MyTodo.txt is a task list that keeps everything in a plain-text todo.txt file. This guide covers the app on iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac, Windows and in a browser. For a quick tour, see the MyTodo.txt videos.
The todo.txt format in a minute
Each task is one line of text. The app writes it for you, but it helps to know what the parts mean:
| You write | Meaning |
|---|---|
(A) Call the bank | Priority A (A is highest) |
Buy milk +Groceries | Project Groceries |
Fix the gate @home | Context home |
Pay rent due:2026-11-01 | Due date |
x 2026-10-10 Buy milk | Completed, with the date it was done |
Getting started
Add, complete and edit tasks
- Type in the box at the top and tap Add. The date field next to it sets a due date.
- Tap the circle to complete a task.
- Tap a task’s text to edit it.
- Details opens the task’s priority, due date and notes.
Urgent tasks
The ! button on a task (or Urgent in Details) marks it urgent. It shows a red Urgent badge and moves to the top. The ! Urgent chip shows only urgent tasks. Urgent is separate from priority, so an (A) task can be urgent or not.
Notes
Open Details to write a note of any length. Notes support Markdown: headings, bold, bulleted, numbered and lettered lists (a., a) or (a), as in mdNotes), links and - [ ] checklists. Switch between Edit and Preview; in Preview you can tick checklist items. A task with a checklist shows its progress, such as 1/3.
Filter and sort
Filter by text, project or context, and sort by priority, due date, created date, A–Z or file order.
Several lists
Pick a list from the menu at the top, or choose ＋ New list…. Each list has its own todo.txt, archives and storage, so Work can sync with Nextcloud while Shopping stays on your phone. Settings → Lists renames or deletes lists.
Archiving
In Settings → Archive schedule, choose daily, weekly, every 2 weeks or monthly, and a time. At each run the whole list is saved as an archive, completed tasks can be added to done.txt, and todo.txt keeps only the open tasks. Archive now runs it straight away, and View archives… lets you view, export, restore or delete archives.
History
Settings → History shows your list, every archive and done.txt together, each task once. Use it to review everything done on a project.
Export
The Export button saves the tasks on screen as Markdown or a Word document, with your filter and sort applied.
Text size (iPhone and iPad)
Tap the gear (⚙) for Settings, then Appearance → Text size to make the whole app larger or smaller, on top of the size set in your iPhone’s Settings → Display & Text Size.
Where your tasks are stored
Choose for each list in Settings → Storage.
| Where | How |
|---|---|
| iPhone app | By default in Files → On My iPhone → todo.txt. Choose folder… moves the list to any Files folder, such as iCloud Drive, OneDrive or Dropbox. |
| Edge or Chrome on a computer | Choose folder… picks any folder, for example in OneDrive. Allow access “on every visit” when asked. |
| Safari or Firefox | The list is stored in the browser. Use Export and Back up all files to keep copies. |
| Nextcloud or WebDAV | Works everywhere. See below. |
Nextcloud and WebDAV
Settings → Nextcloud / WebDAV…: enter your server address (such as https://cloud.example.com), your user name and an app password (in Nextcloud: Settings → Security → Devices & sessions). The app creates the folder if needed.
Offline? Keep working. Changes are saved on the device and uploaded when the server is back. If the list changed on the server meanwhile, the two are merged line by line.
Apple Watch
The Apple Watch app is part of MyTodo.txt Pro. The watch shows the open tasks of the list that’s open on the iPhone, with urgent tasks first. Tap a task to complete it; tap again quickly to take it back. Add task uses dictation, Scribble or the keyboard.
How the watch keeps up depends on where the list is stored:
| Where the list is | On the watch |
|---|---|
| Nextcloud or WebDAV | The watch reads and saves todo.txt on your server by itself, over Wi-Fi or cellular, so it stays up to date with the iPhone switched off or at home. Without a connection, changes wait on the watch and are saved when it’s back online. |
| Files (On My iPhone, iCloud Drive, OneDrive, another app’s folder) | Apple Watch can’t open the Files app or iCloud Drive, so the list is sent from the iPhone. The watch keeps the last list it received and works away from the iPhone, but it doesn’t see changes made since. Tasks you complete or add on the watch show waiting for iPhone until MyTodo.txt has saved them, which it does the next time it’s open on the iPhone. |
The watch shows the list that’s open on the iPhone. If you want the watch to stay up to date on its own, keep that list on Nextcloud or WebDAV.
Use it on a computer from your iPhone (Wi-Fi)
- In the iPhone app, turn on Settings → Wi-Fi → Share on Wi-Fi.
- On a computer on the same Wi-Fi, open the
http://address shown and follow the steps to trust the iPhone (once per computer). - Open the
https://address shown, and install it as an app if you like. - Pair with the code shown on the iPhone, then add your lists in Settings.
The iPhone needs MyTodo.txt open while you do this. Give the iPhone a fixed address in your router so the computer always finds it.
Linking with mdNotes
In the App Store apps the link is part of Pro for both apps; in the web apps it’s free. Checklist items in mdNotes that start with td: become tasks in MyTodo.txt, tagged with a hidden link. Complete the task in either app and it’s ticked in both. Set it up in mdNotes under Settings → MyTodo.txt, pointing at the same todo.txt. See the mdNotes guide.
