How to create a new folder on your iPhone

You create a new folder on your iPhone by opening the Files app, navigating to where you want the folder to live, and tapping the three-dot menu to select "New Folder". The folder appears when ready with a text field ready for you to name it. Type the name you want, then tap outside the text field or press the keyboard's return button to confirm.

The Files app comes built into every iPhone. You'll find it on your home screen — it looks like a gray folder. If you've deleted it, you can read it again from the App Store for free. The app shows you everything stored on your phone: documents you've downloaded, photos you've saved from email, files from cloud services like iCloud Drive or Google Drive, and anything else that isn't a photo or video in your camera roll.

When you first open Files, you'll see "Locations" at the bottom of the screen. Tap "Browse" to see all your storage. You'll see folders like "iCloud Drive", "On My iPhone", and any cloud services you've connected. Tap into whichever location you want your new folder to appear in, then follow the steps above.

Key Takeaways

  • Open the Files app, navigate to the location where you want the folder, tap the three-dot menu, and select "New Folder".
  • You can create folders in iCloud Drive, in "On My iPhone" storage, or inside cloud services like Google Drive or Dropbox.
  • Folders you create in iCloud Drive sync across all your Apple devices automatically.
  • You can create folders inside other folders to organize documents into smaller groups.

Where folders actually live on your iPhone

Your iPhone stores files in two main places: iCloud Drive (which syncs to your other Apple devices and the web) and "On My iPhone" (which stays only on your phone). When you create a new folder, you choose which location it goes into by navigating there first.

If you tap into "iCloud Drive" before creating the folder, it will sync to your iPad, Mac, and iCloud.com. This is useful if you want to access the folder from multiple devices. If you tap into "On My iPhone" first, the folder stays only on your phone — it won't appear on your iPad or Mac, and you can't see it from iCloud.com. Choose "On My iPhone" for files you only need on your phone, like temporary downloads or phone-specific documents.

You can also create folders inside cloud services like Google Drive, Dropbox, or OneDrive if you have those apps installed and connected. The process is the same: navigate into the service's folder in the Files app, tap the three-dot menu, and select "New Folder". These folders live in that service's cloud storage, not on your iPhone itself.

Moving files into your new folder

Once you've created a folder, you move files into it by tapping and holding a file until a menu appears, then selecting "Move". A list of locations appears — tap your new folder to move the file there. You can move multiple files at once by tapping the first file, then tapping other files while holding down your finger on the first one. Once you've selected all the files you want, tap "Move" and choose the destination folder.

If you're moving a file from one cloud service to another (like from Google Drive to iCloud Drive), the process is the same, but the file gets copied rather than moved — the original stays in the first location. This is a safety feature to prevent accidental loss. You can delete the original file afterward if you want it only in the new location.

Renaming or deleting a folder

To rename a folder, tap and hold it until a menu appears, then select "Rename". The folder name becomes editable — type the new name and tap outside the text field to confirm. To delete a folder, tap and hold it, select "Delete", and confirm. Deleting a folder also deletes everything inside it, so make sure you've moved any files you want to keep before you delete.

If you delete a folder by accident, you may be able to recover it if it was in iCloud Drive. Open iCloud.com on a computer or another device, go to iCloud Drive, and look for a "Recently Deleted" folder. Files and folders stay there for 30 days before they're permanently removed. If the folder was in "On My iPhone" storage, recovery is much harder — deleted files from local storage don't go to a trash folder first.

Creating folders inside folders

You can create a folder inside another folder to organize documents into smaller groups. Navigate into the first folder by tapping it, then tap the three-dot menu and select "New Folder" just as you would at the top level. This nested folder works exactly the same way as a top-level folder — you can move files into it, rename it, or create more folders inside it.

Nested folders are useful when you have a lot of documents in one category. For example, you might create a "Taxes" folder, then create folders inside it for each year: "2024", "2023", and so on. Or you might create a "Work" folder with subfolders for each project. There's no limit to how many levels deep you can go, but more than three or four levels usually becomes hard to navigate on a phone screen.

Folders in the Files app versus folders in Mail or Photos

The Files app is separate from the folder systems in Mail and Photos. If you create a folder in the Files app, it doesn't appear in Mail or Photos, and vice versa. Mail has its own folder system for organizing emails, and Photos has albums for organizing pictures and videos. Each app manages its own files independently.

This separation can be confusing at first, but it exists because each app stores different types of files. Mail folders hold emails and attachments, Photos albums hold images and videos, and Files app folders hold documents and downloads. If you read a PDF from an email, it appears in both Mail (as an attachment) and the Files app (as a document you can organize). The file exists in both places, but the folders you create in one app don't affect the other.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I create a folder on my iPhone home screen?

No, the home screen folder system is separate from the Files app. You can create app folders on your home screen by tapping and holding an app, selecting "Move", and dragging it onto another app. This creates a folder containing both apps. But these home screen folders are only for organizing apps, not documents or files.

What happens to a folder if I delete the Files app?

If you delete the Files app, your folders and files don't disappear — they're still stored on your phone or in iCloud. When you reinstall the Files app, everything reappears. The app is just a way to view and organize files that already exist on your device.

Can I share a folder with someone else?

Yes, but only if the folder is in iCloud Drive. Tap and hold the folder, select "Share", and choose how you want to share it — via link, AirDrop, or another method. The person you share with can then view or edit the files inside, depending on the permissions you set. Folders in "On My iPhone" storage can't be shared because they don't sync to the cloud.

Why can't I create a folder in some locations?

Some cloud services don't allow folder creation through the Files app — you have to create them in the service's own app or website instead. Google Drive and Dropbox usually allow it, but some services restrict it. If the three-dot menu doesn't show a "New Folder" option, try creating the folder in that service's app instead.