Creating your first punch list

Welcome to Punch List. This guide walks you through creating your first punch list from scratch, from opening the app to capturing your first issue. Everything here is free, on iPhone, iPad and Android.

Before you start: one list per walkthrough

A punch list in the app is one walk of one place: a floor, a unit, a building, a whole job. Each list holds its own items, photos and project details, and each list produces its own PDF report. Most people create one list per project and add to it over several walks, then start a fresh list for the next project. If a building is large, one list per floor or per area keeps each report short enough to send.

Step 1: Open the app

When you first launch Punch List, you land on the Lists screen. This is where all your punch lists live, one row each, with the item count and how many are still open.

Step 2: Tap the + button

In the top-right corner of the Lists screen, tap the + button to create a new punch list.

Step 3: Enter your project details

You see a form where you can fill in:

List name. A short title for your own reference, like "Building A: 3rd Floor". This is what you see on the Lists screen.
Project name. The full project name as it should appear on reports.
Project number. Your internal project code.
Company. Your company name. This fills itself in once you set a company default.
Consultant. The consultant, architect or engineer for this project, if any.
Client. The project owner or client.

All fields are optional, but filling them in now means they appear on the cover page of every PDF report you generate from this list. You can change any of them later by opening the list and tapping its name.

If the words do not match how your team talks (you say Unit, not Room, or Owner, not Client), you can rename every one of these labels. See Company defaults and custom field labels. Set your company name and logo there once and you never type them again.

Step 4: Add a cover photo (optional)

You can attach a cover photo to your list, usually a shot of the building or project site. This photo appears as a thumbnail on the Lists screen and on the cover page of your PDF reports.

Step 5: Save and start adding items

Once you have filled in your project details, tap Save. You are taken into your new punch list, ready to add your first item. On the walk, the + button at the bottom-right of the items screen opens a new item; Fast Add mode keeps the form open between items so you can enter a long walk without stopping.

What is free and what is not

Creating lists, adding items, taking and annotating photos, and sorting and filtering are free, with no limit on the number of lists or items. Pro unlocks the deliverables: PDF reports, digital signatures, removing the watermark, and sharing lists between devices as .pnch files. See Free vs premium features. If your company gave you a seat, sign in under Settings and Account and Pro unlocks at no cost to you.

Where your lists are kept

Your lists, items and photos are stored on the device you create them on. They are not uploaded anywhere. That has two consequences worth knowing on day one:

Deleting the app deletes your lists. If you ever need to reinstall, or move to a new phone, export your lists first (swipe left on a list, then Export) and keep the .pnch files somewhere safe. Offloading the app on iPhone keeps the data; deleting it does not. A device backup made before the delete also contains your lists.
Another person cannot open your list from their own phone unless you send it to them as a .pnch file or a PDF. See Exporting and importing punch lists.

What's next

See Adding items to a list to learn how to document individual issues.