August 16, 2026 · 7 min read

How to migrate from Todoist to Google Tasks on iPhone

If you searched “migrate Todoist to Google Tasks,” “move Todoist to Google Tasks,” or “export Todoist to Google Tasks on iPhone,” you already decided the ecosystem matters more than the project manager. Google Tasks will not copy Todoist’s filters, labels, or Karma. It will put your checklist next to Gmail and Google Calendar. This guide is the honest path.

What transfers, and what does not

Google Tasks is a simple checklist: lists, titles, notes, due dates and times, subtasks, and manual order. Todoist often holds more: projects and nested sections, labels, filters, priorities, comments, and richer repeats.

Expect a clean mapping for:

Active projects that become Google Task lists
Task titles, due dates, and short notes you still need
Parent and child work you can recreate as subtasks

Expect to drop or rewrite:

Labels and filters (Google has lists, not tags)
Priority levels as a first-class field
Project comments and long thread history
Complex recurring rules that do not match Google’s repeat options
Shared Todoist projects (stock Google Tasks has no built-in list sharing)

If you need the full Todoist feature set every day, stay on Todoist. Migrate only when Gmail and Calendar proximity is worth a simpler model. For a feature-by-feature mindset before you move, see Google Tasks vs Todoist on iPhone.

There is no one-tap import

Neither Google’s Tasks app nor the Tasks API offers a polished “import Todoist” button on iPhone. Treat migration as staged recreation, not a file drop.

Practical sequence:

On Todoist (usually on the web), export a backup or CSV of the projects you still care about, so you have a reference after you delete or archive anything.
In Google Tasks, create one list per active project you intend to keep. Skip archived and someday piles.
Recreate open tasks by hand on iPhone or desktop: title, due date, notes, and subtasks for steps that still matter.
Leave completed history in Todoist unless a specific completed item is still a reference. You rarely need years of done checkmarks in Google Tasks.
Keep Todoist read-only for a week while you confirm Gmail and Calendar show the dated work you expect.

Do not chase a perfect one-to-one copy. Chase a short set of live lists you will actually open.

How to map Todoist habits to Google Tasks

Projects to lists. One active project becomes one Google Tasks list. Nesting and sections become naming conventions (for example “Work: Clients”) or separate lists, not folders. Google lists stay flat.

Labels to list choice or notes. If a label meant “errands,” put those tasks on an Errands list, or add a short note. Do not invent a tag system Google will not sync.

Priorities to order or a Focus list. Drag critical items to the top of a list, or keep a small Focus list for the handful that must stay visible. That is a habit, not a priority field.

Filters to planner discipline. Todoist filters will not come along. Use due dates so work can appear in Google Calendar when the Tasks calendar is enabled, and review dated items daily instead of running a custom query.

Recurring tasks. Recreate only the repeats you still rely on. Confirm each series once after the first completion so the next occurrence lands where you expect.

Why people leave Todoist for Google Tasks

Common reasons on iPhone: tasks already need to sit beside Gmail and Calendar; the subscription no longer matches a simple checklist; team features went unused; duplicate entry across Todoist and Google stopped being worth it.

If you are leaving because the stock Google Tasks app feels thin on iPhone, that is a client problem, not a data problem. Keep Google as the sync layer. Upgrade the iPhone shell.

What works better after you land on Google

Once lists live in Google Tasks, the win is surfaces: Gmail’s task panel, Calendar when dated tasks are enabled, and the same account on every device. The gap is iPhone daily use: weak overview, limited widgets, no real alarms, and one-list-at-a-time browsing in the stock app.

That is where a native Google Tasks app for iPhone helps. ETasks syncs two-way with Google Tasks (or works locally with no Google account) and adds alarms, widgets, all-lists view, planner layouts, and Apple Watch. It does not import a Todoist export for you. It makes Google-side lists feel at home on iPhone once you have moved them.

A staged week that usually works

Day 1: Export from Todoist. Create Google lists for the projects you still open weekly.
Days 2 and 3: Move only open, dated, or starred work. Skip clutter.
Day 4: Enable Tasks in Google Calendar on iPhone and spot-check due items.
Days 5 to 7: Capture new tasks only in Google Tasks. Use Todoist as archive reference, then cancel when the week feels calm.

If something important is missing, copy it from the export. Do not reopen Todoist as a second inbox.

Quick answers

Can I import Todoist into Google Tasks on iPhone? No. There is no official one-tap import. Export for reference, then recreate active lists and open tasks.

Will labels and filters come with me? No. Map labels into list choice or short notes, and replace filters with due dates plus a daily review.

Should I move completed tasks? Usually no. Bring open work and any completed item you still reference. Leave the rest in the Todoist export.

Is Google Tasks enough after Todoist? For Gmail and Calendar sync, yes. For a fuller iPhone experience on top of those same tasks, use a native client such as ETasks after the move.