Welcome to the Free Todo List FAQ! Here you'll find answers to common questions about our features and how to use them effectively.
No! You can create lists and manage tasks immediately without registration. However, registering gives you additional benefits like:
Click the "New List" button in the navigation bar. Enter a name for your list and optionally a description, then click "Create List". You'll be redirected to your new list where you can start adding items.
On your list page, enter text in the "Add an item..." field at the top and press Enter. The item will be added to your list immediately.
Yes! Click the "Bulk add todos" link below the input field to access the bulk add feature. You can paste in multiple lines of text, with each line becoming a separate item in your list. Empty lines are automatically ignored.
This is great for quickly creating lists from emails, documents, or notes. Items are added in the same order they appear in your text, and you can add dozens or even hundreds of items at once. Read our blog post for more tips on using this feature effectively.
Click the checkbox next to any item to mark it as complete. Completed items will have a line through them and their checkbox will be filled. Click again to mark an item as incomplete.
You have multiple options for organizing your items:
Hover over the item and click the trash icon that appears on the right side. The item will be permanently deleted.
Click the calendar icon next to an item to open the date selector. Choose a date from the calendar, and click "Set Due Date". Items with due dates will display the date next to them. You can click the date to change or remove it.
Items with due dates will appear in the Calendar View, allowing you to visualize all your upcoming tasks in a monthly layout. They can also be synced to external calendar apps using our Calendar Feeds feature.
You can sort your list in various ways using the Sort dropdown menu at the top of your list:
Each sort type offers explicit ascending and descending options. The current sort method is always displayed on the sort button for clarity. You can always reset to the default order by selecting "Default Sort" from the menu.
Items with due dates in the past that haven't been completed are considered overdue. These items will be highlighted in the list and can be viewed collectively in the "Overdue Items" section accessible from your dashboard.
On any list page, click the "Share" button in the top right. This generates a unique link that you can copy and share with anyone. No account is required to view a shared list. To stop sharing, click "Disable Sharing" from the same menu.
Shared lists are view-only. For collaboration, users can duplicate a shared list to their own account by clicking the "Duplicate List" button when viewing a shared list. Any updates made to the original list will be reflected in the shared view.
When viewing a shared list, click the "Duplicate List" button at the top of the page. This creates an exact copy of the list in your account with all items (marked as incomplete). You can then modify your copy without affecting the original.
List archiving allows you to remove entire lists from your main dashboard without permanently deleting them. This helps keep your dashboard clean and focused on active projects, while still maintaining access to completed or inactive lists.
When a list is archived:
Open the list you want to archive, click the "Actions" dropdown in the top right corner, and select "Archive List". The list will be moved to your archived lists.
On your dashboard, look for the "Archived Lists" link near the lists heading. This page shows all your archived lists. To restore a list, either click on a list to view it and use the "Restore List" option in the Actions menu, or use the "Restore" button next to the list on the archived lists page.
Archiving allows you to remove completed items from your main list view without permanently deleting them. This helps keep your active list clean while maintaining a record of completed items.
On your list page, click the "Archive Completed" button. This moves all completed items to the archive. You can view archived items by clicking the "View Archived Items" link on the list page.
Yes! Go to the "View Archived Items" section from your list page, and click the "Restore" button next to any archived item you want to return to your active list.
Yes! FreeTodoList offers a comprehensive JSON API that allows developers to programmatically access and interact with todo lists. This enables integration with third-party applications, custom workflows, and mobile apps.
To use the API, simply append .json to the end of most URLs in the application. For example:
https://freetodolist.com/lists/[list-uid].json - Get a specific list with its itemshttps://freetodolist.com/dashboard.json - Get all your lists with statisticshttps://freetodolist.com/overdue_items.json - Get all your overdue itemsThe API supports filtering and sorting options:
?include_archived=true - Include archived items?only_completed=true - Show only completed items?sort=date_asc - Sort by due date (ascending)For complete documentation and examples, please read our JSON API guide.
Our API prioritizes security in several ways:
For additional security when using the API with third-party integrations, we recommend regularly reviewing your connected applications and changing your password periodically.
There are many possibilities for integrating with the API:
If you build something interesting with our API, we'd love to hear about it! Please send us feedback with details of your project.
Yes! You can export any list as Markdown text format. On any list page, click the "MD" button (green document icon) in the top right corner. This generates a GitHub-compatible Markdown file with your list metadata, statistics, and all items including their completion status, due dates, and more.
The exported Markdown can be copied into any Markdown editor, note-taking app, or GitHub README. It includes:
Markdown is widely supported across many platforms, giving you flexibility to use your lists in different contexts:
For more details and use case examples, check out our blog post about taking your lists anywhere with Markdown.
RSS feeds allow you to subscribe to changes in your lists using any RSS reader. This can help you track activity, keep a log of changes, or sync your todo items with other applications.
There are two types of RSS feeds available:
You can access all your RSS feed links in one convenient place by clicking the "RSS" button in the dashboard, insights page, or footer menu. For any individual list, click the RSS icon on the list page.
The feeds are private and secured with a unique token, so only you can access them. Our RSS links page also provides links to popular RSS readers and explains how to use them.
Templates are pre-made todo lists for various projects and activities. They provide a starting point with professionally designed task lists that you can use instead of starting from scratch.
Our templates cover diverse areas including: marketing, event planning, home improvement, technology projects, fitness, travel planning, career development, and more.
Using a template is simple:
The template will create a new list with all the predefined tasks, and you can then customize it to your needs by adding, removing, or modifying items.
Yes! Templates feature smart due date calculation. Each task in a template has a suggested timeframe, and when you create a list from a template, all due dates are automatically calculated relative to today's date.
For example, if a template has tasks due in 7, 14, and 30 days from start, when you use the template, those dates will be set to 7, 14, and 30 days from today, giving you a realistic schedule to follow.
Yes! Templates work for both logged-in users and guests. If you're logged in, the list will be added to your account. If you're not logged in, it will create a new standalone list that you can start using immediately.
However, to ensure your lists are saved permanently, we recommend creating an account or signing in before using templates.
There are multiple ways to search across all your todo items:
The search function looks for matches in the text content of your items, regardless of which list they belong to. Results include both active and completed items, but not archived items.
Search results include:
Results also show overall statistics about how many items matched your search, how many are completed, and how many are overdue.
Currently, the search feature searches across all your lists. To find items within a single list, you can use your browser's built-in page search (usually Ctrl+F or Cmd+F) while viewing that specific list.
Yes! On the dashboard page, you can toggle between list view and grid view using the buttons next to the "All Lists" heading. List view shows details in a vertical list format, while grid view displays your lists as cards in a grid (4 per row on larger screens). Your preference is remembered when you return to the site.
You can also reorder your lists to prioritize them by dragging and dropping. Hover over any list to see the drag handle (three horizontal lines), then click and hold to drag the list to a new position. The order is preserved between visits.
The calendar view provides a monthly visual overview of all your tasks with due dates. To access it:
Tasks are color-coded for easy identification:
The Insights page provides productivity metrics including:
Completion metrics are calculated by dividing the number of completed items by the total number of items. For today's metrics, only items created or completed today are counted. For overall metrics, all your items are included in the calculation.
Go to "Profile" in the navigation menu. From there, you can update your email address and change your password. Make sure to fill in your current password to confirm any changes.
Yes! Your lists and items are only visible to you unless you explicitly share them using the sharing feature. Even then, shared lists are view-only and don't expose your account information.
Still have questions? Feel free to send us feedback.