Google Keep is famous for its simple, rapid-fire interface, making it the perfect application for managing grocery lists and daily to-do checklists. However, as your list grows throughout the week, your screen can become cluttered with dozens of checked-off items. Instead of manually deleting tasks you have already finished, you can configure Google Keep to automatically hide completed items, keeping your active dashboard clean and focused solely on what remains to be done.
How to Convert Text into a Checklist
If you have already typed out a standard list of items, you do not need to start over to turn them into checkboxes.
- Open the note containing your text.
- Look for the Three Dots (More options) menu. (Located at the bottom of the note on the desktop web version, or the bottom-right corner on the mobile app).
- From the drop-down menu, select Show checkboxes.
Google Keep will instantly scan your text, identify every individual line break, and automatically place a clickable checkbox next to every single item.
How to Hide Completed Items
By default, when you click a checkbox, Google Keep simply draws a line through the text (strikethrough) and leaves the item sitting exactly where it is. To activate the auto-hiding feature:
- Open the checklist note.
- Look just below your active list items. You will see a small, grey arrow next to a section labeled Checked items.
- Click or tap this grey arrow to collapse the section.
Now, the moment you click a checkbox on an active task, it will instantly vanish from your primary list. It is not deleted; it is simply sucked down into the hidden “Checked items” folder at the bottom of the note. This allows your primary list to dynamically shrink as you complete tasks throughout the day.
If you accidentally check off the wrong item (like milk at the grocery store), simply tap the grey arrow to expand the completed list, find the item, and un-check it. It will instantly pop back up into your active list above.
Managing Sub-Tasks
Google Keep’s checkboxes support a single layer of indentation, which is perfect for managing sub-tasks. If you are packing for a trip and you have a main checkbox for “Toiletries”, you can create checkboxes for “Toothbrush” and “Shampoo” directly beneath it.
Simply click the small grid of six dots to the left of the “Toothbrush” checkbox and drag it slightly to the right. It will indent and lock itself underneath the primary “Toiletries” category. Now, when you finally pack the bag and check off “Toiletries”, Google Keep will automatically check off and hide all of the indented sub-tasks simultaneously, saving you several clicks.