MyTodo.txt Pro
The App Store app is free. A one-time purchase adds more:
| Purchase | Adds |
|---|---|
| MyTodo.txt Pro | Nextcloud and WebDAV lists, lists in any folder in Files (such as iCloud Drive), the Apple Watch app and MyTodo.txt for Windows |
| Pro for both apps | Pro in MyTodo.txt and mdNotes, plus the link between them |
| Upgrade | Pro for both apps, at the difference in price, if you already have Pro |
Buy or restore in Settings → Help → MyTodo.txt Pro…. Pro for both apps bought in mdNotes shows as “bought in mdNotes” and unlocks MyTodo.txt too, on all your devices with the same Apple ID. Lists you set up before keep working. Everything else, including Wi-Fi sharing, archiving, import and export, is free. The web app is free with every feature.
On a Mac
The App Store app runs on Macs with Apple silicon. Install it from the Mac App Store with the same Apple ID, and a Pro purchase from your iPhone unlocks it there too. Keep lists in iCloud Drive (Choose folder…) or on Nextcloud to see the same tasks on both. Wi-Fi sharing isn’t available on a Mac.
On Windows: MyTodo.txt for Windows
MyTodo.txt for Windows (free in the Microsoft Store) shows every list your iPhone or iPad shares over Wi-Fi. It needs MyTodo.txt Pro (or Pro for both apps) on the iPhone or iPad.
- On the iPhone, turn on Settings → Wi-Fi → Share on Wi-Fi.
- In MyTodo.txt for Windows, type the address the iPhone shows, and check the code it shows matches the one on the iPhone.
- On the iPhone, tap Allow when it asks to let your PC use MyTodo.txt.
Every shared list then appears by itself, and new ones are added within a minute. Lists on Nextcloud connect to the server directly; the others go through the iPhone, with a copy kept on the PC so you can keep working while the iPhone is away. If the iPhone’s address changes, use Connect to a different iPhone or iPad… in the window menu (Alt+Space).
The local-only version
todo.txt (local only) is the web app with every network feature removed: no Nextcloud, no servers, no iPhone link. Your list stays in the browser or a folder on your device, and the page is blocked from contacting any other site. Its data is kept apart from the full MyTodo.txt. It can link to mdNotes (local only) on the same device.
Questions and answers
Is MyTodo.txt free?
Yes. The web app is free with every feature. The App Store app is free too; Nextcloud, folders anywhere in Files, the Apple Watch and MyTodo.txt for Windows need a one-time Pro purchase. There’s no subscription.
I bought Pro on my iPhone. How do I get it on my iPad or Mac?
Open Settings → Help → MyTodo.txt Pro… on the other device, signed in with the same Apple ID, and tap Restore purchases.
Do I need Nextcloud to use the Apple Watch app?
No. A list in Files (On My iPhone or iCloud Drive) works on the watch too, but through the iPhone: the watch shows the list as last sent and its changes are saved once MyTodo.txt is open on the iPhone. With Nextcloud or another WebDAV server, the watch syncs by itself, even without the iPhone nearby.
Can other todo.txt apps open my list?
Yes. It’s an ordinary todo.txt file. Point the other app at the same folder or Nextcloud folder. Tags MyTodo.txt uses, such as note: or urgent:yes, just show up as text there.
Why didn’t the scheduled archive run at its time?
Apps can’t always run in the background. The schedule is checked when the app opens, when you return to it, and every minute while it’s open; the iPhone app also gets occasional background time from iOS. A missed archive runs the next time you open the app, and missed runs are combined into one.
How do I move from the Home Screen web app to the iPhone app?
In the web app, use Back up all files to save everything to Files. In the iPhone app, move the files into On My iPhone → todo.txt, or use Import todo.txt….
Where are my notes stored?
By default inside todo.txt itself, as one hidden tag per task, so everything stays in one file. Settings → Store notes → As separate files saves them as notes/<id>.md instead.
Troubleshooting
The watch shows “waiting for iPhone” or an old list
Your list is in Files, which Apple Watch can’t reach, so the watch works through the iPhone. Open MyTodo.txt on the iPhone: it saves the watch’s changes and sends the current list. To have the watch sync by itself, store the list on Nextcloud or WebDAV (Settings → Nextcloud / WebDAV…). See Apple Watch.
Nextcloud says it can’t connect
- Use an app password, not your normal password.
- Check the address starts with
https://. Plainhttp://only works for servers on your home network, in the iPhone app. - In a browser: your server must allow the app’s address (CORS). Nextcloud doesn’t by default. If you can’t change the server, use the iPhone app instead, which doesn’t need this.
“Changed on the server” message
The list was changed on another device while you had unsaved changes. Choose which version to keep. Offline edits are merged automatically when possible.
The computer can’t open the Wi-Fi address
- Both devices must be on the same Wi-Fi, with MyTodo.txt open on the iPhone.
- Trust the iPhone’s certificate first, using the
http://setup page. - Guest and public networks often block devices from seeing each other.
The browser forgot my folder
In Edge or Chrome, choose Allow on every visit when asked for folder access, and launch the installed app rather than a tab.
MyTodo.txt for Windows says it needs Pro
MyTodo.txt for Windows opens when the iPhone or iPad it connects to has MyTodo.txt Pro or Pro for both apps. Buy or restore it there in Settings → Help → MyTodo.txt Pro…, then reconnect.
Still need help?
Email appinfo@cebaxo.com with your device, where your list is stored (device, Files, Nextcloud…) and what happened.