Reminders is a stock Apple app, available on all its platforms, that lets you make to-do lists and organize them by priority. While Reminders was already an excellent tool for productivity and organization, the tech company boosted its capabilities further by introducing tags in iOS 15.

Tags, or hashtags, are widely utilized in social media websites. They are labels or keywords preceded by a hash sign (#) that allows you to find related posts and discussions about the topic quickly. Read on to learn how to use this feature on Reminders.

What Are Tags?

Apple’s Tags work the same way hashtags work in the online world—they organize your reminders based on keywords. For example, you can make a reminder to study for a quiz and add Tags like #study or #school.

You can also use them on existing reminders so you can filter or search using these tags across multiple lists. The Tags feature isn’t unique to Reminders, though. You’ll see the same innovation used in Apple Notes and Quick Notes.

How to Add Tags to Apple Reminders

For starters, tags won’t work in Reminders unless you sync the app to your iCloud account. To do that:

  1. Head to Settings, then tap on your name at the top of the screen.
  2. Tap iCloud, then toggle the switch on for Reminders.
  3. Once you open the Reminders app, you’ll see an Upgrade button. Tap it, then choose Upgrade Now.

Related: How to Master the Reminders App on Your iPhone or iPad

Once iCloud is enabled for Reminders, you can now use the feature! To add tags to your Reminders:

  1. Open Reminders and create a new reminder by tapping New Reminder.
  2. Add a title to your reminder.
  3. Tap the Tag button (#) and type your keyword. Note that tags should be a single word. However, you can use an underscore or a hyphen to separate words if you want to. If you want to add multiple keywords, just type the first keyword, then tap space to enter another.
  4. Tap Add.

You can also add a tag directly to a reminder by typing the hash symbol (#) on the keyboard. If you regularly use the same Tags, look out for Tag suggestions which will automatically appear once you type the hash symbol (#) or tap the Tag button (#). Your device can include tag suggestions from tags that you use in your Notes app.

How to View Reminders With Specific Tags

You can use Tags to quickly sift through all your lists and find reminders with specific tags. All the tags you create are automatically added as a button on your tag browser, which you can see under My Lists. Note that if a particular tag is no longer in use, you won’t see it there.

Creating a Smart List Using Tags

You can create a Smart List based on certain tags. Smart Lists are just like any other list, except that they automatically update themselves based on your set filters. Aside from adding tags, you can include other filters for your Smart List, like Time, Date, Priority, and Location.

To create a Smart List:

  1. Open Reminders, then tap Add List.
  2. Type a List Name.
  3. Choose a color and an icon that fits your List.
  4. Tap Make into Smart List.
  5. Choose the tags and customize the filters for your Smart List. Only reminders that match these filters will appear on your list.
  6. Tap Done.

The Benefits of Using Tags in Reminders

There are times when you know you need to do something but cannot recall what it specifically is. You might only recall that it’s due today or that it’s about a particular topic or responsibility, like work or mom duties.

While it’s ideal to create lists for each topic or position, there are times we’re just too busy to do so. But with tags, you can organize your life without needing to think about it.

Simply tap a tag see the list view of all your reminders with that specific tag. You can also select multiple tags to see every reminder that contains all the tags you've specified.

Related: How to Use Priority Tags in the Apple Reminders App

Organize Your Day With Tags

By adding Tags to your reminders, you can easily organize and view your to-dos by topic. What’s even better is that you can use the Tags you create across various Apple apps, allowing you to make plans and organize your day seamlessly.