Share Lists over iCloud
Share a list with other 2Do users so you can plan and complete work together. Keep a grocery list with your household, prepare a trip with friends, or work through a project checklist with a colleague. You can organize the list on your Mac while someone else adds details or completes tasks on an iPhone or iPad.
Changes pass through iCloud, so you do not need to be on the same network or keep the owner's Mac awake. You invite people to one list, not your whole collection of tasks. The person who shares it is its owner and controls who can edit 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 System Settings on a Mac, or the Settings app on iPhone or iPad. 2Do uses that device account for sharing; there is no separate iCloud sign-in inside 2Do.
Participating Macs require macOS 14 or later. iPhones and iPads require iOS 18 or iPadOS 18 or later; see their sharing guide.
2Do still supports macOS 13 for other features, but that version of macOS cannot participate in iCloud list sharing. Older 2Do versions, 2Do for Android, Apple's Reminders app, and web browsers cannot use these shared lists. Check the devices you need before moving an existing list into sharing.
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 remains available for people on the same local network.
Share an Existing List
- Right-click or Control-click the list name in the sidebar, then choose Share via iCloud….
- Read the confirmation and click Share. The list moves into Shared Lists and switches to iCloud sharing.
- In Apple's sharing screen, choose who to invite and whether they may edit or only view the list. Send the invitation using one of the offered options.
The shared list includes its tasks, projects, checklists, and sections. It stops syncing through its previous service; your other lists are unaffected. A list that previously appeared in another app through Dropbox, Todoist, or CalDAV will no longer be available there as an ordinary synced list.
Only regular lists can start iCloud sharing. Smart Lists, Focus Lists, the Inbox, and lists already shared over Wi-Fi do not offer this action. Put the work into a regular list first, or stop its Wi-Fi sharing.
Create a New Shared List
Choose Window > Sharing, select iCloud, then click New Shared List…. 2Do creates an empty list and opens Apple's invitation screen. When you close that screen, the new list is selected in the main window so you can rename it.
The Sharing window keeps both sharing methods in one place. Use iCloud for invitations and the lists you share with other people. Choose Wi-Fi LAN to find lists shared on your local network.
If you want the invitation to start with a particular name, create and name a regular list first, then use Share via iCloud…. Later renames are personal and do not rename other people's copies.
Closing the invitation screen without inviting anyone leaves the list in place. Right-click its name and choose Manage Sharing… when you are ready to invite people.
Accept an Invitation
Open the invitation on a supported Mac, iPhone, or iPad with 2Do installed, and follow Apple's prompts to accept it in 2Do. Sign in with the Apple Account the owner invited. The list appears in Shared Lists, marked as shared with you. Accepting the same invitation again reuses the existing copy.
Open 2Do on your other supported Apple devices using that same iCloud account to receive the list there too. Each device keeps its own name, color, and view settings for the list.
Work on the List Together
With editing permission, you can add, change, complete, and delete tasks. Those changes affect the shared work for everyone. The shared content includes:
- Task titles, task notes, attachments, completion, priorities, stars, 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.
- Section names, order, and task membership.
- Tag and location assignments, dragged task order, and project sorting.
For a trip, one person might arrange sections for bookings, packing, and places to visit while another adds reservation details. That organization is shared. You can still choose to view the list by due date or apply a Focus filter without changing someone else's view.
Task details can identify who added a task and who last edited it. They do not provide a complete edit history. When people change the same detail before syncing, one change may replace the other. Task-note edits can merge, but discussion is better kept in your usual messaging app than in simultaneous changes to the same sentence.
Downloaded content remains readable offline. With editing permission, you can make changes and send them when you reconnect. Open 2Do to receive updates; use the Sync toolbar button or ⌘S to request a sync. A push notification can bring changes in sooner, but delivery depends on the network and operating system. Do not rely on every update appearing immediately while an app is closed.
Keep Your Own View
These settings are personal. They are not sent to other people through list sharing:
| Your choice | What it affects |
|---|---|
| List name and color | The label and color on this Mac. The initial name comes from the shared list; later renaming is personal. |
| List group and sidebar position | Where this copy sits among your lists. |
| List sort and view options | Your selected sort field and direction, combined view, and completed-task display. |
| 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, without changing their shared dates. |
| Visibility and expansion | Whether the list is hidden or archived locally, and which projects are expanded. |
| Alerts and protection | Muting this list, snoozing an alert, and protecting your local copy with a password. |
| List notes | Notes about the list itself. Task notes are shared with everyone who has access. |
List settings belong to the local copy. Some app-wide preferences, including Show Paused and Show Scheduled, can sync between your own devices using your iCloud account. That is separate from sharing a list with another person.
Tag and location assignments are shared. Receiving a task does not change the paused state of an existing personal tag. Tags and locations may also sync through your own ordinary sync service.
