Google Keep vs Microsoft To-Do

September 10, 2023 | Author: Adam Levine
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Google Keep
Cloud-based note taking service designed to help people keep track of their thoughts, scribbles and notes. With Keep you can quickly jot ideas down when you think of them and even include checklists and photos to keep track of what’s important to you. Your notes are safely stored in Google Drive and synced to all your devices so you can always have them at hand. Available on Android
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Microsoft To-Do
Managing your to-dos and lists can sometimes take as much effort as completing them. To-Do helps you focus and plan your day from the moment you open the app. To-Do is built on Office 365. Integration with Outlook makes it easy to stay on top of your Outlook Tasks from anywhere.
Google Keep and Microsoft To-Do are two popular productivity apps that offer distinct approaches to task management and organization. Google Keep provides a simple and intuitive interface, allowing users to create and manage notes, lists, and reminders. It offers features like color coding, adding labels, and setting location-based reminders. Additionally, Keep seamlessly integrates with other Google services, such as Google Drive and Google Assistant. On the other hand, Microsoft To-Do provides a more structured approach to task management, allowing users to create tasks, set due dates, and create lists and subtasks. It offers features like My Day, which helps prioritize tasks, and smart suggestions for upcoming tasks. To-Do also integrates with other Microsoft applications such as Outlook and Microsoft Teams.

See also: Top 10 Productivity software
Google Keep vs Microsoft To-Do in our news:

2023. Google Keep finaly introduces text formatting support



Google has finally introduced a much-needed improvement to its note-taking platform, Google Keep. When you click on the plus sign to access the extended options, a distinct underlined icon resembling the letter "A" appears in the toolbar. This icon provides access to various formatting choices, such as H1 and H2 for different heading sizes. Additionally, the "Aa" option conveniently returns the text to its default format. Other formatting features, including bold, italics, underlining, and strikethrough, are also available. Another new feature known as "version history" is now available in the web version of Keep. This feature allows users to review previous versions of text-based revisions, excluding any images. It's important to note that this version history feature is specifically designed for text-based notes and currently does not support notes containing images in any form.


2023. Google Keep adds version history



Google Keep, the free note-taking application from Google, allows users to quickly jot down notes that seamlessly sync with Gmail. However, in comparison to other popular note-taking apps, Keep has a notable limitation—it lacks the capability to display the version history of your notes. Consequently, any modifications made to a note become irreversible. The good news is that this is about to change. Upon visiting Keep's web version at keep.google.com, selecting a note, and accessing the three dots menu at the bottom, a forthcoming feature called "version history" can be observed. Although currently grayed out with a "coming soon" label, according to Google's help document, this option will soon enable users to download a text file containing previous versions of their notes or lists, providing a comprehensive view of changes made over time.


2022. Google is adding new Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides and Keep optimizations for tablets



Google unveiled Android 12L earlier this year, aiming to enhance the usability of tablets. During the I/O conference, the company revealed its intention to optimize over 20 Google apps for larger screens. Today, Google has introduced several new features for Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Keep, taking a step towards fulfilling this commitment. The most noteworthy feature announced is the ability to effortlessly drag text or images between two Workspace apps that are open side-by-side. Google highlights that users can now drag content from apps like Chrome or Sheets and drop it directly into an existing document or spreadsheet cell. Additionally, in Google Drive, files can be swiftly uploaded by dragging and dropping them into the app. Furthermore, links to Drive files can be easily added by dragging the file into an open app like Keep.


2019. Microsoft is finally shutting down to-do list app Wunderlist


For years, Microsoft has assured users that it would eventually discontinue the Wunderlist to-do list app, which it acquired in 2015, in favor of its own app, To Do. Microsoft aimed to offer a competitive experience that encompassed the best features of Wunderlist. Finally, Microsoft has announced that Wunderlist will be officially shut down on May 6, 2020. Following this date, Wunderlist to-dos will no longer synchronize, but users will still have the option to import their content into Microsoft's own To Do app.


2019. Microsoft integrated its personal organizer app To-Do with Outlook


Microsoft has recently unveiled an updated version of its Microsoft To-Do personal organizer. This new release introduces a range of exciting features, including the ability to fully customize the color scheme and background. Additionally, users now have the option to enable 2-factor authorization for enhanced security. The updated Microsoft To-Do also offers smart recommendations to help users create their task lists for the day efficiently. Furthermore, the integration with Outlook has been seamlessly implemented, allowing the Flagged Email list in the app to display flagged messages from Outlook.com. The integration extends further to include Microsoft Planner, a project management service, as well as voice assistants Alexa and Cortana. Notably, Microsoft hinted at the potential closure of Wunderlist, a service acquired by Microsoft four years ago, which served as the foundation for the development of Microsoft To-Do. Following this, the founder of Wunderlist, Christian Reber, publicly expressed his desire for Microsoft to repurchase the service and transform it into an open-source product via a tweet.


