Your iPhone’s Home Screen can get cluttered quickly, especially after installing lots of apps. The good news is that Apple lets you organize your apps neatly into folders — allowing you to group similar apps (like social media, games, finance, or work apps) and keep your Home Screen tidy.
This step-by-step guide will show you how to move apps, create and manage folders, rename folders, and remove apps from folders, along with bonus tips to organize your iPhone efficiently.
✅ What Are Folders on iPhone?
Folders are containers you can create on your Home Screen to group multiple apps into one space. Instead of swiping through page after page of apps, you can simply tap a folder and access everything in one place.
Each folder can hold:
- Up to 9 pages of apps
- Up to 12 apps per page, depending on your device and display settings
📱 How to Create a Folder on Your iPhone
Creating a folder is easy and only takes a few seconds:
📍 Steps:
- Press and hold on any app icon on your Home Screen until all the apps start to jiggle.
- Drag one app over another app you want to group it with.
- When the second app highlights and a translucent box appears, release your finger. This will create a new folder.
- iOS will automatically suggest a folder name based on the app categories (like “Social,” “Games,” or “Productivity”).
🖋️ How to Rename a Folder
After creating the folder, you’ll likely want to give it a custom name:
- While the apps are still jiggling, tap the folder to open it.
- Tap the folder’s name field.
- Type in your desired name (e.g., “Work,” “Health,” “Kids’ Apps”).
- Tap Done on the keyboard.
🔄 How to Add More Apps to an Existing Folder
You can add as many apps as you want (within limits):
- Press and hold the app you want to move until it starts jiggling.
- Drag the app into the desired folder.
- Open the folder and rearrange apps inside if needed.
📤 How to Remove an App from a Folder
If you want to take an app out of a folder:
- Tap the folder to open it.
- Press and hold the app icon until it jiggles.
- Drag it out of the folder and onto the Home Screen.
- Release your finger when it’s outside the folder.
If the folder becomes empty, it will automatically disappear after you exit the edit mode.
🗃️ How to Rearrange Apps and Folders on the Home Screen
You can freely move folders and apps around:
- Long-press any app or folder until the jiggle mode is activated.
- Drag it to your desired position or another page.
- To move to a different page:
- Drag the icon to the edge of the screen.
- Hold until the page changes.
- Drop the app or folder in the new location.
- Tap Done (top right) or press the Home button (on older models) to save changes.
🧼 How to Delete a Folder (Without Deleting Apps)
To delete a folder:
- Open the folder.
- Move all apps out of the folder using the steps above.
- Once the folder is empty, it will automatically be removed.
❗ Deleting a folder does not delete the apps inside — just the folder itself.
🎯 Tips for Organizing Your iPhone Efficiently
🔹 Use Themes
Group apps by theme such as:
- Productivity (Notes, Calendar, Reminders)
- Social Media (Instagram, WhatsApp, Snapchat)
- Health & Fitness (Health, Fitness, MyFitnessPal)
- Work or School (Slack, Zoom, Google Drive)
🔹 Use Emoji in Folder Names
Make folders more visually appealing and easier to spot:
- 💼 Work
- 🎮 Games
- 🍔 Food
- ✈️ Travel
🔹 Use the App Library
From iOS 14 onward, you can access the App Library by swiping to the last page on your Home Screen.
- It auto-organizes apps into smart categories.
- You can remove apps from the Home Screen but keep them in the App Library for quick access.
To remove from Home Screen:
- Press and hold the app.
- Tap Remove App > Remove from Home Screen.
📂 Summary Table
| Task | How-To |
| Create Folder | Drag one app onto another |
| Rename Folder | Tap folder > tap name field > type new name |
| Add Apps to Folder | Drag apps into folder |
| Remove Apps | Drag apps out of folder |
| Delete Folder | Remove all apps inside it |
| Move Apps/Folders | Drag to new location or page |
| Use App Library | Swipe to the last screen for organized app groups |
🧠 Why Use Folders?
Organizing apps into folders helps you:
- Reduce Home Screen clutter
- Find apps faster
- Focus better (group by purpose or priority)
- Make your iPhone look clean and professional
🚀 Final Thoughts
Learning how to organize and move apps into folders on your iPhone is a great way to make your device more efficient, visually clean, and easier to use. With just a few taps and drags, you can turn a cluttered mess into a streamlined setup tailored to your lifestyle — whether you want a screen for work, fun, travel, or daily productivity.
Take a few minutes today to create folders, name them clearly, and move your most-used apps into smart places. You’ll be amazed at how much better your iPhone feels to use.
