Your List Sorted by Title but You Need It by Due Date? Use ORDER Fork.

To sort iPhone Reminders by due date, open any list, tap •••, choose Sort By, then Due Date and Earliest First. Run ORDER Fork first so you know whether auto-sort, manual drag, or sections fits the list you are staring at.

If you capture fast but your Work list reads like a random pile every Monday, this is for you.

What every guide agrees on (table stakes)

Apple Support, iGeeksBlog, and Gadget Hacks all teach the same taps:

• Open a single list (not Today).
• Tap ••• in the top right.
• Choose Sort By, then Due Date, Priority, Title, or Manual.
• Pick a sub-option like Earliest First or Latest First for due dates.
• Long-press and drag when Sort By is set to Manual.

That covers the buttons. It does not tell you which sort mode survives a busy week, or why drag stopped working after iOS 18.

Your takeaway: sorting is a list-level setting, not a one-time cleanup.

The gap: ORDER Fork

Most tutorials stop at "tap Due Date." You sort once, add six tasks on Tuesday, and the list feels random again because you mixed three different jobs in one bucket.

ORDER Fork is a thirty-second decision before you touch Sort By:

1. Open the right surface. Custom lists support full Sort By. Smart Lists like Today and Scheduled only let you reorder sections or drag inside a section. If Today is the mess, fix the source lists first.
2. Route the mode. Use Due Date → Earliest First on dated project lists like Q3 Report. Use Manual drag on short daily punch lists where you want "do this first" to stay on top regardless of date. Use sections when one list holds multiple phases that should not get flattened. See our sections vs subtasks guide for when phases beat sorting.
3. Drag with the iOS 18 trick. Long-press the line, then slide your finger right to dismiss the pop-up menu before you drag. If you still get a text cursor, set Settings → Accessibility → Touch → Haptic Touch to Fast.
4. Earliest vs Latest. Earliest First puts the next deadline on top. Latest First helps shopping lists where the far-out errand should stay visible at the bottom while you clear today's items.
5. Re-flag three. After any sort change, flag the three lines you will touch before lunch. Sort order shows sequence. Flags show commitment.

Bold takeaway: auto-sort for calendars, manual drag for today's lane, sections for multi-phase projects. Pick one per list.

Walkthrough: Jordan's Work list on Monday

Jordan opens Work. Twelve lines. "Send invoice" is due today but sits under "Archive old files" because the list defaulted to Title ascending.

Step 1 (Open): Jordan stays on the Work list, not Today. Today would only show a slice and hide undated backlog.

Step 2 (Route): Work has real due dates on half the lines. Jordan taps ••• → Sort By → Due Date → Earliest First. "Send invoice" jumps to the top. "Archive old files" with no date sinks to the bottom beside other undated admin.

Step 3 (Drag): Jordan needs "Prep slides for 2 p.m." above "Reply to vendor" even though both are due today. Sort By switches to Manual. Long-press "Prep slides," slide right past the menu, drag it above "Reply to vendor."

Step 4 (Re-flag): Jordan flags three lines: invoice, slides, vendor reply. Closes Reminders. Starts the invoice.

Total time: under two minutes. The list now matches how the week actually flows.

When Today view needs a different move

Today is not a normal list. You cannot set Sort By → Due Date on the whole view. iOS 18 does let you reorder sections.

Open Today, tap ••• → Edit Sections, drag Overdue below Timed Reminders so yesterday's guilt stops blocking this afternoon's calls. That is a section sort, not a task sort.

If Today still shows twenty lines after you fix source lists, run the TRIM Sweep in our clean iPhone Reminders Today guide before you fight sort settings again.

Common mistakes (and the fix)

• Sorting Today instead of the source list. Today aggregates tasks from everywhere. Fix the Work or Home list, then Today inherits the order.
• Leaving Sort By on Title. Title sort feels tidy until anything with a due date matters. Default project lists to Due Date. Reserve Title for reference lists like Books to Read.
• Fighting Manual drag on a fifty-line list. Drag works for short lanes. Past fifteen lines, split the list with sections or move stale tasks to a Someday list. See our reminder groups guide if the sidebar is the real problem.
• Sorting undated tasks by Due Date. Lines with no date pile at the bottom or top depending on sub-sort. Add a return date or delete them during TRIM. Mystery lines make every sort look broken.
• Expecting sort to replace priority. Due Date order is not the same as "most important." Flag the three that matter. Sort shows sequence, not stakes.

Where Divux fits

Reminders sorting works until you want sorted tasks beside calendar blocks and a focus timer on one screen. Divux shows today's dated tasks next to your schedule so you can time-box the top line without re-opening three apps.

Download Divux free on the App Store, sort Work by due date in Reminders, then mirror your three flagged lines in Divux for the morning sprint.

Frequently asked questions

Open your busiest list right now. Tap Sort By. If more than half the lines have dates, choose Due Date and Earliest First. If the list is today's short lane, switch to Manual and drag your first task to the top before you close the app.