2019. Microsoft brought its To-Do app to Mac



Microsoft has expanded the availability of its To-Do app to include the Mac platform. The Mac version will provide immediate support for most core features, enabling users to create and manage tasks, work offline, share lists, utilize tags, and more. Additionally, the app will integrate with Microsoft Outlook, allowing users to import their "Flagged" email list. Integration with Planner is also on the horizon, enabling users to access items assigned to them. Taking advantage of the Mac platform, the To-Do app offers a range of convenient keyboard shortcuts, such as ⌘2 to minimize the app for a list view and ⌘1 to return to the complete list display. Users can even edit task text directly from the list view by clicking on it.


2017. Microsoft unveiled productivity app To-Do that will replace Wunderlist


In 2015, Microsoft acquired the well-liked mobile to-do list app Wunderlist. Now, the company is preparing users for the app's eventual discontinuation by introducing a new application called To-Do. Developed by the same team responsible for Wunderlist, this new app will gradually incorporate the beloved features of its predecessor in the coming months. Microsoft has assured users that it will not shut down Wunderlist until it has successfully integrated the best aspects of the app into To-Do. During this transition period, Microsoft is encouraging Wunderlist users to switch to To-Do by providing an importer tool. This tool allows users to seamlessly transfer their lists and to-dos from Wunderlist to To-Do. Once transferred, these items will be accessible in other Microsoft products such as Exchange and Outlook. However, it's important to note that the To-Do app is not yet fully equipped to cater to all Wunderlist users. Currently, platforms like Mac, iPad, and Android tablet do not support To-Do, and task list sharing is also unavailable.


2017. Google Keep joins G Suite, gets integration with Docs



Google Keep, a note-taking app that competes with Evernote and Microsoft's OneNote, has now been integrated into Google's suite of business applications, G Suite. Additionally, Google Keep is now seamlessly integrated with Google Docs, allowing users to easily drag and drop notes from Keep into their work documents. This feature is currently available exclusively on the web and requires the user to have Docs loaded and open in their browser. To access the Keep notepad, users can navigate to the Tools menu, which will display the Keep notes within a sidebar in the Docs user interface. From there, users can effortlessly retrieve notes, including images and checklists, and insert them directly into their document. Furthermore, users have the ability to search their Keep notes directly from Google Docs and even create new notes in Keep while working within Docs.


2016. Google Keep gets support for #labels (hashtags)



The note-taking app Google Keep has introduced a convenient way to organize and categorize notes using #hashtags. This new feature enables users to easily keep track of various items, such as to-do lists for a #trip or a collection of favorite #recipes. Additionally, the app now offers a Chrome extension that allows users to swiftly add webpages to their notebooks. With a simple click on the Keep badge, users can add a link to a note from any website, or they can create a new note directly from the right-click menu by selecting text or an image.


2013. Google Keep adds location-based reminders



If you are responsible for managing a business or a department within a company, chances are you have numerous tasks to remember and may rely on a reminder application. One such example is Google Calendar, which can send you emails or SMS notifications to remind you of important events like birthdays, client calls, or advertising payments. However, if you utilize the online note-keeping application Google Keep, you can take advantage of a different type of reminder called a "location-reminder." This feature triggers a notification on your phone when you arrive at a specific place. For instance, you can set a reminder to send an email once you arrive at your office, purchase printer paper upon entering a store, or visit a customer when you arrive in London. It's worth mentioning that Google Keep now also offers the traditional time-based reminders in addition to these location-based reminders.

Author: Adam Levine
Adam is an expert in project management, collaboration and productivity technologies, team management, and motivation. With an extensive background working at prestigious companies such as Microsoft and Accenture, Adam's in-depth knowledge and experience in the field make him a sought-after professional. Currently, he has ventured into entrepreneurship, owning a thriving consulting and training agency where he imparts invaluable insights and practical strategies to individuals and organizations, empowering them to achieve their goals and maximize their potential. You can contact Adam via email adam@liventerprise.com