How to Migrate from Things 3 to Apple Reminders
Migrating from Things 3 to Apple Reminders uses scripted export, list-per-area rebuild, and tag mapping since Apple Reminders has no native equivalent for Areas or Headings.
So you are leaving Things 3. There are usually two reasons: you want to stop paying $50 per platform (Mac + iPhone + iPad = $150), or you have moved into the Apple Intelligence world and want a task system that talks to Mail, Notes, and Siri natively. Both are valid. The migration itself is awkward, because Things 3's data model has concepts (Areas, Headings, Today separation) that Apple Reminders genuinely does not have. You cannot do a clean 1:1 import. You have to translate.
I migrated my own Things database in March 2026, after about three years on Things. About 200 active tasks, 12 projects, 4 areas. Took me a focused 90 minutes plus a few weeks of catching tags I had missed. Below is the path that worked.
What you'll achieve
By the end of this guide, your Things 3 projects, tasks, deadlines, tags, and notes will live inside Apple Reminders, organized in a way that maps the Things mental model onto Apple's lists-and-tags model without losing structure.
What you'll need
- Things 3 with current data on Mac.
- Apple Reminders set up on the same Mac with iCloud sync working.
- AppleScript support enabled (Things 3 ships with this).
- About 90 minutes of focused time.
- Optional: Ultra Reminders if you want true natural language input and multi-level subtasks during the rebuild.
Step 1: Decide your Areas-to-Lists mapping
This is the only real planning step. Things 3 has Areas (top-level life buckets like Work, Personal, Side Project) and Projects inside Areas. Apple Reminders has Folders and Lists. Folders are the closest equivalent to Areas, but they are visual-only, they do not carry data.
Two approaches:
Approach A: One folder per Area, one list per Project. Cleaner mirror. Sidebar gets long. Best if you have under 5 Areas.
Approach B: One list per Area, sections inside the list per Project. Flatter sidebar. Loses the "click into a project" feel. Best if you have many small projects per area.
Most migrations work better with Approach A. We tested both. Folders nest properly in macOS Reminders since iOS 17. Use them.
"I tried to flatten my Things areas into lists. Lost the visual separation immediately. Switched to folders, much better. Wish I had done that first."
- paraphrased from r/AppleHelp, January 2026
Step 2: Export Things 3 data via AppleScript
Things 3 has no built-in export to a Reminders-compatible format. The community has solved this with AppleScript. Open Script Editor on Mac, paste a Things-to-Reminders export script (the popular ones live on GitHub, search "Things 3 to Reminders AppleScript"). The script reads each Things task, its project, its area, deadline, and tags, then creates the corresponding Apple Reminders task.
Run the script with Things 3 closed if possible (some scripts work better when the database is not actively being written to).
Honestly, the scripts vary in quality. Some skip tags. Some lose deadlines. Some only handle one Area at a time. Read the README carefully. The one I used in March 2026 handled tags but lost the "When" field (Today, Anytime, Someday). I had to set those by hand. Fair warning.
Step 3: Map tags from Things to Reminders hashtags
Things tags are first-class objects. Apple Reminders tags are hashtag syntax inside the title or notes. The migration script should convert Things tag "@email" to Reminders hashtag #email automatically. If yours does not, do this by hand.
While you are at it, consolidate. Most people have 30+ tags in Things and only really use 8. Now is the moment to retire the 22 that never got used. Read How to Use Tags in Apple Reminders (Complete System) for a real tag taxonomy you can borrow.
Step 4: Rebuild Headings as sections
Things 3 has Headings (text dividers inside a project) that Apple Reminders does not have an equivalent for. The closest match is Sections inside a list.
For each project that used Headings:
- Create the corresponding Apple Reminders list.
- For each Heading, create a Section with the same name.
- Drag the relevant tasks under each section.
This is manual. There is no script. Plan on 5 minutes per complex project. Simple projects with no headings need nothing here.
Step 5: Translate Today and Evening into smart lists
Things 3's Today view and Evening tag are central to its workflow. Apple Reminders has its own Today view that shows everything due today across all lists, but it does not have an Evening concept.
Recreate them as smart lists:
- Today: smart list filter "Due Date is Today".
- Evening: smart list filter "Tag is #evening". Tag your evening tasks during creation.
- Anytime: smart list filter "Due Date is None AND Tag is not #someday".
- Someday: smart list filter "Tag is #someday".
This recreates the Things mental model inside Apple's structure. Read How to Set Up Smart Lists in Apple Reminders for the full smart list recipe library.
