The quickest way to rearrange your iPhone home screen
To change what appears on your home screen, press and hold any app icon until a menu appears, then tap Edit Home Screen. From there you can drag icons to new positions, delete them from the home screen (they stay in your App Library), or create new pages by dragging an icon to the right edge. When you're done, tap Done in the top right corner.
If you want to move multiple apps at once, keep holding an icon after the menu appears—the screen will enter edit mode where you can drag several icons without tapping Edit Home Screen each time. This is faster when reorganizing a full page.
To add an app back to your home screen after removing it, open the App Library (swipe to the rightmost page), find the app, press and hold it, and tap Add to Home Screen.
Key Takeaways
- Press and hold any app icon, then tap Edit Home Screen to rearrange, move, or remove apps from your home screen.
- Deleted apps move to the App Library but remain on your phone and can be added back anytime.
- You can create multiple home screen pages by dragging an app icon to the right edge during edit mode.
- Lock your home screen by pressing and holding the background, tapping Customize, then toggling on Lock Home Screen to prevent accidental changes.
- Widgets can be added to your home screen or lock screen by pressing and holding empty space and tapping the plus button.
Changing your lock screen appearance
Your lock screen—the display you see before unlocking your phone—can be customized separately from your home screen. Press and hold the lock screen itself until a menu appears, then tap Customize. From here you can change the wallpaper, adjust the clock style and position, and add widgets that show information like weather or calendar events without unlocking your phone.
To change the wallpaper, tap the preview image at the bottom of the customization screen. You can choose from built-in wallpapers, your own photos, or collections organized by color or theme. Once you select a wallpaper, you can adjust how the clock appears over it—some wallpapers let you change the clock color or move it to different positions.
Adding and removing widgets from your home screen
Widgets are small app windows that show live information—weather, calendar events, reminders, or news—without opening the full app. To add a widget to your home screen, press and hold an empty area of the screen, tap the plus button in the bottom left, find the app you want a widget from, and tap it. Select the widget size and style you prefer, then tap Add Widget.
You can also add widgets to your lock screen. Press and hold your lock screen, tap Customize, then tap the plus button. Choose an app and select a widget designed for the lock screen—these are usually smaller and show just one piece of information.
To remove a widget, press and hold it and tap Remove Widget, or enter edit mode by pressing and holding the home screen and tap the minus button on the widget.
Creating and organizing home screen pages
Your iPhone can hold multiple home screen pages. To create a new page, enter edit mode by pressing and holding any app icon and tapping Edit Home Screen, then drag an app to the right edge of the screen. A new page will appear. You can have up to 15 pages total.
To delete a page, enter edit mode, swipe to the page you want to remove, press and hold the page indicator dots at the bottom, and tap the minus button next to the page you want to delete. Any apps on that page will move to your App Library but won't be removed from your phone.
You can reorder pages by pressing and holding the page indicator dots at the bottom of the screen during edit mode and dragging them left or right. This lets you put your most-used pages first.
Using App Library to organize apps by category
The App Library is the rightmost page on your iPhone, and it automatically sorts all your apps into categories like Productivity, Health, Entertainment, and Utilities. You don't create or manage these categories—iOS does it for you. To find an app in App Library, swipe to the rightmost page and look for its category folder, or use the search box at the top.
You can choose to hide entire home screen pages and keep only App Library visible. To do this, press and hold the home screen, tap the page indicator dots at the bottom, and uncheck the pages you want to hide. This gives you a cleaner home screen while keeping all your apps accessible through App Library and search.
Locking your home screen to prevent accidental changes
If you want to prevent accidental rearrangement of your apps, you can lock your home screen. Press and hold any empty area of your home screen, tap Customize, then scroll down and toggle on Lock Home Screen. Once locked, you won't be able to move, delete, or add apps without unlocking it first.
To unlock your home screen later, press and hold the screen again, tap Customize, and toggle off Lock Home Screen. You'll need to authenticate with Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode to make this change.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I get my deleted apps back?
Yes. Deleted apps move to your App Library but stay on your phone. Open App Library by swiping to the rightmost page, find the app in its category folder, press and hold it, and tap Add to Home Screen. The app and all its data remain intact.
What's the difference between home screen and lock screen?
Your lock screen is what you see before unlocking your phone. Your home screen appears after you unlock it. Both can be customized separately with different wallpapers, widgets, and layouts. Changes to one don't affect the other.
Can I have different home screens on different pages?
Yes. Each page can have a different layout, different apps, and different widgets. You can organize pages by category—for example, one page for work apps, another for games, another for utilities. Swipe left and right to move between pages.
How do I move an app to a different page?
Press and hold the app icon until Edit Home Screen appears, then drag it to the right edge of the screen to move it to the next page, or drag it left to move it to the previous page. You can also drag it to any position on the current page.
Why can't I move my apps?
Your home screen may be locked. Press and hold an empty area, tap Customize, and check whether Lock Home Screen is turned on. If it is, toggle it off and authenticate with Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode to unlock it.