The basic way: press and hold, then drag
To move an app on your iPhone, press and hold the app icon until a menu appears, then tap Edit Home Screen. The icons will start to jiggle, which means they are now moveable. Drag the app to wherever you want it on your current screen, or drag it to the edge of the screen to move it to a different page. When you are done, press the home button or swipe up from the bottom to lock the changes in place.
This method works on any iPhone running iOS 13 or later. The jiggling stops automatically after a few seconds of inactivity, so if your icons freeze mid-move, just press and hold again to reactivate edit mode.
Key Takeaways
- Press and hold any app icon, then tap Edit Home Screen to enter the mode where apps can be moved.
- Drag apps left, right, up, or down on the current screen, or drag them to the edge to move them to another page.
- You can also move apps into folders by dragging one app onto another, which groups them together under a single icon.
- The App Library automatically organizes all your apps by category if you swipe to the far right of your home screens.
Moving apps between pages
If you have multiple home screen pages, you can move an app from one page to another without swiping back and forth. While in edit mode (icons jiggling), drag the app all the way to the right or left edge of the screen. Hold it there for a moment, and the screen will automatically shift to the next page. Then drop the app where you want it.
This is faster than manually swiping between pages, especially if you have many screens. You can also drag an app to the very first page or the very last page using the same method — just keep dragging toward the edge until you reach the page you want.
Creating and organizing folders
Folders let you group related apps under a single icon, which saves space on your home screen. To create a folder, press and hold an app, tap Edit Home Screen, then drag that app directly onto another app. The two apps will automatically combine into a folder, and iOS will suggest a category name based on what the apps do.
You can rename the folder by tapping the name field at the top of the folder window and typing a new name. You can also add more apps to the folder by dragging them onto the folder icon while in edit mode. A single folder can hold up to nine apps per screen, and you can swipe within the folder to see additional screens if you add more than nine.
Using the App Library instead
If you do not want to manually organize your home screens, the App Library does it automatically. Swipe all the way to the right past your last home screen page, and you will see the App Library — a grid of category folders like Productivity, Entertainment, and Utilities. Every app on your phone appears here, sorted by type.
You can hide entire home screen pages if you prefer to use only the App Library. Press and hold on an empty area of your home screen, tap the dots at the bottom to see all your pages, then tap the dot under each page you want to hide. This leaves you with a clean home screen and the App Library as your backup for finding less-used apps.
What happens to app notifications and badges
Moving an app does not change how notifications work. If an app shows a red badge with a number (like the Mail app showing unread messages), that badge moves with the app to its new location. Notifications still arrive the same way whether the app is on your first page or buried in a folder.
If you move an app into a folder, the folder itself will show a badge if any app inside it has unread notifications. For example, if Mail has three unread messages and you put it in a folder called Communications, the Communications folder will show a red 3 badge. You have to open the folder to see which app inside actually needs attention.
Undoing a move or restoring the default layout
There is no undo button for moving apps, but you can manually move them back. If you move an app and when ready regret it, press and hold it again and drag it to where it was before. iOS does not track your previous layout, so if you want to restore your home screen to the factory default, you will need to move apps back one at a time or reset your phone.
If you have a backup of your iPhone from before you rearranged everything, you can restore from that backup through Settings > General > Transfer or Reset > Erase All Content and Settings, then choose Restore from iCloud Backup or Restore from Mac. This is a drastic step and will reset your entire phone, so it is only worth doing if you have moved many apps and want the original layout back.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I move the built-in apps like Settings and Phone?
Yes, you can move any app, including built-in ones. Press and hold Settings or Phone, tap Edit Home Screen, and drag it anywhere. You can even put built-in apps into folders or hide them by removing them from your home screen pages (they will still be in the App Library).
What if I drag an app to the edge and nothing happens?
Make sure you are in edit mode — the icons should be jiggling and slightly larger than normal. If they are not, press and hold the app again and tap Edit Home Screen. Also check that you are dragging to the very edge of the screen, not just near it. Hold the app at the edge for a moment before releasing.
Can I organize apps differently on different home screen pages?
Yes. Each home screen page is independent, so you can put Work apps on page one, Games on page two, and Utilities on page three. There is no limit to how many pages you can create, and you can move apps between pages as often as you want.
Do I lose any data when I move an app?
No. Moving an app only changes where its icon appears on your screen. All the app's data, settings, and login information stay exactly the same. The app itself does not change at all.