How to sort Reminders by date or priority on iPhone, iPad and Mac

Sort by due date, creation date, title, and more.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Apple’s newest software updates give us the ability to quickly sort Reminders by date, priority or title. We’ll show you how you can use the feature to easily organize your to-do lists on iPhone, iPad and Mac.

If you’re working on a rather hefty project and you’re using Reminders to keep track of all your tasks, it can feel pretty overwhelming when you look at a long list of items that aren’t properly organized.

You could organize your tasks manually by simply dragging them up or down the list. Or you could use Reminders’ new sorting feature in iOS 14.5 and macOS 11.3 to take care of the hard work for you.

How to sort Reminders

The feature gives you four sorting options: due date, creation date, priority, and title. The first three are particularly handy because they can help you establish which tasks require your attention first.

To use the new sorting feature, first ensure your devices are up-to-date. Then open a list in Reminders and follow these steps:

On iPhone and iPad:

1. Tap the options (…) button in the top-right corner.
2. Tap Sort By.
3. Choose Due Date, Creation Date, Priority or Title.

Tap the options button, then tap Sort By.
Screenshots: Cult of Mac

On Mac:

1. Click View in your Mac’s menu bar.
2. Hover your mouse pointer over Sort By.
3. Choose Deadline, Creation Date, Priority or Title.

Click View in the menu bar, then Sort By.
Screenshot: Cult of Mac

After choosing the sorting option you prefer, you might see some additional preferences. For instance, sorting by priority will give you the option to view “lowest” or “highest” first.

It’s that simple. Of course, in order to sort by priority, due date or deadline, you’ll need to have set a due date or priority for each task. You can do this by tapping or clicking the i button alongside each entry.