Share Lists over iCloud
Share a list with other 2Do users so you can add tasks, make plans, and keep track of what is done together. A household can keep one grocery list; friends can plan a trip with sections for bookings and packing; colleagues can work through a project checklist. Changes reach the other people through iCloud, even when you are on different networks.
You invite people to a particular list. They do not gain access to your other lists, and you each keep your own Apple Account. The person who shares the list is its owner and decides who may edit it or only view it.
Before You Start
Everyone needs a version of 2Do that includes iCloud list sharing. Each person must be signed in to iCloud on their device with their own Apple Account, using Apple's Settings app on iPhone or iPad, or System Settings on a Mac. 2Do uses that device account for sharing; there is no separate iCloud sign-in inside 2Do.
Supported devices are iPhones and iPads running iOS 18 or iPadOS 18 or later, and Macs running macOS 14 or later. See the Mac guide for its steps.
This form of sharing is for 2Do on those Apple devices. The shared list is not available through 2Do for Android, Apple's Reminders app, or a web browser. macOS 13 and older 2Do versions cannot participate. Check the devices you need before sharing a list that currently syncs to them.
You do not need to select iCloud in 2Do's Sync settings. List sharing works independently of that choice: your other lists can use Dropbox, Todoist, another service, or no sync service at all. Wi-Fi sharing is a separate option for people on the same local network.
Share an Existing List
- In the lists panel, touch and hold the list name you want to share.
- Tap Share via iCloud….
- Read the confirmation, then tap Share. The list moves into Shared Lists and uses iCloud sharing from now on.
- In Apple's sharing screen, choose the people to invite and whether they may make changes or only view the list. Use one of the offered options to send the invitation.
The list's tasks, projects, checklists, and sections become shared. It stops syncing through its previous service, so it will no longer appear there as an ordinary synced list. Your other lists keep using that service.
You can also open the list's Edit screen and use the action under Sharing.
Only regular lists can start iCloud sharing. The Inbox, Smart Lists, Focus Lists, and lists already shared over Wi-Fi cannot be shared this way. Move the work you want to share into a regular list first, or stop its Wi-Fi sharing.
Create a New Shared List
- Open Settings > Sharing and tap New Shared List….
- Enter the list's Name, choose its Color, and leave Share via iCloud on.
- Tap Add, then invite people from Apple's sharing screen.
You can also turn on Share via iCloud while creating a list from the lists panel. If you close the invitation screen without sending an invitation, the new list remains. Use Manage Sharing… when you are ready to invite someone.
Accept an Invitation
Open the invitation on an iPhone, iPad, or Mac with a supported version of 2Do installed, and follow Apple's prompts to accept it in 2Do. Use the Apple Account the owner invited. The list appears in Shared Lists, with a mark showing that someone shared it with you. Accepting the same invitation again does not create another copy.
Open 2Do on your other supported Apple devices signed in to the same iCloud account to receive the list there too. Each device can have its own list name, color, and view settings.
Work on the List Together
People with editing permission work with the list much like any other list. Adding, changing, completing, or deleting a task changes the shared work for everyone. The list includes:
- Task titles, task notes, attachments, priorities, stars, completion, and task actions such as opening a link.
- Start and due dates, times, durations, time-zone choices, repeats, and task reminders.
- Projects, checklists, and their sub-tasks.
- Sections, their names and order, and the tasks in each section.
- Tag and location assignments, dragged task order, and project sorting.
For example, one person can organize a trip list into sections while another adds booking details to the tasks. Both see that organization. If you simply prefer to view the list by due date, change your list's sort instead of dragging tasks into a new shared order.
Task details can show who added a task and who last edited it. This helps you identify a recent change; it is not a full history of every edit. If people change the same detail before syncing, one change may replace the other. Changes to task notes can merge, but avoid using simultaneous edits to the same sentence as a conversation. Put discussion in your usual messaging app.
You can read the downloaded list offline and, with editing permission, make changes for later sync. Open 2Do when you are online again to send and receive updates. Pull down on the task list to request a sync. Background updates depend on the device, network, and iOS, so do not assume every change appears immediately on a closed app.
Keep Your Own View
Sharing the work does not require everyone to organize their screen the same way. These choices are personal and are not sent to the other people sharing the list:
| Your choice | What it affects |
|---|---|
| List name and color | How this copy appears to you. The initial name comes from the shared list; later renaming is personal. |
| Group and sidebar position | Where you keep the list on this device. |
| List sort and view options | Your chosen sort field and direction, combined view, and display of completed tasks. |
| Focus | Your Focus filter, inclusion in All, Today, and Done, and personal task ordering inside Focus Lists. |
| Show Paused and Show Scheduled | Which tasks your views show. These do not change a task's shared start date or due date. |
| Visibility and expansion | Whether you hide or archive the list locally, and which projects you expand. |
| Alerts and protection | Whether you mute this list, snooze an alert, or protect your local copy with a passcode. |
| List notes | Notes about the list itself. Notes inside a task are shared. |
List settings belong to each device's copy. Some app-wide preferences, including Show Paused and Show Scheduled, can also sync between your own devices through your iCloud account. They never change another member's preferences through list sharing.
Tags and locations assigned to tasks are shared. Your existing tag's paused state remains personal; receiving a task with that tag does not change it. Tags and locations may also sync through your own ordinary sync service.
To silence this list's reminders on this device, open Settings > Alerts & Badge > Exclusions > List Alerts and turn the list off. Editing a reminder on the task itself changes the shared reminder instead. See Alerts and Nagging.