Step 6: Set up the Inbox
Things 3 has a dedicated Inbox. Apple Reminders has a "Reminders" default list that functions similarly. Rename it to "Inbox" or pin it to the top of the sidebar. This is where new captures land before being triaged into projects.
If you want a more disciplined GTD flow, read The 2026 GTD Setup with Apple Reminders for the full inbox-to-project pipeline.
Step 7: Verify deadlines and reminders carried over
Open each major project. Check that:
- Tasks with Things deadlines have Apple Reminders due dates.
- Tasks with Things reminders have Apple Reminders alerts.
- Subtasks (which Things calls Checklists) carried over as Apple Reminders subtasks.
Things has 1-level subtasks just like Apple Reminders, so the migration is clean here. If you used Things' "Checklist" feature, those become Reminders subtasks via most scripts.
Step 8: Decide what to do with Things' "Logbook"
Things 3 keeps every completed task in the Logbook forever. Apple Reminders keeps completed tasks in the Completed view per list. Migrating completed tasks is mostly pointless. Skip them. If you really want the audit trail, export Things' Logbook as a separate plain-text file and archive it somewhere.
Step 9: Cancel Things and uninstall
Once you have used Apple Reminders for two weeks and not missed Things, uninstall Things from all platforms. The recurring revenue stops with the uninstall (well, Things is one-time pricing, so technically you just stop using what you paid for, but the dock icon is gone).
If you want a comparison of what you actually gained and lost in the move, Apple Reminders vs Things 3 in 2026 is the side-by-side. Some people regret the move within a month and switch back, that is also fine. Things' design is genuinely lovely.
"Migrated to Reminders six months ago. Don't miss Things. Miss the typography. Don't miss the price."
- paraphrased from r/macapps, February 2026
If you are also considering coming from Todoist instead of Things, How to Migrate from Todoist to Apple Reminders walks through the parallel path with different gotchas.
Common pitfalls
- Trying to recreate Things' Today/Evening separation 1:1. Apple Reminders does not have native Evening. Use a smart list with a tag.
- Skipping the tag consolidation step. You bring 40 tags over, you carry the same mess.
- Not changing the default list to "Inbox". Captures land in Reminders by default and you lose the inbox discipline.
- Forgetting that Apple Reminders subtasks do not respect parent recurrence. If you had recurring projects with checklist items in Things, the checklist will reset only once. Use Apple Reminders templates instead.
- Migrating completed tasks. Pointless. Skip the Logbook.
Verification
Two weeks after migration, run this check:
- Can you find any task you remember from Things in less than 10 seconds in Apple Reminders? If not, your tag taxonomy or list structure is wrong.
- Is your "Today" smart list useful in the morning? If it is empty when it should not be, your due dates did not migrate or your filter is wrong.
- Did any project lose its sub-structure? Compare against a Things screenshot from before the migration.
If you discover Apple Reminders is genuinely missing what you needed from Things (multi-level nesting, stronger natural language, deeper recurring rules), that is when adding Ultra Reminders on top earns its $35. It enriches Apple Reminders rather than replacing it, which means your iPhone and Watch still get all the alerts via iCloud. The hub guide The Definitive Guide to Apple Reminders in 2026 has more on the layered approach.
FAQ
Q: Will my Things 3 data convert automatically to Apple Reminders?
A: Not natively. Apple does not provide an importer. Community AppleScripts handle most of the work but you will manually rebuild Areas as folders, Headings as sections, and the Today/Evening views as smart lists.
Q: Can I keep using Things alongside Apple Reminders during the migration?
A: Yes. Most people run both for 2-4 weeks. Add new tasks to Reminders, keep referring to Things for old tasks until they are completed or migrated.
Q: Do I lose my recurring tasks when I move from Things?
A: The recurrence rule itself usually transfers, but Apple Reminders' recurring options are slightly different. "Every other Tuesday" works in Things but not natively in Reminders. You may need a workaround for unusual patterns.
Q: What about Things' "When" feature for Today, Tomorrow, Evening, Anytime, Someday?
A: Apple Reminders has Today natively. Tomorrow becomes a date. Evening, Anytime, and Someday become tag-based smart lists. The mental model stays, the implementation is different.
Q: Is it worth migrating away from Things 3 in 2026?
A: Depends on cost and ecosystem fit. Things is excellent design at a steep multi-platform cost. Apple Reminders is good enough for most workflows and free. If you have used Things for years and it works, do not migrate just because. If price or AI features are pulling you, the migration is worth the awkward weekend.
Ultra Reminders solves leaving Things 3 without rebuilding three years of structure. Free 14-day trial at ultrareminders.com.