The fastest way to rearrange your home screen

To change what appears on your iPhone home screen, press and hold any app icon until a menu appears, then tap Edit Home Screen. A small minus sign will appear in the corner of each app. Tap the minus sign on any app you want to remove from the home screen — it will move to your app library but stay on your phone. Tap the plus sign on any app in your app library to add it back to the home screen. When you are done, press the back arrow or swipe left to exit edit mode.

If you want to move an app to a different spot on the home screen without removing it, stay in edit mode, press and hold the app icon, and drag it to the new location. Other apps will shift out of the way as you move it. You can drag apps between pages of your home screen the same way — hold and drag toward the edge of the screen, and it will move to the next page.

Key Takeaways

  • Press and hold any app icon and select Edit Home Screen to enter the mode where you can add, remove, or move apps.
  • Tap the minus sign on an app to remove it from your home screen; tap the plus sign to add an app back from your app library.
  • Drag apps to new positions while in edit mode, or drag them to the edge of the screen to move them to a different page.
  • You can also change your home screen appearance by adding widgets, which show live information like weather or calendar events without opening the app.

Adding widgets to your home screen

Widgets are small windows that show information from an app without you having to open it. To add a widget, press and hold an empty area of your home screen until the plus button appears in the top left corner. Tap the plus button, then scroll through the list of apps and select the one whose widget you want to add. Not every app has a widget — common ones include Weather, Calendar, Reminders, and Clock.

After you select an app, you will see different widget sizes available. Tap the size you want, then tap Add Widget. The widget will appear on your home screen. You can move it the same way you move app icons — press and hold it and drag it to a new spot. Some widgets let you customize what information they show; press and hold the widget itself (not the app) and tap Edit Widget to see your options.

Changing your lock screen appearance

Your lock screen — the screen you see when you first wake up your phone — can also be customized. Press and hold your lock screen until a menu appears at the bottom, then tap the plus button to add a new lock screen style. You can choose a different wallpaper, add widgets to your lock screen, or change the font and color of the time display.

To switch between lock screens you have created, press and hold your lock screen and swipe left or right. To remove a lock screen, press and hold it, swipe left, and tap the trash icon. You can have multiple lock screens and switch between them whenever you want — your home screen stays the same regardless of which lock screen you are using.

Using app folders to organize your home screen

If you have many apps and want to keep your home screen less cluttered, you can group apps into folders. Press and hold an app icon until edit mode starts, then drag one app on top of another app. A folder will automatically create, and both apps will move inside it. The folder will be named based on the category of the apps — for example, dragging two game apps together might create a folder called "Games."

You can rename the folder by tapping on its name while in edit mode. Drag more apps into the folder by holding and dragging them onto the folder icon. To remove an app from a folder, open the folder, press and hold the app, and drag it out onto your home screen. If a folder becomes empty, it will delete itself automatically.

Hiding pages of your home screen

By default, every page of your home screen is visible when you swipe. If you have pages you do not use often, you can hide them so they do not appear. Press and hold your home screen, then tap the dots at the bottom that show which pages you have. Uncheck the pages you want to hide — they will still exist and your apps will stay on them, but they will not show up when you swipe. You can unhide them the same way by checking the box again.

Hiding pages is useful if you have created a page just for widgets or a page for work apps that you do not need to see every day. Your app library will still show all your apps regardless of which pages are hidden.

Resetting your home screen to default

If you want to start over and return your home screen to the way it was when you first got your phone, go to Settings, tap General, then Transfer or Reset, then Reset, then Reset Home Screen Layout. This will remove all your custom arrangements, folders, and hidden pages, but it will not delete any apps from your phone. All your apps will return to their original positions.

This action cannot be undone, so only use it if you are certain you want to start fresh. If you just want to hide a few apps or reorganize without a full reset, use the edit mode and folder options described above instead.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I put the same app on multiple home screen pages?

No. Each app can only appear once on your home screen. However, you can add it to a folder on one page and also have it on another page by creating a shortcut to it using the Shortcuts app, though this is more advanced. For most people, the simplest approach is to keep the app on the page where you use it most.

What happens to my apps if I remove them from the home screen?

They move to your app library but stay on your phone. You can still find them by swiping to the app library (the last page of your home screen) or by swiping down and using search. Removing an app from the home screen does not delete it.

Can I change the size of my home screen grid?

No. iPhone home screens always use the same grid size — you cannot make the icons larger or smaller or change how many fit on a page. You can only rearrange them, group them into folders, or hide pages. If you want larger touch targets, using folders to reduce the number of apps on your main page can help.

Do widgets use more battery than regular apps?

Widgets use some battery because they refresh to show new information, but the amount is usually small. If you notice your battery draining faster, you can remove widgets or turn off their refresh frequency by editing the widget settings. Most people do not see a noticeable difference.