Coming soon to theApp Store

Make a checklist

Free

On this page

A checklist is a note made for ticking things off: documents to bring to an appointment, steps for a visa application, what’s left to pack. + → Checklist opens one ready to type.

What it is

A checklist is a note whose lines are checkboxes. It works like any note: it has a title, it saves as you type, you can attach scans, photos and files, and it appears on the Notes shelf. You can mix checkbox lines with headings, bullets and plain text in the same note.

When you read the note, each checkbox can be ticked or unticked with a tap, without opening the keyboard.

When to use it

  • Papers to gather: “Passport, 2 photos, proof of address, last 3 payslips”.
  • Steps of a long process: a move, a car sale, a tax return.
  • A shopping or packing list you want next to the related documents.

Step by step

Make a checklist

  1. Tap + at the bottom of the Vault (or inside a folder).
  2. Under Create, tap Checklist.
  3. The note opens with a first empty checkbox. Type the first item.
  4. Press Return to start the next checkbox. Press Return on an empty checkbox to end the list.
  5. Type a Title at the top if you like. Otherwise the first line becomes the title.
  6. Tap Done on the keyboard toolbar, or go back. It’s saved.

Tick items off

  1. Open the checklist.
  2. Tap a checkbox to tick it; the item is greyed out and struck through. Tap again to untick it.

Ticking saves straight away.

Add a checklist to any note

In any note, put the cursor on a line (or select several lines) and tap Checklist on the keyboard toolbar. Tap it again to turn the lines back into plain text. You can also type - [ ] at the start of a line.

Add a heading or a document

  • Use Heading on the keyboard toolbar to split a long checklist into sections (“Before”, “On the day”).
  • Tap Attach a scan, photo or file to keep the related papers with the list.

Free and Pro

Checklists are free.

Pro: with Name and sort new scans on, AI can name an untitled checklist once it has at least 20 characters. A title you type is never changed.

Privacy

  • Checklists are stored in Paperwise’s encrypted database on your iPhone, like all notes.
  • On the Free plan, notes are never sent to AI. On Pro, nothing goes to AI until you allow it. To keep a checklist away from AI, use ••• → Never send to AI.
  • For a list that holds secrets, use a secure note in Hidden. See Add things to Hidden.

Tips

  • Keep one checklist per task, filed in the same folder as its papers.
  • Duplicate a checklist you reuse (••• → Duplicate), then untick everything in the copy.

What if…

What if tapping a line opens the keyboard instead of ticking it?

Tap the checkbox itself, not the text beside it. Tapping elsewhere in the note starts editing.

What if my empty checklist vanished?

A new checklist you close without typing anything is removed, like any empty note.

What if a line won’t turn into a checkbox?

Put the cursor on the line and tap Checklist on the keyboard toolbar. If the line was a bullet or heading, it changes to a checkbox.

Still stuck? Write to support@paperwise.app.