Share Lists over Wi-Fi

2Do can share a list directly between copies of the app on the same local network: no cloud service, no separate account. One person publishes a list; anyone else running 2Do on the same Wi-Fi or wired network can discover it, subscribe, and, when the publisher allows it, edit tasks, with changes syncing back and forth. A single published list can be shared with several people at once.

iPhone and iPad support is on the way

For now, publishing and subscribing happen between Macs on your network. The iPhone and iPad interface is still in development; the underlying engine is built to work across all your 2Do devices once it ships.

This is a peer-to-peer feature for people on the same network. It is not a replacement for Sync, which keeps your own devices in step through a service like Dropbox.

How It Works

Sharing has two roles:

• Publisher — the Mac that owns the list and shares it out. It stays the source of truth for that list.
• Subscriber — anyone who finds the shared list on the network and pulls down a live copy of it.

When you subscribe, 2Do imports the list as a normal local list on your Mac (a "mirror") and keeps it up to date with the publisher's copy. If the publisher shares the list read-write, your edits are sent back and merged into their copy too.

Notes merge, like Google Docs

If two people edit the same task's notes at once, 2Do combines both sets of changes automatically, so nobody's writing is lost.

Requirements

• macOS 13 (Ventura) or later on both the publishing and subscribing Macs. Older versions can't publish or subscribe.
• Both Macs must be on the same Wi-Fi or local network.
• Local Network permission. The first time you use sharing, macOS asks whether 2Do may access devices on your local network ("2Do uses the local network to discover and share task lists with nearby 2Do users."). Allow it; discovery and syncing won't work otherwise. You can review this later in System Settings > Privacy & Security > Local Network.
• The publisher's Mac must stay awake and on the network while sharing. Subscribers only receive live changes while the publishing Mac is reachable.

Publish a List

1. Right-click (or Control-click) the list in the source list and choose Publish List to LAN….
2. In the Publish to your local network sheet, set:
   • Shared name — the name nearby users will see. It defaults to the list's name. Changing it here does not rename your local list.
   • Access — leave Read-only off to let subscribers edit the list, with their changes syncing back to you. Turn Read-only on to give subscribers a live, view-only copy that they can't change. (If the list you're sharing isn't editable to begin with, Access is locked to read-only.)
   • Require a passcode — on by default. 2Do generates a 6-digit code shown as 123-456, with buttons to copy it or generate a new one. Turn this off only if you're happy for anyone on the network to subscribe without a code. (Generating a new code while people have recently connected asks you to confirm first, since it locks out anyone still using the old one.)
3. Click Publish.
4. The sheet switches to its live state, "Sharing on your local network", and shows a Recently Connected Subscribers section covering roughly the past week. Click Done.

The list now shows a Published on LAN Wi-Fi badge in your source list. Share the passcode (if you set one) with the people you want to subscribe.

Publishing a protected list exposes its tasks

If the list is password-protected (or the app is locked with Lock Everything), 2Do asks you to confirm Publish this protected list? first. Publishing bypasses that local lock: subscribers can read (and, if read-write, edit) the tasks inside without your app password. Only publish protected lists to people you trust, and prefer keeping the passcode requirement on.

You can't publish every kind of list

Smart Lists, Focus Lists, the Inbox, and lists you've subscribed to from someone else can't be published; only regular lists can. The Publish List to LAN… item won't appear for those.

Discover Shared Lists

To find what others are sharing, choose Window > Browse LAN Sharing. This opens a window titled Shared Lists:

• The left sidebar lists nearby Macs, each with an online/offline indicator. Your own Mac isn't shown.
• Select a Mac to see the lists it's sharing on the right. Each row shows whether the list is read-only and whether it requires a passcode.
• Use the refresh button at the bottom of the sidebar to re-scan the network.

Discovery runs while this window is open, so leave it open while you look for a list to subscribe to.

Subscribe to a List

1. In the Shared Lists window, click Subscribe next to the list you want. (The button is disabled while that Mac is offline.)
2. If the list is passcode-protected, 2Do prompts Enter passcode. Type the 6-digit code the publisher gave you. A wrong code shows "That code didn't match. Try again."
3. 2Do downloads the list and adds it to your source list as a normal local list, marked Subscribed from LAN.

You can rename the subscribed list or move it into a List Group locally; those tweaks don't affect the publisher's copy.

Too many alarms from a shared list?

Alerts set on a shared list's tasks fire on your Mac too. To keep the list but silence its alarms, turn the list off under 2Do > Settings > Alerts > Lists; see Silencing Alerts for Specific Lists.

Stop Sharing or Unsubscribe

If you're the publisher and want to stop sharing:

1. Right-click the published list and reopen the sheet; the menu item now reads Published on LAN….
2. Click the red Stop Sharing button and confirm Stop sharing this list?.

Sharing stops immediately, the passcode is cleared, and your subscribers will no longer receive updates.

If you're a subscriber and want to leave a shared list, do either of the following:

• In the Shared Lists window, click Unsubscribe on that list's row, or
• Right-click the mirrored list in your source list and choose Unsubscribe List….

Unsubscribing deletes the local list and its tasks

Unsubscribing removes the subscribed list, and all of the tasks in it, from your Mac. The publisher's copy and everyone else's subscription are unaffected, but there's no local copy left behind on your side. (2Do won't let you unsubscribe if it would leave you with no regular lists at all.)

Good to Know

• Everything in the task travels — fields, sub-tasks, and attachments, not just titles.
• Simultaneous edits sort themselves out. If two people change the same thing at once, the newer change wins, and notes merge rather than fight. For a list shared among a few people, it stays simple and predictable.
• Sharing and account sync work together. You can publish a list that already syncs with your sync account (Dropbox, CalDAV, and so on). Edits subscribers send back land in your list like any other change, and carry on to your other devices from there.
• A subscribed copy stays on this Mac. It's a mirror of someone else's list, so it never syncs to your own account; it's kept in step directly with the publisher instead.
• Switching a list to read-only drops subscribers' unsent edits. Any changes they hadn't synced back yet are discarded, and their copies become view-only.
• When the publisher goes offline, your copy stays readable from the last sync, with an amber banner letting you know. Changes resume on their own once the publishing Mac is back.

Security & Privacy

For trusted networks only: traffic isn't encrypted

LAN sharing is meant for networks you trust, such as a home or small-office Wi-Fi. Shared task data is not encrypted as it travels across the network. The optional 6-digit passcode is the only gate: with it off, anyone running 2Do on the same network can subscribe and read (or, if read-write, edit) the list. Don't publish sensitive lists on public or untrusted networks.

• Changing the passcode disconnects current subscribers. If you regenerate the code on a published list, the old one stops working right away and existing subscribers have to re-enter the new code to keep syncing.
• No approval step. There's no per-person "accept" prompt; the passcode is the whole access control. Leave it on unless you truly want the list open to everyone on the network.

If a passcode-protected list stops appearing

In rare cases, for example after restoring 2Do from a backup, the saved passcode may not load. When that happens 2Do keeps the list unadvertised rather than sharing it without protection. Reopen the publish sheet and generate a new passcode to start sharing it again.

Tips

Keep the publisher awake

If you're the one sharing, adjust your energy settings (or keep the app frontmost) so your Mac doesn't sleep during a working session.

A quick way to hand off a list

LAN sharing is handy for a one-off handoff: publish a list read-write, let a colleague on the same network subscribe and add their tasks, then Stop Sharing when you're done. The tasks they added remain in your original list.