A local passcode protects access on your device. It does not hide shared tasks, task notes, or attachments from invited members, including people with view-only permission. Keep private material in an unshared list or in your personal list notes.
Choose the Right Time for Everyone
Tasks use floating time by default. A task set for 9:00 AM stays at 9:00 AM on the local clock, including after travel. People in different time zones see the same clock time, which may represent different moments. This suits a daily routine you want to do at a local time.
Turn on Fixed Time Zone when a shared time should mean the same moment for everyone, such as a submission deadline or an online meeting. A deadline fixed at 5:00 PM in Dubai appears at 1:00 PM in London in January. The different displayed times refer to the same deadline.
| What you are planning | Which to use |
|---|---|
| A grocery list with no time-sensitive deadline | Leave times off, or use a date without a time. |
| A reminder you want at 9:00 AM wherever you are | Leave Fixed Time Zone off. |
| A shared deadline that everyone must meet at the same moment | Turn Fixed Time Zone on. |
Open the task's start or due date panel, set a time, and turn on Fixed Time Zone. The switch is also available in the alerts panel when the task has a timed alert. It is offered automatically for timed tasks in an iCloud shared list; you do not need to enable the general Time Zone Support preference first.
This is one setting for the task's start time, due time, and timed alerts. Changing it is a shared edit, not a personal display choice. A date without a time remains a calendar date. Completing a shared repeating task is also shared; floating time does not create a separate routine or completion record for each person.
The switch uses your device's current time zone when you turn it on. There is no separate zone picker. Turning it off keeps the dates and clock times currently displayed on your device, so check those values before changing the mode of a shared task. For travel, daylight saving, and editing examples, see Floating and Fixed Time.
Manage People and Permissions
As the owner, touch and hold the list name and choose Manage Sharing…. You can also open Settings > Sharing, tap the list under Shared by Me, and choose Manage Sharing…. Apple's sharing screen lets you invite people, change their access, or remove them.
Editing permission includes changing and deleting shared task content. View-only permission lets someone read the list and personalize their local view, but not complete, reorder, or edit its tasks. When permissions change, the other person's app must receive that update. After access becomes view-only, their pending edits cannot continue to be sent.
Invitations are private to the people you invite; 2Do does not offer a public list that anyone with a link can join. Removing someone stops their access to future shared updates. It does not erase information they have already read or copied.
Leave a List or Stop Sharing
If someone else owns the list, touch and hold its name and choose Leave List…, then confirm. This removes the list and its tasks from your device and leaves the share. It does not delete the owner's list or stop sharing for the other people.
If the owner removes you or stops sharing, 2Do keeps your last downloaded copy as No longer shared. You can read it, but it no longer receives updates and cannot be edited. Choose Remove List… to delete that local copy. If the owner invites you again, accepting can restore access to the retained list.
If you own the list, choose Stop Sharing… from its touch-and-hold menu, then choose:
- Keep List to keep an editable, ordinary list on this device. It can use your normal sync service again.
- Delete List to remove your list and end sharing.
- Cancel to leave sharing as it is.
Once you have already stopped sharing in Apple's participant screen, the remaining choice is Keep List or Delete List; Cancel cannot restore the share. If that screen's window closes before you choose, 2Do keeps the local list. Other members retain a read-only copy until they remove it themselves.
Sharing and Your Sync Service
Both the owner's copy and received copies use iCloud sharing separately from ordinary sync. They are not exported to Dropbox, Todoist, Reminders, or another configured service. You cannot turn off syncing for a shared list with Exclude From Sync while keeping it shared.
Replace Local Data for your ordinary sync service preserves iCloud shared lists and their personal settings. Reset Database is different: it discards the local database, including personal settings and changes that have not yet been sent. Do not use it as a routine way to refresh a shared list.
The owner also has Replace Contents… under Settings > Sharing > Shared by Me after tapping a list. This replaces the shared contents with this device's copy, affecting everyone. Use it only when you deliberately want that copy to replace the shared work, not when you simply want to receive newer changes.
If Something Does Not Update
If an invitation does not arrive
Apple handles iCloud invitations, and an invitation email may not reach the recipient. 2Do does not show pending invitations inside the app. If someone has not received yours, send the link manually:
- Open Settings > Sharing and tap the list under Shared by Me.
- Choose Manage Sharing…, then Copy Link in Apple's sharing screen.
- Send the link to the invited person in a message or email. They should open it on a supported device with 2Do installed and accept using the Apple Account you invited.
Copying the link does not make the list public or give access to someone you have not invited. If the person is not listed in Manage Sharing…, invite them there first.
If a shared list does not update
Open 2Do on both devices, check the internet connection, and request a sync. Confirm that each person is signed in to the Apple Account used for the invitation and still has access to the list. Signing into a different account does not transfer the old account's membership.
If an invitation fails, read the message, check the account and connection, then open the invitation again. If it is no longer valid, ask the owner to invite you again through Manage Sharing….
An interrupted sync can resume when the connection returns. If 2Do reports full iCloud storage, make space before trying again. A task or attachment that exceeds the service's size limit may remain only in your local copy; reduce the affected content and edit it again before checking the other device. Seeing a local item does not by itself confirm that others received it.
For a list that looks different without missing changes, compare the personal sort, Focus, Show Paused, and Show Scheduled settings first. For a time that looks different, check whether it is fixed or floating.