The fastest way to reorder favorites on iPhone

Open the app where your favorites live — this works the same way in Safari, Phone, Messages, Contacts, and most other built-in apps. Look for an Edit button, usually in the top left or top right corner. Tap it, then press and hold the three horizontal lines (called a grab handle) next to the favorite you want to move. Drag it up or down to its new position, then tap Done.

The grab handle appears only in Edit mode. If you try to long-press a favorite without tapping Edit first, nothing will happen — the app will either open it or show you options to delete it instead.

Some apps use a slightly different layout. In Phone, for example, the Edit button is at the bottom of the screen. In Safari, it's in the top right. But the core action — tap Edit, grab the handle, drag, tap Done — stays the same across Apple's own apps.

Key Takeaways

  • Every built-in iPhone app with favorites has an Edit button that unlocks the grab handles you need to drag items.
  • The grab handle is the stack of three horizontal lines next to each favorite — you cannot drag without it visible.
  • After you finish moving favorites, you must tap Done or the changes will not save.
  • Third-party apps may work differently, so check their settings or help section if the Edit button method does not appear.

Reordering favorites in Safari

Open Safari and tap the Favorites icon at the bottom of the screen — it looks like a book. Tap Edit in the top right corner. The grab handles appear next to each favorite. Press and hold a handle, drag the favorite to where you want it, then tap Done.

If you have favorites in multiple folders (like a "Work" folder and a "Personal" folder), you can reorder within each folder separately. Tap into a folder, tap Edit, move the favorites around, tap Done, then go back and repeat for the next folder.

Reordering favorites in Phone

Open the Phone app and go to the Favorites tab at the bottom. Tap Edit at the bottom left. The grab handles appear next to each contact. Hold and drag a contact to move it, then tap Done at the bottom right.

You can also delete a favorite from this screen by tapping the red minus sign next to it, but dragging is the only way to change the order.

Reordering favorites in Messages

Open Messages and look for the Edit button in the top left corner. Tap it to reveal the grab handles next to each conversation. Hold and drag a conversation to move it up or down the list, then tap Done.

This reorders your pinned conversations — the ones that stay at the top of your Messages list. Unpinned conversations below them will not have grab handles and cannot be manually reordered; they sort by most recent instead.

Reordering favorites in Contacts

Open Contacts and tap Edit in the top left. If you have marked certain contacts as favorites (by tapping the star next to their name), you can reorder them here. Hold the grab handle next to a favorite and drag it to a new position, then tap Done.

Not all contacts in your list are favorites — only the ones you have starred. If you do not see the grab handles, make sure you tapped Edit and that the contact is actually marked as a favorite.

What to do if Edit does not appear

Third-party apps — ones you downloaded from the App Store rather than ones that came with your iPhone — may not follow Apple's Edit button pattern. Some apps let you drag favorites without entering an edit mode first. Others have a settings menu where you can turn favorites on or off, but not reorder them.

Check the app's settings by tapping the gear icon or menu button. Look for a section labeled "Favorites," "Bookmarks," "Shortcuts," or "Preferences." If the app does not offer a way to reorder, you may be able to delete a favorite and re-add it in the order you want, though this is slower and does not always work.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why can't I drag my favorites without tapping Edit first?

Apple's apps lock the drag feature behind Edit mode to prevent you from accidentally moving a favorite when you meant to open it. Without Edit mode, a long press opens or selects the favorite instead of showing the grab handle.

Do I have to tap Done, or will my changes save automatically?

You must tap Done. If you close the app or navigate away without tapping Done, your changes will be lost and the favorites will return to their previous order.

Can I reorder favorites across different folders?

No. You can only reorder favorites within a single folder at a time. If you want a favorite to move to a different folder, you usually have to delete it and re-add it in the new folder.

What if the grab handle does not appear even after I tap Edit?

Make sure you are looking at actual favorites, not just recent items. In some apps, recent items appear above favorites but cannot be reordered. Also check that you are using the latest version of the app — older versions sometimes lack the Edit feature.