Moving from Things

Before you start

At the time of checking, Things offers no export to CSV or text: its data lives in a database file meant for the app itself. The practical path is to select the to-dos in a list, copy them, and paste into a spreadsheet, which gives you their titles (and, depending on the version, their notes) one per row. From there you build the columns OpenTodo reads. It is more work than a one-click export, so do it one project at a time and start with the ones you use most.

OpenTodo imports any CSV with a header row and a title column, plus optional columns for description, project, section, parent, priority, due_date, labels, recurrence, completed and more. The full list is in the import reference.

Build the spreadsheet

1. In Things, open a project, select all its to-dos and copy. Paste into a spreadsheet so each to-do is a row. Name the first column title. Import formats
2. Add a project column with the project’s name, and, if the project sits in an Area, make the Area a project too: import the Area as a project first, then choose it as the parent of each project in OpenTodo afterwards. Organise with projects
3. Add a section column for the heading each to-do sat under. OpenTodo creates the sections in the project. Sections
4. Add a labels column with the to-do’s tags, comma-separated. Missing labels are created. CSV columns
5. Add a due_date column for deadlines, written as 2026-10-20. A Things When date is not a deadline; if you want a dated to-do to show in Today on that day, write that date as its due_date, otherwise leave it empty and it goes to the project with no date. Dates and times
6. Checklist items become subtasks: give them their own rows, with a parent column holding the parent to-do’s title. Mapping rules
7. Copy the notes of each to-do into a description column if you want them. CSV columns
8. For the Logbook, add a completed column with yes on finished to-dos. CSV columns

Import into OpenTodo

1. Open Settings → Data → Import data… and choose the file. Import from another app
2. In the preview, check the detected format, the target project for rows without one, and the row list. Problems are listed first, with the row number and the reason. Nothing is written yet. Import from another app
3. Select Import, and repeat per project. Importing the same file twice creates nothing new, and an import can be undone. Undo an import

Your first week

• Things’ calm comes partly from the When date. The nearest habit in OpenTodo today: leave to-dos undated in their project and pull the day’s picks into Today with a date, or place them on the Day calendar with s. Plan your day
• Someday: a label @someday and a saved view @someday give you the list back, until start dates ship. Save a filter as a view Tips
• Quick add replaces Things’ Magic Plus: Buy stamps tomorrow #Errands @town. Quick add syntax
• Set up repeating to-dos again with a Repeat rule in the task panel, including “after completion” ones. Make a task repeat Make a task repeat
• On your iPhone, install the app from Safari and turn on notifications in it; Things’ native polish is one of the places it stays ahead, as the comparison says. Put OpenTodo on your phone On iPhone and iPad