Moving apps on your iPhone is a matter of holding down an app icon until a menu appears, then dragging it to a new spot
You can move apps around your home screen, place them into folders, or send them to a different page entirely. The process is the same whether you want to organize by category, put your most-used apps at the bottom where your thumb naturally rests, or just clean up a cluttered screen. Every version of iOS from the last several years works this way.
The steps below work on any iPhone running iOS 13 or later. If you have an older phone, the method is slightly different — you'll hold the app icon until it wiggles, then drag it — but the end result is the same.
Key Takeaways
- Press and hold any app icon until a menu pops up, then tap "Edit Home Screen" to enter move mode.
- Once you're in edit mode, drag any app to a new location on the current page, to a different page, or into a folder.
- Create a new folder by dragging one app on top of another, then name it whatever you want.
- You can also move apps to your App Library (a separate section at the end of your pages) by tapping "Remove App" and choosing "Remove from Home Screen."
- Press the home button or swipe up from the bottom to exit edit mode and save your changes automatically.
How to enter edit mode and start moving apps
Open your home screen and look at any app you want to move. Press and hold the icon with your finger for about one second — don't tap, just hold steady. A menu will pop up with several options.
Tap "Edit Home Screen" at the bottom of the menu. Your screen will now enter edit mode: all the app icons will jiggle slightly, and a small minus sign will appear in the top-left corner of each icon. This jiggling tells you that you can now move things around.
If you see a different menu with options like "Share" or "Remove App," you held too long or tapped the wrong thing. Press the home button to close that menu and try again — one quick, steady press-and-hold is what you need.
Moving an app to a different spot on the same page
Once you're in edit mode and the icons are jiggling, tap and hold the app you want to move. After a half-second, it will lift slightly off the screen — you'll see it get a little bigger and slightly transparent. Now drag it to wherever you want it on the current page.
You can place it between other apps, swap it with an existing app, or move it to an empty spot. The other apps will shuffle out of the way as you drag. Release your finger when the app is in the spot you want, and it will stay there.
This is useful if you want to keep your most-used apps at the bottom of the screen where your thumb naturally lands, or group related apps together in one area.
Moving an app to a different page
If you have multiple pages of apps (you can see dots at the bottom of your home screen showing how many pages you have), you can move an app from one page to another while in edit mode.
Tap and hold the app you want to move until it lifts off the screen. Then drag it to the very edge of the screen — left or right, depending on which page you want to send it to. Hold it there for about a second without releasing. Your iPhone will automatically slide to the next page, and you can then drop the app in its new location.
If you drag too slowly or don't hold it at the edge long enough, the page won't switch. Try again: drag to the edge, pause for a full second, and wait for the screen to slide before you release.
Creating a folder to organize apps by category
While in edit mode, you can group related apps together in a folder. Tap and hold one app until it lifts, then drag it directly on top of another app. When the second app is highlighted or surrounded by a circle, release your finger. Your iPhone will automatically create a folder containing both apps.
A popup will appear asking you to name the folder. You can type a category name like "Games," "Social," "Productivity," or anything else that makes sense to you. Tap "Done" or just tap outside the popup, and the folder is created.
To add more apps to this folder later, enter edit mode again, drag another app, and drop it on top of the folder. To remove an app from a folder, open the folder in edit mode, tap and hold the app inside it, and drag it out onto the home screen.
Sending apps to your App Library instead of the home screen
Your iPhone has a section called the App Library at the end of all your home screen pages. It automatically sorts every app you own into categories like Games, Productivity, and Utilities. You can move apps there to clean up your home screen without deleting them.
In edit mode, tap and hold an app until it lifts. Then tap "Remove App" from the menu that appears. Choose "Remove from Home Screen." The app will disappear from your home screen but will still be in your App Library, where you can find it by swiping to the last page or searching for it by name.
This is different from deleting the app entirely — the app stays on your phone and you can still use it. You're just hiding it from your home screen to reduce clutter.
Exiting edit mode and saving your changes
Once you've finished moving apps around, press the home button (on older iPhones) or swipe up from the bottom of the screen (on newer iPhones without a home button). The jiggling will stop, and your changes will be saved automatically. You don't need to tap a save button — iOS saves your new layout as soon as you exit edit mode.
If you change your mind about a move before exiting edit mode, you can always drag the app back to where it was. Once you exit edit mode, the changes are permanent until you move the apps again.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I move the apps at the very bottom of the screen (the dock)?
Yes. The dock is the row of apps at the bottom that stays visible on every page. Enter edit mode, tap and hold an app in the dock, and drag it to your home screen or to a different position in the dock. You can also drag an app from your home screen into the dock. The dock normally holds four apps, but you can fit up to six.
What if I accidentally delete an app instead of moving it?
If you see "Remove App" and accidentally tap "Delete App," the app is removed from your phone entirely. You can reinstall it from the App Store by searching for the app name, tapping the cloud icon, and waiting for it to download again. Your data inside the app may or may not be saved depending on the app.
Can I move apps if I have Screen Time restrictions turned on?
Screen Time restrictions can prevent you from deleting apps, but they don't prevent you from moving or organizing them on your home screen. If you can't delete an app, you may have a restriction enabled. Ask whoever set up Screen Time on your phone to adjust the settings.
Why won't my apps move when I drag them?
Make sure you're actually in edit mode — the icons should be jiggling and you should see minus signs in the corners. If the icons aren't jiggling, press and hold an app again and tap "Edit Home Screen." Also check that you're dragging, not just tapping. Hold your finger down and slide it across the screen rather than lifting and tapping in a new spot.
Can I move apps between my home screen and App Library at the same time?
No. You have to move apps one at a time. Enter edit mode, move or remove one app, exit edit mode, then enter edit mode again if you want to move another. This takes only a few seconds per app, but you can't batch-move multiple apps in one session.