How do I move my tasks from the old 2Do app to the new one?
Nothing is lost, and you do not retype anything. This page is about moving from 2Do version 3 to the new 2Do version 4 apps on iPhone and iPad. Version 4 is a separate app, so it cannot read version 3's data directly. Instead, it downloads your tasks from the sync account version 3 already uses, the same way 2Do gets your tasks when you set it up on a new device. On the Mac, 2026.x is the new version. It installs over 2.x and keeps your data. See 2Do for Mac below.
Leave version 3 on your device until everything shows up in version 4. None of the steps on this page delete anything from version 3.
Move your tasks in three steps
Check which sync method version 3 uses
In version 3, open Settings > Sync and note the sync method and the account it is signed in to, then let it finish a sync. If version 3 uses iCloud, choose iCloud CalDAV in version 4. The iCloud option in version 4 is a new kind of iCloud sync that cannot see version 3's data.
Set up the same sync method in version 4
Install version 4, open Settings > Sync, and choose the same sync method. Sign in to the same account and tap Set Up Sync (Link Account for Dropbox). If 2Do asks how to handle the first sync, choose Replace Local Data. Your lists and tasks download. Do not choose Replace Server Data here.
Keep this sync method, or switch to the new iCloud sync
Repeat step 2 on each device that gets version 4. You can keep syncing exactly as before. Once every device runs version 4, you can switch to the new iCloud sync. This is 2Do's own iCloud sync, not iCloud CalDAV. It uses the iCloud account your device is already signed in to, so there is no separate login or password, and everything in 2Do syncs through it, including Smart Lists, tag groups, list groups and attachments.
If version 3 never synced, move your data with a backup instead.
Details and troubleshooting
What information syncs across the apps
Version 4 receives whatever your sync method carries.
- Dropbox carries everything: tasks, notes, dates, alerts, repeats, lists, tags, Smart Lists, tag groups, list groups, and picture and audio attachments. Only link-only attachments stay on the device.
- iCloud CalDAV, other CalDAV accounts, Todoist and Toodledo carry your tasks and lists, but not Smart Lists, tag groups or list groups. Todoist and Toodledo also leave attachments on the device.
- Lists you excluded from sync in version 3 (Settings > Sync > Exclusions) exist only on that device.
- App settings are not synced by any method. Set your preferences again in version 4.
Anything your sync method leaves behind can be brought over with a backup.
Version 4 adds sync methods that version 3 does not have, including the new iCloud sync. They work between devices running version 4 or 2Do for Mac 2026.x, not with version 3. To learn about each method, see Which sync method should I use?
Switching to the new iCloud sync
iCloud is the recommended sync method in version 4 and in 2Do for Mac 2026.x. It is the first method in the Account Type menu and is marked Recommended. Do not confuse it with iCloud CalDAV, which syncs through Apple's calendar servers and needs an app-specific password. The new iCloud sync is 2Do's own: it uses the iCloud account your device is already signed in to, so there is no separate login or password, and everything in 2Do syncs through it, including Smart Lists, tag groups, list groups and attachments.
Switch only once every device you sync with can use it: version 3 cannot, 2Do for Android cannot (keep Dropbox if you sync with Android), and on the Mac it needs 2Do 2026.x on macOS 14 or later.
- On the device that now holds all your tasks, open Settings > Sync and disconnect the current method: Unlink for Dropbox, Change Account for every other method. Your tasks stay on the device.
- Choose iCloud and tap Set Up Sync. If 2Do asks how to handle the first sync, choose Replace Server Data. This uploads this device's copy to iCloud.
- On each of your other devices, disconnect the old method the same way, choose iCloud, tap Set Up Sync, and choose Replace Local Data if asked.
Do not choose Replace Server Data on the other devices. It would replace the copy you just uploaded with theirs.
Moving your data with a backup instead of sync
Use a backup if version 3 never synced, or to bring over the Smart Lists, tag groups and list groups that your sync method leaves behind.
- In version 3, open Settings > Backups and save a backup outside the app: Backup to Email, or Create Backup Now followed by Save a Copy… to Files or iCloud Drive. Version 4 lists only its own backups, so it needs this saved copy.
- In version 4, open Settings > Backups & Export > Restore from File…, pick the saved backup, and choose Restore Everything…. 2Do quits when the restore completes. Open it again and your data is there.
- Set up sync as in step 2 above. If 2Do asks how to handle the first sync, choose Merge. Merge keeps both sides and never deletes anything. At worst it keeps a duplicate of an item it could not match, which you can delete by hand.
To bring over only one or two lists, use Restore Selected in the backup browser instead. It adds the lists you pick under a group named Restored and leaves your existing data untouched. See Restore Selected.
Replace Local Data, Replace Server Data, or Merge?
2Do asks this the first time a device syncs with an account that already holds data. The alert is titled Sync Method.
- Replace Local Data: this device takes what is on the sync account. Choose this in version 4 when moving your tasks over.
- Replace Server Data: the sync account takes what is on this device. Choose this only on the device that holds the copy you want everywhere, for example after restoring a backup.
- Merge: keeps both sides and deletes nothing. Choose this when the device and the sync account both hold tasks you want to keep.
Never choose Replace Server Data from the new, empty app. It would wipe the copy on your sync account. Todoist does not offer it at all. After the first sync, the same choice is available any time under Settings > Sync > Next sync action. See Replace Server Data vs Replace Local Data.
Troubleshooting
Version 4 is empty after the first sync. Check that both apps use the same sync method and the same account, that you chose iCloud CalDAV rather than iCloud if version 3 used iCloud, and that version 3 finished its last sync. Then pull down on the task list in version 4 to sync again, or set Settings > Sync > Next sync action to Replace Local Data.
The Account Type menu is greyed out. It is locked while an account is connected. Tap Change Account (Unlink for Dropbox) to unlock it. This clears the device's sync history, not its tasks.
iCloud CalDAV rejects the password. It needs your Apple Account email and an app-specific password, not your Apple Account password.
Version 4 does not show version 3's backups. Version 4 lists only its own backups. Save a copy from version 3 first (Backup to Email or Save a Copy…), then open it in version 4 with Restore from File….
2Do quit after Restore Everything. That is expected. Open 2Do again and the restored data is there.
Some lists, Smart Lists or groups are missing. Your sync method does not carry them, or the list was excluded from sync in version 3. Bring them over with a backup, or with Restore Selected for a single list.
One device is still on version 3. That is fine. Version 3 and version 4 can share the same Dropbox, iCloud CalDAV, other CalDAV, Todoist or Toodledo account, so they keep syncing with each other. Only the new iCloud sync needs version 4 on every device.
2Do for Mac
2Do for Mac 2026.x is the new version of the Mac app, and 2.x is the old one. Unlike on iPhone and iPad, it installs over 2.x and keeps your data, so there is nothing to move. It is a paid upgrade, though: a license covers 2026.x only while it is still within its 18 months of updates, so an older license needs a renewal first. The Mac App Store edition is a subscription, and Setapp includes it. See how 2Do for Mac is licensed for details.
A Mac still on 2.x keeps syncing with version 4 through Dropbox, iCloud CalDAV, other CalDAV accounts, Todoist or Toodledo. The new iCloud sync needs 2Do 2026.x on macOS 14 or later.
Finally, delete version 3
Once version 4 is installed on each device and sync is set up, check that your data has transferred. Save a backup outside version 3 as well, because the backups stored inside it are deleted with it. Then delete version 3. There is no rush: it keeps working, but it no longer receives updates.
Version 4 is a separate app and a separate purchase. For why, see the new iPhone and iPad apps. If your question isn't answered here, please contact us.