Looking at a long list of to-do items in Apple Reminders and wish they were sorted by due date? Want the tasks with the highest importance on top? Find out here how to sort a list in Apple Reminders on a Mac by due date, priority and other criteria.
First, One Coconut and One Coconut
Essentially the same thing with the same function as an orchid’s tiny seed or a peach’s feisty stone, coconuts are astonishingly stubborn, big and heavy.
Yet they pale in comparison to, of course, the double-coconut or coco de mer’s seeds found all too rarely on the Seychelles islands: at some 12 inches (30 cm) and weighing in at up to 55 lb (25 kg), they are among all known seeds the largest.
Now, with that sorted out, let’s get to sorting the seeds from which the fruits of our labors shall spring:
How to Sort a List in Apple Reminders for Mac (e.g., by Due Date)
Time needed: 2 minutes
To change the sort order for a list of tasks in Apple Reminders on a Mac:
- Open the list you want to sort in Apple Reminders.
Only one: You can always only change the sort order for the list whose items you are currently seeing in the top window; if you select more than one list, the sort order applies only to the one whose items you see.
- Select View | Sort By from the menu.
Categories: If the list’s items are arranged in categories, sorting happens within the categories.
- Choose the desired sorting order.
Manual: Drag and drop items to change their order while no automatic sorting occurs (though Reminders will still group time-based items by their due time under Morning, Afternoon and Tonight).
Due date: Sort Apple Reminders items by due date.
Creation date: Have items arranged in the order in which they were entered, with the oldest on top by default.
Priority: Items are arranged by their priority; the priorities in ascending order are: None, Low, Medium and High.
Title: Sorts items alphabetically. - Optional: Reverse the sorting order.
Here’s how: Select View | Sort By from the menu followed by Descending, Lowest First, Newest First or Latest First depending on the lists’s sorting order.
How to Sort a List in Apple Reminders for Mac: FAQ
Will adding a new item (or moving one) to a list change the sort order?
No.
If you add a new item to a list or move it to another list, it will appear following the lists’s current sort order.
Will moving an item within a list change the sort order in Reminders?
Yes.
If you move an item within a list (to the top, for example), the list’s order will change to manual sorting.
Will the Reminders sort order synchronize via iCloud?
Yes.
If you change the sort order for a list, it will be reflected in all apps accessing the same list (Reminders on an iPhone, e.g.).
What is the secondary sorting order used in Reminders?
Apple Reminders uses the tasks’ creation date as the secondary sorting order.
Example: If you sort a list by priority, for instance, tasks with the same priority will be sorted by the time the were first crated, starting with the oldest task on top (within each section).
Can I pick a different secondary sort order?
No.
The secondary sorting order is fixed in Apple Reminders.
(How to sort a list in Apple Reminders for Mac tested with macOS Sonoma 14.2–14.5; first published February 2024, last updated July 2024)