How to export Apple Reminders

Apple Reminders does not have a bulk export button on a current Mac, iPhone, or iPad. You are not missing a hidden menu. The best route depends on whether you need a readable file, a quick move to another app, or just the task titles.

Check whether your Mac still has Export

Open Reminders on your Mac, select a list, and look in File. 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 now suggests sharing a reminder or inviting someone to a list. Sharing helps people work together, but it does not create a bulk backup file.

If an old Mojave Mac still syncs your reminders, use it and then check the exported file. Most people will need one of the routes below.

Choose the route that fits

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 is reasonable for 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 explains how actions join together.

Decide which fields you need before building the rows. A useful first version includes 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. This makes it the main Apple-only route for someone who no longer has an old Mac.

Move directly into another app

Some task managers can ask for access to Reminders and copy the tasks directly. For example, TickTick documents a Reminders import in its iPhone app under its settings. This avoids making a file yourself.

Check the result before accepting the move as complete. Open a task with a due date, a note, and a subtask in the new app. Direct import does not mean every field has the same meaning in both apps.

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. This is quick and needs no setup.

It mainly gives you the titles. Dates, flags, priorities, notes, subtasks, attachments, and the original list may not survive. Use this route for a small shopping or errands list. Do not use it 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.

Sync is different from an export file. It does not give you something 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 a Reminders file into Done Bear

Done Bear does not sign in to Apple Reminders or read the app directly. It can import an old Reminders ICS file, or a CSV or JSON file made by a Shortcut.

Open Settings → Integrations & Import → Import from another app. Choose Apple Reminders for an ICS file. For a CSV or JSON file, use the matching file option and check which column holds the task title, date, and notes.

Done Bear shows a preview before it writes anything. Check the number of tasks, completed items, dates, and any fields it could not read. Choose where the tasks should go, then confirm the import. The original Reminders list is not changed. You can start free and open the importer. The Done Bear import guide explains the preview, field matching, date handling, repeat imports, and undo.

An ICS file is best when it came from Reminders itself because calendar fields already have known names. A Shortcut-made CSV gives you more control, but Done Bear will ask which column means title, due date, notes, and completion. Check that screen carefully. If the Shortcut put a date into ordinary text, no importer can know that the text was meant to schedule the task.

If you want to try the new list slowly, import one small list first. The Apple Reminders comparison explains when Siri, HomeKit, or location alerts make staying with Reminders the better choice. Done Bear also has Windows and web access when those devices are the reason you are moving.

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.

Also 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. Download any error report the preview offers and read the reason beside each skipped row.

Then add and complete a few real tasks for a week. Keep the source list during that test. Exporting or importing does not require you to delete anything, and there is no benefit in removing the safer copy early.