list is what stays behind, so you can decide what to save by hand before you delete anything.
Comes across
- Attachments
- Completed tasks
- Tags and labels
- Projects and lists
- Repeating tasks
- Sub-tasks
Stays behind
- Areas and folders (become teams)
- Apple's File → Export command is available only on macOS Mojave or earlier. Current Reminders versions have no bulk export command.
- For a CSV or JSON file created with Shortcuts, go back and choose the matching file format instead.
- Attachment links are kept in the description, but the files stay in Reminders.
Running the import
The import wizard lives in Settings, Integrations & Import, Import from another app. Choose Apple Reminders, upload your file, and Done Bear previews every record it found. Nothing is written until you confirm.
Re-running it and undoing it
Re-importing the same file is safe. Done Bear recognises the tasks it already brought across from that export and adds only what is new. The completion screen offers an undo, which removes what the import created and keeps anything you have edited since.
Frequently asked questions
Can I export Apple Reminders on the current macOS?
No. Apple documents File then Export for macOS Mojave or earlier, and current versions of Reminders have no bulk export command. On a newer Mac, iPhone or iPad, run a Shortcut that writes a file, or copy a list into a document you can save. On iPhone, the Done Bear app can also copy reminders directly.
What file does Done Bear accept from Apple Reminders?
An .ics file, one list at a time. Done Bear reads the calendar format Reminders writes, including notes, due dates, subtasks, repeating rules, completed reminders and attachment links. Upload one file, check the preview, then import. A Shortcut that writes CSV or JSON works too: choose that file format in the wizard instead.
Can I import Apple Reminders on my iPhone?
Yes, with no file at all. In the Done Bear iPhone app, open Settings, Import, Reminders, allow access and pick your lists. Each list becomes a project, and its incomplete reminders arrive with their notes and due dates. Completed reminders, attachments, tags and priority stay behind. The app reads no subtask links, and a repeat arrives as a line of text in the description.
Do repeating reminders keep repeating?
From an .ics file, yes, when Done Bear can run the rule. A rule it can only approximate arrives narrowed, with a warning, and one it cannot run is kept as text in the description. From the iPhone app, no. The repeat arrives as a line of text, such as Repeats: weekly, and you set the repeat again by hand.
Do Reminders attachments come across?
From an .ics file, the links come across and the files do not. Done Bear lists each attachment link in the task’s description and copies no files. The iPhone app reads no attachments at all. Save anything you still need out of Reminders by hand before you delete a list.
Does importing change anything in Apple Reminders?
No. The iPhone importer copies reminders with the access you grant, and the web importer reads the file you give it. Neither signs in to iCloud or changes Reminders. Reminders Inbox, a separate iPhone feature, removes a reminder once you import it, and asks first. Keep both apps for a week, then delete the old lists.
Where this information comes from
- Done Bear, Importing from another app (the Done Bear iPhone app copies incomplete Apple Reminders under Settings, Import, Reminders, and the web importer previews every record from a file before anything is written)
- Done Bear, How to export Apple Reminders (Apple documents File then Export for macOS Mojave or earlier, and current versions have no bulk export command)
Related
- Apple Reminders on Windows
- Done Bear on Windows
- Done Bear vs Apple Reminders
- How to export Apple Reminders
- Every migration
Free up to 250 tasks, completed tasks included. No credit card.