How to use Templates in the Reminders app on iPhone, iPad, and Mac

In this tutorial, we will show you how to create, and manage reusable reminder templates on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Vision Pro.

Use templates in iPhone Reminders app

Why use reminder templates

Do you find yourself typing and making reminders for tasks or to-dos that repeat frequently? If yes, you no longer have to.

The templates feature inside the Apple Reminders app will help you quickly create new reminder lists with all its tasks from a saved template. Plus, you can share your templates with others as well as use templates shared by someone else.

For instance, I go grocery shopping every week for perishable items that I buy regularly. While shopping, I have some specific preferences, such as a particular yogurt brand, and so on.

I took the time to carefully create my grocery list with all the preferences (see the image below), and then I saved it as a template.

My grocery reminder template on iPhone

Now whenever I have to go grocery shopping, I can create a new list using that template, and all my items are automatically added to it. I don’t have to manually type eggs, fruits, each time. My perfect grocery list with all the necessary items and notes is created in just a few taps. I can even share this template with my wife, who can use it on her phone.

Reminder templates on iPhone and iPad

Create reminder template

  1. Open the Reminders app and go to the reminder list you want to use as a template. If you don’t have such a list, tap Add List to create one and add the tasks.
  2. Once you’re inside a reminder list, tap the menu button (three dots inside a circle) from the top and select Save as Template.
  3. Edit the template name if you want, and finally tap Save.
Create reminder template on iPhone

You have successfully created a reminder template. Next, here’s how to use it.

Use a reminder template to make a new list

  1. Go inside the Reminders app and tap Add List to create a new list.
  2. Tap Templates from the top.
  3. The reminder template you created earlier will appear here. Select it.
  4. Give your list a relevant name and tap Create.
Use a reminder template to make a new list

You have created a new reminders list using the template. Tap this newly added list, and you will see that all the tasks/reminders from the template are automatically added to this list.

Created a new reminders list using template

Edit, share, or delete reminder templates

  1. Tap the menu button inside the Reminders app and choose Templates.
  2. From here, press a template or tap its info button ⓘ to edit, share, or delete it. Alternatively, you can swipe left or right to delete or share a template.
Edit, share, or delete reminder templates on iPhone

Here’s more about these actions.

Edit a template

  • While editing a template, you can tap New Reminder In Template to add a new task.
  • Swipe left on an added task to delete it, flag it, or add more details like date, time, tags, location, priority status, etc.
  • To rename the reminder template, tap the menu button > Show Template Info and give it a new name. From this screen, you can also change the template color and glyph (symbol). When you have made your changes, tap Done to save them.
Edit a reminder template on iPhone

Share a template

After you tap Share Template > Continue, you can use one of the available options on the iOS Share Sheet like Messages, Mail, WhatsApp, etc. You can also copy the iCloud link for that template and share it as needed.

Share a reminder template on iPhone

Choose what you share: When you follow the initial steps to share a reminders template, you will see a screen that lets you include or exclude date & time, tags, or locations from the shared template. Please note that if your reminder task has images, they are always removed from the shared template.

Choose what you share in a reminder template

Stop sharing a template: If you no longer want to share a template, go to the Templates screen and tap the info button next to a shared template. Next, tap Manage Link and select Stop Sharing.

Stop sharing a reminder template

Delete a template

Once you save a reminder template, it stays persistently and isn’t deleted even if you delete the reminder list you initially used to make the template. For example, let’s say you created a list called Grocery and saved it as a template. Now, even if you delete the reminder list called Grocery or check all its tasks as completed, the template will stay as it is. If you think you no longer need a particular reminder template, follow the above steps to delete it permanently.

Duplicate a template

There is no clear toggle to duplicate a template, but if you must, there is an easy workaround. Create a new reminder list using the template. Now, save that list (which is a replica of the template) as a new reminder template. Before saving, you may optionally make changes to the tasks if necessary.

Reminder templates on Mac

You can also use templates inside the Reminders app on Mac running macOS Ventura or later. To do that, select a reminder list and click File > Save as Template from the top menu bar.

Save reminder list as template on Mac

When it comes to using that template, click Add List and choose Templates.

The process is almost identical to using reminder templates on iPhone and iPad.

Create new reminder list on Mac from a template

Reminder templates on Apple Vision Pro

Thanks to iCloud, your iPhone, iPad, and Mac reminders and templates are already on your Vision Pro headset. This ensures you have a seamless experience there.

However, if you like, you can also save a new template directly on your Apple Vision Pro. And as you’ve expected, this will sync across all your other iOS and macOS devices.

  1. Open the Reminders app on your Vision Pro and view a list.
  2. Tap the three dots icon and choose Save a Template.
  3. Now, give the template a name, choose to include completed reminders, and tap Save.

This template is now ready to be used in the Vision Pro Reminders app when you tap Add List to create a new list.

Reminders app in Vision Pro

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