Lists
Locking a list, and keeping it out of views
A list can carry its own passcode, and it can be kept out of the roll-up views that gather things from everywhere.
Why you'd care
Some lists are ordinary but not for sharing a screen over: finances, health, a gift list someone in the house must not see. A list passcode covers exactly that.
Where to find it
In that list's own settings, not the app's Settings. Open the list, open the ... menu in its header, then List settings.
Web, Mac, Windows, and Linux
⌘⌥, opens the same place without the menu.
Both the passcode and the view toggles below are in there.
Locking
Set a passcode on the list. Opening it then asks for the code, on every device.
This is a screen-privacy control, not encryption. It stops someone browsing your phone, and it should not be treated as protection against someone with access to your account.
Keeping a list out of other views
There is no setting that hides a list from the Lists view or from pickers. What there is, and what people usually want, is control over the roll-up views that pull things in from every list at once.
Four toggles, all on by default:
| Toggle | Off means |
|---|---|
| Show in To-dos | This list's to-dos stay out of the To-dos view |
| Show in Stars | Its starred things stay out of the Stars view |
| Show in Memories | Its things never come back as a memory |
| Smart suggestions | Its things stop getting suggestions. Useful on a reference list where every entry looks like a product |
The list itself is untouched: still in your Lists view, still searchable, still openable. Only the gathered views stop collecting from it.
These are useful well beyond privacy. A reference list of a hundred unchecked items will swamp the To-dos view, and turning it off there is what makes that view readable again. Memories is the one that matters for anything you would rather not be handed back a year later.
Going further
Locking is per list. For the whole app, use the app passcode instead. See passwords, 2FA and passcodes.
Do not publish a locked list. Publishing exposes contents by design and takes precedence over any local locking.
Archive is the tidier answer for finished lists. If the goal is "out of my way" rather than "not seen by others", archiving is the better tool. See archive.
Tips
- Use a different code from your device lock. A list passcode is often typed in front of other people.
- Turn Show in To-dos off on reference lists. It is the single biggest improvement you can make to the To-dos view.
- A locked list still contributes to To-dos, Stars and Memories unless you also turn those off. Locking guards the list, not the roll-ups.