For a quieter list, open 2Do > Settings > Alerts > Exclusions and turn the list off under List Alerts. This silences its alerts on this Mac without changing anyone else's reminders. Changing the reminder on the task itself is a shared edit. See Silencing Alerts for Specific Lists.
A local password protects access on this Mac; it does not hide shared tasks, task notes, or attachments from invited members. Use an unshared list for private tasks, and keep personal list notes separate from the task notes others can read.
Choose the Right Time for Everyone
Floating time is the default. A task set for 9:00 AM keeps that local clock time when you travel. Two people in different time zones both see 9:00 AM, even though their 9:00 AM happens at different moments. This is useful for a routine tied to the local time of day.
Use Fixed Time Zone for a shared deadline or online meeting that must happen at the same moment. A task fixed at 5:00 PM in Dubai appears at 1:00 PM in London in January. Each person sees the deadline in their own local time.
| What you need | Which to use |
|---|---|
| A grocery or packing list with no precise deadline | No time, or a date without a time. |
| A routine you want at 9:00 AM wherever you are | Leave Fixed Time Zone off. |
| One submission deadline for people in several countries | Turn Fixed Time Zone on. |
Open the task editor, add a start time, due time, or timed alarm, and turn on Fixed Time Zone. The control appears automatically for a timed task in an iCloud shared list. You do not need to turn on the general Time Zone Support preference to use it there.
This choice applies to the task's timed start, due time, and timed alarms together. It is part of the shared task, so changing it affects everyone. Date-only values remain calendar dates. Completing a shared repeating task also completes it for the other members; floating time does not give each member a separate occurrence to complete.
Turning fixed time on uses the Mac's current time zone, with no separate zone picker. Turning it off keeps the dates and times currently displayed on this Mac. Check those values before changing a shared task's mode. See Floating and Fixed Time for travel, editing, and daylight-saving examples.
Manage People and Permissions
Right-click a list you own and choose Manage Sharing… to open Apple's participant screen. Invite another person, change someone to editing or view-only access, or remove them. You can also choose Window > Sharing, select iCloud, and use Manage Sharing beside your list under Shared by Me.
Editing permission includes changing and deleting shared task content. View-only members can read the list and customize their personal view, but cannot complete, reorder, or edit its tasks. Permission changes take effect on another device when it receives the update. Once access becomes view-only, pending edits cannot continue to be sent.
2Do offers private invitations, not a public list anyone with a link can join. Removing a person stops their access to future updates; it cannot erase information they have already seen or copied.
Leave a List or Stop Sharing
For a list someone else owns, right-click its name and choose Leave List…, then confirm. Your local list and its tasks are removed, and you leave the share. The owner's list and the other members are unaffected.
If the owner removes you or stops sharing, the last downloaded copy stays readable with a No longer shared mark. It is read-only and receives no further updates. Choose Remove List… to remove this local copy. Accepting a new invitation from the owner can restore access to a retained copy.
For a list you own, right-click its name and choose Stop Sharing…:
- Keep List returns this copy to an ordinary, editable list. It can use your normal sync service again.
- Delete List removes your list and ends sharing.
- Cancel leaves sharing unchanged.
If you have already stopped the share in Apple's participant screen, 2Do still asks whether to keep or delete the local list. Cancel is no longer available because sharing has ended. If the originating window closes before you choose, 2Do keeps the local list. Other members keep a read-only copy until they remove it themselves.
Sharing and Your Sync Service
iCloud shared lists, including the owner's copy, are separate from your ordinary sync account. They do not pass through Dropbox, Todoist, Apple Reminders, or CalDAV. You cannot use sync exclusions to stop a shared list from syncing while keeping it shared.
Your ordinary service's Replace Local Data action preserves shared lists and their personal settings. Reset Database deliberately removes the local database, including personal settings and unsent edits. It is not a routine refresh for sharing.
The owner can choose Window > Sharing, select iCloud, and click Replace Contents beside a list. This makes this Mac's copy replace the shared contents for everyone. Use it only when that is the result you want. To receive other people's latest work, use an ordinary sync instead.
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:
- Right-click the list you own in the sidebar and choose Manage Sharing…. You can also open Window > Sharing, select iCloud, and click Manage Sharing beside the list under Shared by Me.
- Choose Copy Link in Apple's sharing screen and send the link to the invited person in a message or email.
- Ask them to 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 sync. Make sure each person is signed in with the Apple Account used for the invitation and still has access. Changing Apple Accounts does not transfer a share to the new account.
For a failed invitation, read the error, check the account and connection, and try the invitation again. If the invitation is no longer valid, ask the owner to send a new one from Manage Sharing….
Interrupted work can continue on a later sync. If iCloud storage is full, make space and retry. Content that exceeds the service's size limit may stay in your local copy without reaching other people; reduce the affected task or attachment and edit it again. Check the receiving device before treating the update as delivered.
If the list appears different but its content is up to date, compare personal sort, Focus, Show Paused, and Show Scheduled settings. If a deadline shows a different clock time, check its time-zone choice.