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How to Manage Apps on the iPhone Home Screen

Use the dock, folders, and Home screen pages

By Sam Costello Sam Costello Writer Ithaca College Sam Costello has been writing about tech since 2000. His writing has appeared in publications such as CNN.com, PC World, InfoWord, and many others. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on April 24, 2021 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email

In This Article

Expand Jump to a Section Step-by-Step: Rearrange Apps on Home Screen Pages How to Delete Apps on iPhone Create and Delete Folders on iPhone Create Home Screen Pages on iPhone About the Dock Managing apps on the iPhone Home screen is an effective way to customize your iPhone. It's especially helpful because it allows you to organize apps in a way that makes sense to you. Whether you prefer to categorize your apps by function, productivity, or color, you can do it. The iPhone multitouch screen makes it easy to move or delete apps, create and delete folders, and create new Home screen pages. Information in this article applies to iPhones with iOS 6 through iOS 12.

How to Rearrange Apps on iPhone Home Screen Pages

It makes sense to change the location of apps on your iPhone. You probably want the apps you frequently use on the Home screen. In contrast, an app you only use occasionally might be hidden away in a folder on another page. To move apps, follow these steps: Tap and hold the app you want to move. When the apps wiggle, indicating they are in editing mode, the app is ready to move. If you have an iPhone with a 3D Touch screen, don't press the screen firmly because that triggers the 3D Touch menus. Use a light tap and hold instead. Drag the app to the new location you want it to occupy. When the app is where you want it, lift your finger off the screen. Tap the Home button to stop the apps from wiggling and save the new arrangement. On iPhones without a Home button, tap Done at the top of the screen to stop the wiggling and exit the editing mode. If you're running iOS 14 and up, you've got another way to keep your home screen neat: The iPhone App Library. This feature lets you keep your most-used apps on your home screen and move everything else to a section you only go to sometimes. Learn all about it in How to Use the iPhone App Library.

How to Delete Apps on iPhone

To get rid of an app: Tap and hold an app until all the apps wiggle. Any app with an X in the corner can be deleted. Tap the X on the apps you want to delete. Tap Delete in the confirmation pop-up. For apps that store data in iCloud, you are asked whether you want to delete the data as well. Make your choice, and the app is deleted. Tap Done (or the Home button) to stop the apps from wiggling. There's one scenario in which your apps might seem to be deleted but are still on your iPhone. Learn how to get missing apps back on your iPhone.

How to Create and Delete Folders on iPhone

Storing apps in folders is a great way to manage apps. It makes sense to put similar apps in the same place. To create a folder on your iPhone: Tap and hold one of the apps you want to put into a folder. Drop the app you are holding onto a second app intended for the folder (every folder needs at least two apps). The first app appears to merge with the second app. When you take your finger off the screen, a folder is created. The text bar above the new folder contains a name assigned by the iPhone. To change the name, tap the name field and type a new name. Drag any other apps you want to include into the folder. When you're done, tap the Home button (or Done) to save the changes.

Delete Folders

Deleting folders is easy. Drag all the apps out of a folder to the Home screen to delete the folder.

How to Create Home Screen Pages on iPhone

You can also organize your apps by putting them on different Home screen pages. Pages are the multiple screens of apps that are created when you have too many apps to fit on one screen. To create a new page: Tap and hold the app or folder you want to move to a new page. While the apps wiggle, drag the app or folder to the right edge of the iPhone screen. Hold the app there until it moves to a new page. When you're on the page where you want to leave the app or folder, remove your finger from the screen. Click the Home button (or Done) to save the change. There's a limit to how many folders and apps you can have on your iPhone. The exact number depends on the iPhone model.

Delete Pages on iPhone

Deleting pages is similar to deleting folders. To drag an app or folder off the page, drag it to the left edge of the screen to a previous page or to the right edge if there are additional pages after the one you are deleting. When the page is empty, and you click the Home or Done button, the page is deleted.

About the Dock

The dock is the bottom bar on the iPhone. It shows on every Home screen and has room for four apps or folders. It is visible on all the Home screen pages on your iPhone, so it makes sense to park your favorite apps here. They wiggle and move in the same way any of the apps on the screen do. If you have four apps in the dock, move one before you add another. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Create Folders on an iPhone to Organize All Your Apps How to Rearrange Apps and Folders on the iPhone Can You Delete the Apps That Come With the iPhone? How to Delete a POF Account on iPhone How to Unhide Apps on an iPhone How to Delete Apps From Your iPhone How to Set Up and Use Touch ID, the iPhone Fingerprint Scanner How to Move Apps From the App Library to the Home Screen on Your iPhone How to Use Apple Stage Manager How to Remove Apps from Apple Watch How to Change the Color of Apps on iOS 14 How to Move Apps, Navigate, and Organize Your iPad How to Rearrange Icons on the 6th & 7th Generation Nano How to Customize an iPhone's Home Screen How to Use the Galaxy Note 8 App Pair How to Delete Apps on an Android Phone Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies