How to Make a To-Do List Sticky Note on Your Mac Desktop
Write a Title on the First Line
Click the top sheet of a pad (the “Tall pad” is the default) and type a title, for example Today. A plain first line becomes the title, in bold in the glue band. Press Return.
Write One Item per Line
Type each to-do on its own line, pressing Return between them. Return only starts a new line; it never pins the note.
Choose “Checklist”
Click in the first item. On the Board, point at the three-dot pill on the pad’s edge (“Tools”) to open the tools, then click “Checklist”. That line and every line below it get a box; the title stays as it is. On the Classic pad the tools are always out: choose “Checklist” under ☰ “Lists & More Tools”.
Peel the Sheet Off
Drag from the bottom band of the sheet, away from the pad, and let go where you want the list. Let go too early and it sticks back down. Without Pro you can have 3 notes pinned at once; if 3 are already pinned, the sheet flies back onto the pad.
Tick Items as You Go
Click a box on the pinned note. It ticks when you release, saves at once, and your app stays in front. Click again to clear it.
Add a Reminder (Optional)
In the Shortcuts app, add the Peel & Stick action “Set Reminder”, choose this note and a date and time, then run the shortcut. The reminder comes due only while Peel & Stick is running.
Sticky Notes With Checkboxes on Your Mac
A to-do list sticky note on your Mac desktop should work like the paper kind: a short list in plain sight, ticked off with one click. On a Peel & Stick checklist sticky note, each box looks drawn by hand: every box has its own slight wobble, and the tick is drawn as a stroke.
The tools hold four line types: “Bulleted List”, “Numbered List”, “Checklist”, and “Plain Line”, which turns a line back into plain text. Each applies to the lines you select, or to the line you’re on and every line below it, never to the title. If every one of those lines already has that type, choosing it again turns them back into plain lines. Your words stay.
To circle an item or underline a deadline, pick up the “Pen” and draw on the sheet while it’s still on the pad. The guide to handwritten sticky notes shows how.
Tick It Off Without Leaving Your App
Ticking a box doesn’t take focus: the app you’re in stays in front, so you keep typing where you were. If the pointer moves more than 8 points between press and release, the box doesn’t tick, so a drag across the note leaves no stray ticks.
Apart from its boxes, a pinned list is read-only. To change it, double-click the note, or hover over it and click ✎ “Edit on the Pad”. It goes back to its pad; edit it there and peel it off again. It lands where you let go, not back at its old spot.
Visual Reminders on Your Desktop
A to-do list on your Mac desktop works as a visual reminder because it stays in sight. A pinned note floats above your other windows, follows you to every Space and can appear over full-screen apps. macOS can’t promise every case: some apps and full-screen Spaces can still cover it. More in sticky notes on your Mac desktop.
Keep one beside a call or a study session, too: see notes on top during a video call and sticky notes for studying.
Two switches in “Settings…” (⌘,) change how your list stays in view:
- Turn on “Open Peel & Stick when I log in”, and your pinned notes are back where you left them each time you log in.
- By default, pinned notes fade to 40% while a full-screen video or presentation is in front. Turn off “Fade notes during full-screen video and presentations” to stop that.
Sticky Notes With Reminders on Mac
Peel & Stick can remind you about a note only through Shortcuts. Its action “Set Reminder”, one of 3 Peel & Stick actions, sets a one-time reminder for a note at a date and time. When it comes due, Peel & Stick plays a chime (unless sounds are off) and, if you allow notifications, macOS shows “A note is asking for you” with the note’s title. See how to create a sticky note with Shortcuts on Mac.
Know the limits:
- It fires once. Peel & Stick has no daily or weekly reminders.
- It fires only while Peel & Stick is running. If Peel & Stick is quit at that moment, the reminder is skipped, and it doesn’t fire when you open the app again. If your Mac was asleep, it fires when the Mac wakes.
- macOS asks for notification permission when you set your first reminder.
Questions
Can I make a checklist on a sticky note?
Yes. Write one item per line, click in the first and choose “Checklist” in the tools. That line and every line below it get a hand-drawn box; the title stays as it is. The same tools make bulleted and numbered lists with “Bulleted List” and “Numbered List”.
Can I tick boxes without opening the note?
Yes. Click a box on the pinned note and it ticks when you release, without bringing Peel & Stick to the front.
Can I type on a pinned to-do list?
No. Apart from its boxes, a pinned note is read-only, so stray clicks can’t change your words. Double-click it to edit it on the pad, then peel it off again.
Can a sticky note remind me?
Yes, with the Shortcuts action “Set Reminder”: once, at the date and time you choose, while Peel & Stick is running. Peel & Stick chimes, and if you allow notifications, macOS shows “A note is asking for you”.
Do checklists cost extra?
No. Lists, checklists and the bold title are free on every plan. Without Pro you can keep 3 notes pinned at once; with Pro, as many as you like.
How do I get rid of a finished list?
Hover over the pinned note and click × “Unstick and Throw Away”. It goes at once, with no confirmation, and cannot be undone. To keep the list, double-click it to send it back to its pad.
