Dealing with a cluttered iPhone home screen? Yeah, we’ve all been there. When you install a bunch of apps, they tend to scatter everywhere, making it a pain to find what you need fast. Whether it’s for work, social media, or just random stuff, organizing can actually be a lifesaver—especially if you want quick access to your favorite apps without drilling through pages. These tips are pretty straightforward and might just save you a few minutes every day.
How to Organize My Apps on iPhone?
Let’s go over some of the easiest ways to tidy up that digital chaos. From hiding apps in the App Library to creating folders, these tricks help you keep things neat without losing access. The goal? A cleaner, faster way to find your stuff, especially when you’re in a hurry.
1. Shift Apps Installed on iPhone to App Library
Apple’s App Library, introduced with iOS 14, is kind of a hidden gem. It’s like a digital closet; all your apps neatly tucked away, but still accessible when you need them. This helps declutter the home screen if you’ve got dozens of apps. Basically, you remove apps from the home screen and keep them in the library—no deleting, just hiding. On some setups, this can be hit or miss, and may require a restart to fully stick — but it’s worth trying.
- Long-press the app icon you want to hide
- A menu pops up — tap Remove App
- Choose Remove from Home Screen; the app stays in the library but disappears from the main pages
Just a heads up—if you want to delete the app entirely, you can hit Delete App. Otherwise, it stays safe in the App Library. On some iPhones, it might take a reboot or a bit of fiddling, but it’s generally good for cleaning up.
2. Use Minimal Home Screen Pages
If you’ve got tons of home screens because you kept installing stuff, might as well hide some of those pages. It’s like putting your apps in the closet instead of leaving them scattered on the table. To do this:
- Long-press on an empty spot on your home screen
- Jiggle mode kicks in; you’ll see the page indicator dots at the bottom
- Tap those dots to bring up the page thumbnails
- Untick the pages you want to hide — they won’t delete, just hide from view
This tweak is simple but effective. Keep your main apps in sight but hide the clutter behind the scenes. Sometimes, after toggling, device restarts help normalize everything—as weird as that sounds.
3. Use Spotlight Search on iPhone
Not sure why Apple made it so secretive, but Spotlight Search is a quick way to find apps without digging for them. Just swipe down from the top of any home screen or lock screen; you’ll get a search bar, plus suggestions for apps you use often. Kind of a handy shortcut if your home screens are a mess.
It’s especially useful if you’re looking for an app you installed recently but can’t remember where. Just type a bit, and it pops up. On some setups, this feature doesn’t always work right away, so sometimes toggling Spotlight in Settings > Siri & Search helps.
4. Frequently Accessed Apps Should Be on the First Home Screen
Makes sense—keep your essentials right upfront, especially the ones you use every day like banking, messaging, or shortcuts for quick calls. You can drag these apps to the first page or onto the dock. Sometimes, on some iPhones, the apps might stubbornly stay put, or the drag goes wonky, but generally, it works fine.
- Long-press an app icon to enable jiggle mode
- Drag your most-used apps to the first screen or dock for instant access
- Rearrange as needed to prioritize what’s most important
5. Organize Folder by App Type
If you’re into grouping similar apps, folders are your friends. Nothing complicated here—just tap and hold an app, then drag it onto another to create a folder. Name it whatever makes sense, like “Finance” or “Social.” Sometimes, it takes a couple of tries to get the hang of dragging, especially with bigger folders, but it’s worth it for the tidy look.
- Long-press an app to enter jiggle mode
- Drag it onto another app — a folder gets created automatically
- Drop more apps inside to keep related stuff together
6. Move the Folder of Apps on the Home Screen Dock
Putting entire folders on the dock is a quick way to keep your favorite groups within reach. Not sure why Apple hasn’t made it more obvious, but you can drag a folder onto the dock, and it’ll stay there, ready to open. Just don’t overload it—the dock can only handle a handful of apps or folders before things get crowded.
- Create a folder as usual
- Long-press and hold the folder, then drag it onto the dock
- Adjust position as needed — just watch out for clutter
Wrapping up
So there you go. These little tricks can turn your chaotic home screen into something more manageable. Tweak the App Library, hide some pages, organize folders, or prioritize the apps you’ll use daily. It’s not rocket science, but it’ll save you a lot of frustration in the long run.
Summary
- Hide apps in the App Library to declutter the home screen
- Hide entire home screen pages for quicker navigation
- Use Spotlight Search for quick app access
- Place your most-used apps on the first screen or dock
- Group similar apps into folders for better organization
- Move important folders to the dock for instant reach
Wrap-up
Sometimes, it’s just about making your device work for you, instead of against you. These methods are tried and tested across multiple iPhones, and yeah, they work. Will they fix everything? Maybe not, but they’re a solid start to getting more control over that app chaos. Fingers crossed, this helps someone breeze through their setup a bit faster.