General Moving List
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What Is in This Moving Checklist
This moving checklist has 189 items in 22 groups, such as Documents, Kitchen and Moving day. Tasks and items sit together: what to do, what to pack, what to buy and what to get rid of. We made it from our own packing list for a move and eight of the top moving checklists.
It is written mostly for a move in the US. Moving in Canada? See Canada Moving List. Moving in the UK? See Moving House. Every list is in Ready-Made Lists.
How to Use This Moving Checklist App
Check items as you go, change any item, and make the list fit your move. It works on a phone and a computer. Your list is saved in this browser as soon as you check, add or change an item, with no sign up.
Phone and Computer Controls
| To do this | On a phone | On a computer |
|---|---|---|
| Check an item | Tap the circle, or swipe the row right | Click the circle or the item name |
| Change an item | Tap the name, then the pencil | Click the pencil, or right click the row |
| Delete an item | Swipe left, or tap it, then the bin | Right click, or drag onto the bin |
| Move an item | Hold the dots on the left, then drag | Drag the item name or the dots |
| Delete a whole group | Swipe left | Right click, then Delete Group |
| Rename the list | Hold the list name | Double-click it, or press F2 |
| Close a window | Pull it down | Press Escape |
Deleted something by mistake? Use Undo on the note that shows.
With a keyboard: press Tab to reach the dots next to an item, then Space to pick it up, the arrow keys to move it and Space to drop it. On an item name, Delete (Backspace on a Mac) deletes the item.
Change an Item
Open an item with the pencil to change its name, add how many and a note, and pick up to 10 tags and one category. You can also put items inside it: Cutlery holds Spoons, Forks and Knives. Each item inside has its own check, and when all of them are done, the item checks itself.
Make Your Own Tags and Categories
In Change This Item, type a new name in Find or add a tag and pick a color: the tag is made and added to the item. Categories work the same way. Edit tags and Edit categories let you rename any tag or category, change its color and give a category another icon. Your tags and categories work in all your lists.
Group, Filter and Find
Group and filter puts the list in groups by category or by tag, or shows it as one list. It can also show only some tags or categories:
- See only the tasks. Show only To do: every task, without the packing list.
- Make a shopping list. Show only To buy before you go to the store.
- Pack the bag that goes with you. Show only Keep with you: these items stay out of the truck.
Find an item narrows the list as you type. Hide done keeps only what is left, and Fold All closes every group to its heading.
Ideas for Tags and Categories
- A tag for each box. Make tags called Box 1, Box 2 and so on, and tag each item with its box. Group by tag to see what is in every box.
- A tag for each person. Tag tasks with who does them (Sam, Alex), then show only your own.
- A tag for each room at the new home. Group by tag when you unpack, and go room by room.
- Tags for what happens next. Fragile, Sell, Donate or Storage.
- A note for where it is. "In the blue bag by the door."
More Than One List
- My Lists keeps all your lists.
- Make a Copy (in More) starts a fresh copy with nothing checked, for the next move or a second home.
- Or Add From Another List, under Add an Item, brings in items from a ready-made list, such as Moving Out.
- Share sends a link. Each person gets their own copy, so changes are not shared back.
- Save List to a File (in More) keeps a copy. Open it again from My Lists, on this device or another one.
Printable Moving Checklist and PDF
You can print this moving checklist or save it as a PDF file, free. Change the list first, and the printout shows your version: your items, your order and your groups.
How to Print It or Save It as a PDF
- Make the list fit your move: delete the groups you do not need and add your own items.
- Open More: on the sticky note on a computer, or under the list name on a phone.
- Pick Print or Save as PDF.
- Pick Every Item for the whole list, or Only Items Not Done for what is left.
- In the print window, pick a printer, or Save as PDF to keep a file. On an iPhone, tap Share in the print window, then Save to Files.
What the Printed Page Shows
- Every item in three columns, in your groups, with every group open.
- The items inside each item, each with its own circle, and each tag as a dot and a word.
- No buttons, no counts and no adverts. It prints on white, even in dark mode.
Ways to Use the Printout
- Stick it on the fridge or a wall and check items off with a pen as everyone packs.
- Print Only Items Not Done the night before, and keep it with you on moving day.
- With a tag for each box (see Ideas for Tags and Categories), group by tag and print. Tape each part to its box.
- Give a copy to whoever helps you move.
Printout or Online List?
Use both. The online list keeps every change, is on your phone and can be shared. The printout needs no phone, and everyone in the home can see it.
When to Do What Before a Move
Start about 8 weeks before moving day. This is when each step starts.
8 Weeks Before
Decide what to move, then book the movers: they fill up first in summer and at the end of each month.
4 Weeks Before
Start packing the rooms you use least. Set up internet and power at the new home now.
2 Weeks Before
Change your address and set up mail forwarding (USPS, Canada Post or Royal Mail).
The Last Week
Pack all but what you use every day, and plan meals that use up the food.
Moving Day
Be at the old home before the movers arrive, and stay until the last box is on the truck.
After the Move
Unpack the bed and the kitchen first. Report any damage to the movers in writing, within the time they give.
What to Pack First and Last
Pack what you use least first, and what you use every day last.
- Get more boxes than you think you need: people who move often suggest counting the boxes you expect, then getting three times as many.
- Pack one room at a time, starting with spare rooms, decor and clothes for another season.
- Put heavy items like books in small boxes, and light items like pillows in big ones.
- Write the room on the side of each box, not only the top, so you can read it when boxes are stacked.
- Stand plates on their edge, like records. They break less than lying flat.
- Pack the kitchen and the bathroom last, in the final two or three days.
Moving Checklist FAQ
How soon should I start packing for a move?
Start packing about 4 weeks before moving day, with the rooms you use least. For a big home, or a move to another city, start 6 to 8 weeks before.
What do people forget most when moving?
Changing their address. Banks, employers, doctors, insurance and online shops all need the new address, and mail forwarding only lasts a while. Items often left behind are keys, chargers and what is stored in the loft, attic or garage.
What items are not worth moving?
Items that cost less to replace than to move: old or cheap furniture that will not fit the new home, food in the freezer, opened cleaning products, and clothes you have not worn in a year. Sell, give away or throw them out before you pack.
What will movers not move?
Most movers will not carry what can catch fire or explode, such as paint, propane tanks, gasoline, aerosols and fireworks. Many will not take plants or food that can go off. Keep cash, jewelry and documents with you. Ask your movers for their own list.
Is it better to put clothes in bags or boxes when moving?
Both work. Folded clothes fit well in suitcases and bags, which have to move anyway. Hanging clothes can stay on their hangers with a trash bag pulled over them. Boxes stack better in a truck.
What should be on a moving day checklist?
Water and snacks, a check of the movers' list of your items, meter readings, a last look in every room, and handing back the keys. All of them are in this list: the tasks in the Moving day group, water and snacks in Kitchen.
Is this moving checklist free?
Yes. It is free to use, print and share, with no sign up and nothing to install. It works in the browser on a phone or a computer.
Can I use this moving checklist as a template?
Yes. Change it to fit your move, or use Make a Copy in More to start a fresh copy with nothing checked. On My Lists, Start a New List can also start from another ready-made list or an empty one.