Things 3.24.1 — macOS

If you already use Apple Reminders for quick lists, Things is the next step when those lists start needing structure. It keeps the same lightweight feel but adds projects with subtasks, deadlines, reminders, and notes attached to each item. The Mac version runs separately from the iPhone and iPad editions, though Things Cloud keeps everything in sync across devices.

See your calendar and tasks in one list

Things sits alongside the tools you already have. It can show calendar events and tasks together in one list, so you are not flipping between apps. Handoff moves a task from your Mac to your phone without thinking about it. The 3.24 release added better snooze options and an extra-tall widget, and the full Spotlight integration means you can find or add a task without opening the app. Siri AI support on OS 27 is also there if you use it.

Organizing work the way you think

The app is built around Inbox, Today, Upcoming, and Areas. You dump ideas into the Inbox, sort them later, and let deadlines and reminders handle the rest. Projects hold larger goals, and each task can carry notes and subtasks. It works on both Intel and Apple Silicon Macs running macOS 10.15 or later, and it requires a free Things Cloud account for sync. Interface languages cover English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese, Russian, and both Chinese variants.

Completed tasks vanish from Today on purpose

A few things trip people up early with Things. None of them are serious, but knowing them saves you a couple of minutes of head-scratching.

• Tasks disappear from Today after you finish them. That is by design. Completed tasks move to the Logbook, which you can view from the sidebar. If you want to see what you wrapped up yesterday, open the Logbook.
• Sync seems slow or inconsistent. Things Cloud syncs in the background, but it is not instant on a spotty connection. Make sure your Mac is online and the Things Cloud account is set up in Preferences. If tasks from your iPhone are not showing up on the Mac, check that both devices are using the same account.
• A tag does not appear in the filter list. Tags only show up if at least one task uses them. Create a task, apply the tag, then it will appear in the tag filter. Empty tags are hidden.
• Repeating tasks do not repeat as expected. Repeating tasks in Things are tied to the completion date, not a fixed calendar date unless you set them that way. If you finish a weekly task on Tuesday, the next one appears on the following Tuesday. That catches people who expect a strict Monday repeat.

Type everything into the Inbox first

The most common mistake is treating Things like a plain to-do list and ignoring the Inbox. People type a task directly into Today or a project, and then they have to decide its date and place on the spot. The Inbox exists so you can capture a thought quickly and sort it later. Use the quick entry shortcut from any app, dump it in the Inbox, and process it when you have time.

Another one is over-tagging. New users sometimes create a tag for every possible context — @work, @home, @errands, @phone, @email, @low-priority. You end up with a long tag list that is harder to scan than useful. Start with three or four tags that match how you actually filter tasks. You can always add more later.

Beginners also forget that deadlines and reminders are separate in Things. A deadline is the date something is due. A reminder is when you want to be notified. You can set a reminder a week before a deadline, or you can set no reminder and just rely on the Upcoming view. Mixing them up leads to alerts arriving at odd times.

Plan a home office reorganization from start to finish

Say you are planning a home office reorganization. Here is how you would run it in Things from start to finish.

1. Press the quick entry shortcut from any app (set in Preferences) and type "reorganize home office". Leave it in the Inbox.
2. Open Things, go to the Inbox, and turn that item into a project. Give it a deadline date and a reminder for two weeks before.
3. Add tasks inside the project: "measure desk", "order shelving", "sort cables", "donate old gear". Each one can have its own notes, subtasks, and tags.
4. Set a tag like @home or @errands on the relevant tasks. You can filter the whole project by tag later.
5. For tasks with a specific date — "order shelving" might need to happen on a weekend — drag it to the Upcoming view and set the date there. Things keeps it inside the project but shows it on your calendar.
6. Use the Today view each morning to see what is due. Check off tasks as you finish them. The project automatically tracks progress.

If you need to add something mid-project, use the quick entry again and move it into the project later. The structure stays clean without forcing you to open the app every time.

Between Apple Reminders and OmniFocus in complexity

Things sits between Apple Reminders and OmniFocus in terms of complexity. Apple Reminders handles simple lists and location-based alerts, but it does not support projects with subtasks and deadlines in the same structured way. If you only need a grocery list, Reminders is fine. If you need to manage a project with dependencies and notes, Things is a better fit.

OmniFocus is more powerful for people who need a full project management system. It supports custom perspectives, nested projects, and detailed review cycles. The trade-off is a steeper learning curve. Things gives you most of that capability — projects, tags, deadlines — without the overhead. It is easier to pick up and use daily.

Todoist sits in a similar spot to Things. It has projects, labels, and reminders, and it works across more platforms. Things feels more polished on the Mac, especially with the quick entry and Spotlight integration. Todoist relies on natural language parsing for dates, which some people prefer. Things uses a more manual date picker, but it also has a clean separation between deadlines and reminders that Todoist does not emphasize as clearly.

• Full integration with Spotlight for searching and adding tasks.
• Support for the new Siri AI on OS 27.
• Better snooze options.
• A new extra-tall widget.

• macOS 10.15 or later
• Intel or Apple Silicon
• Requires a free Things Cloud account for sync