How to put a checklist on your Mac desktop
Published
Create a short checklist in Scribs, place it in a Mac desktop widget, and check items off. Keep a packing list or everyday tasks somewhere you can see them.
Give a short list a place on the desktop
A Mac desktop checklist keeps a few things visible and lets you mark them off as you go. In Scribs, you write the list in the app, choose it for a desktop widget, and use the widget’s checkboxes when an item is finished.
Start with one small job: packing for a weekend, getting ready for a call, or picking up a few ingredients. A list that fits comfortably in the widget is easier to use than a whole week’s plans squeezed into a corner. Scribs requires macOS 14 or later.
Choose the kind of list you need
If your list already lives in Apple Reminders, try its built-in widget first. That keeps the tasks in the app where you manage them. Add it from the Mac’s widget gallery and choose the list you want to see.
Scribs suits a short checklist with a little writing around it: a packing list with a departure note, for example. It gives the note a place on your desktop without requiring projects, deadlines or a larger planning system.
Desktop widgets sit on the desktop. They do not float above every other window. If an always-on-top window is essential to your workflow, a desktop widget serves a different purpose.
Make a small packing checklist
For a simple example, write “Weekend bag” at the top of a Scrib. Add one checklist line for each item below using the Checkbox control in the formatting bar.
- Charger
- Headphones
- Spare shirt
- Book
Put the list in a Scribs widget
The widget shows a saved Scrib. Create the writing first, then connect the widget to that note.
- Create a note in Scribs. Use Checkbox in the formatting bar to insert a checklist item, then replace the placeholder with your own words. Add a separate checkbox line for each item.
- Save the note with Apply. Keep any extra information short, such as “Leave Friday after work”.
- Control-click an empty part of your Mac desktop and choose Edit Widgets. Find Scribs and add a widget with enough space for the list.
- Control-click the widget and choose Edit Widget. Select the Scrib containing your checklist.
- Click a checkbox in the widget to mark the item complete. Click it again to undo the check. Open the note in Scribs when you want to change the wording or add another item.
Keep the list readable as it changes
Scribs offers four widget sizes. Choose one that shows the lines you need, and shorten items that wrap awkwardly. A widget has limited space; longer notes can be cut off even though the full writing remains in the app.
Use a recognisable title and a colour that helps you find the list. If you want two different lists on the desktop, add two widgets and select a different Scrib for each. Checking an item changes the saved note, so two widgets showing the same Scrib are not independent copies.
Keep writing changes in the app and simple check-offs in the widget. If the list disappears behind your work, show the desktop to reach it. If widgets are hidden altogether, check System Settings under Desktop & Dock; wording may vary with your macOS version.
Use a note when nothing needs checking off
Some things only need to stay visible: an address, an idea, or the ingredients for dinner. Leave out checkboxes when marking completion adds nothing. Scribs can keep ordinary notes and lists in the same kind of desktop widget.
For more on placing a note and choosing between a widget and a sticky-note window, use the desktop-notes guide.