Make your iPhone’s home screen clutter-free while still being able to easily locate your favorite apps. Organizing the iPhone apps can make them easier to find and use. With iOS 14 and newer, you have more options to organize and group apps on your iPhone’s home screen and App Library. Find how to group apps on your iphone.

To group apps on your iPhone, press and hold an app icon until they all begin to jiggle. Then drag and drop one app icon onto another to create a folder containing both apps. Name the folder and add more apps by dragging them onto the folder icon.

In this guide, we’ll cover how to group apps on your iphone, the different ways to manage, arrange, and consolidate your apps.

Key Takeaways

  • Consolidate related apps into folders to reduce clutter and open apps faster from one place.
  • Use the App Library to access all your apps alphabetically and manage less used apps.
  • Customize your home screen layout with your favorite apps, widgets, and pages ordered by priority.
  • Reorder and rearrange apps and pages to suit your preferences and usage needs.

Why Organize Your iPhone Apps?

When you first set up your iPhone, apps are installed on pages on your home screen in a default layout. Over time as you download more apps, things can get disorganized and cluttered.

iPhone home screen neatly organized with folders

Organizing your apps into folders or using the App Library can make your home screen less chaotic. Here are some key reasons to organize your iPhone apps:

  • Find apps faster – Group related apps into folders to access them quicker
  • Reduce home screen clutter – Consolidate apps into folders and use the App Library to hide apps
  • Customize your iPhone – Tailor the home screen layout to suit your preferences
  • Focus on frequently used apps – Keep favorite apps on the home screen for easy access

How to Create Folders to Group Apps on the Home Screen

One of the easiest ways to organize iPhone apps is by creating folders to group related apps.

A sequence of dashed lines connects the two icons

Here’s how to make folders on your iPhone’s home screen:

  1. Press and hold on an app icon until all the apps start jiggling. This enters “jiggle mode”.
  2. Drag and drop one app icon on top of another to start a folder. The folder will be created with a default name.
  3. Once you’ve added all the desired apps, press Done to exit jiggle mode.

You can have multiple folders, each containing apps associated with that folder’s functionality like Social, Productivity, Games, etc. This lets you consolidate your apps and reduce home screen clutter.

How to rename a folder:

  1. Touch and hold the folder that you want to rename.
  2. Tap Rename.
  3. Type the new name for the folder.
  4. Tap Done to finish renaming the folder.
an iPhone screen shows two colorful app icons are starting to overlap hinting at the merging action

How to move apps between folders:

  1. Touch and hold the app that you want to move.
  2. Drag the app to the folder that you want to move it to.
  3. Tap Done to finish editing the home screen.

How to delete a folder:

  1. Touch and hold the folder that you want to delete.
  2. Tap Delete Folder.
  3. Tap Delete to confirm that you want to delete the folder.

How to Group Apps on your iPhone: Customize Folders

iPhone with a clear view of its home screen. Vibrant app icons are neatly arranged in grids

Once you’ve made folders, you can customize them:

  • Rename – Open the folder, tap the name at the top and type a new name.
  • Reorder apps – Open the folder, press and hold an app icon, then drag to reorder.
  • Add/remove apps – Open the folder, tap the + icon to select apps or tap the – icon and select apps to remove.
  • Delete folder – Press and hold the folder, then tap the x icon.

Folders are a great way to organize related iPhone apps and find them faster. Put your most used apps in easily accessible folders on your home screen.

What is the App Library?

The App Library is a feature that was introduced in iOS 14. It is a new way to organize your apps on your iPhone. The App Library automatically organizes your apps into folders based on their category. You can also create your own custom folders in the App Library.

How to add apps to the App Library:

smartphone with the App Library screen visible. The screen displays various app icons grouped by categories

To add an app to the App Library:

  1. Touch and hold the app on your home screen.
  2. Tap Remove App.
  3. Tap Move to App Library.

How to remove apps from the App Library:

To remove an app from the App Library:

  1. Open the App Library.
  2. Tap and hold the app that you want to remove.
  3. Tap Add to Home Screen.

How to Use the App Library

a smartphone displaying the App Library interface highlights categorized folders

The App Library is a feature introduced in iOS 14 that provides an automatic organizational structure for all your apps. Here’s how it works:

  • All your iPhone apps are arranged alphabetically in the App Library. Scroll down to see the list.
  • Related apps are grouped together in categories like Social, Creativity, Entertainment, etc. Scroll horizontally to see the categories.
  • Recently added apps appear at the top of the App Library.
  • You can search for apps by name using the search field at the top of the App Library.
An organized iPhone home screen with categorized folders such as Social Productivity and Entertainment

The App Library holds all your apps, even ones that aren’t on your home screen. To access it, swipe left past all your home screen pages. To add an app from the Library to your home screen, tap and hold it until the menu appears, then select “Add to Home Screen”.

The App Library provides an easy way to find, organize and access all your apps in one place. Use it in conjunction with folders on your home screen to keep your most used apps readily available.

How to Organize Apps on Your iPhone Home Screen

iPhone 13 Pro Max with the home screen showcasing various app icons being dragged into a folder

In addition to using folders and the App Library, you can organize apps directly on your iPhone home screen pages:

  • Move Apps – Enter jiggle mode, then press, hold and drag an app icon to any spot.
  • Delete Apps – Delete unwanted apps by entering jiggle mode and tapping the x on an app icon. This deletes it from your home screen but the app will still be available in the App Library.
  • Reorder Pages – Press and hold on the dots at the bottom to enter edit mode, then drag page dots left or right to reorder the pages.
  • Add Widgets – Widgets display useful at-a-glance information. Press and hold the home screen, tap the + button, then add widgets to pages.
  • Customize Home Screen Layout – Use your choice of widgets and app icons to design a personalized home screen layout.

Take advantage of the customization options to design an efficient and aesthetically pleasing home screen layout that suits how you use your iPhone.

How to Group Apps on iPhone 13 Pro Max?

The process of grouping apps on the iPhone 13 Pro Max mirrors that of other iPhone models. Simply tap and hold an app until it starts to jiggle. 

step by step guide on grouping apps on an iPhone 13 Pro Max

Grouping apps on your iPhone 13 Pro Max provides an easy way to organize your home screen and access related apps faster. Here is a step-by-step guide to creating app folders on your iPhone 13 Pro Max:

  1. Press and hold your finger on any app icon until all the apps start jiggling and display the “x” icon. This means you’ve entered “jiggle mode” which allows you to manage your apps.
  2. While still holding the first app, drag and drop it on top of another app that you want to group together in a folder.
  3. When you lift your finger, a new folder will be created containing both apps. The folder will have a default name based on the category of the apps.
  4. Tap on the folder name at the top and type in your preferred folder name, like “Social Media” or “Games”. This helps identify the folder contents.
  5. To add more apps, press and hold additional app icons and drag them over the folder to drop them in. You can keep adding relevant apps to consolidate them together.
  6. When finished organizing, press the Home button or tap an empty area outside the folder to exit jiggle mode.
  7. To access the folder, simply tap it to open it and view all the apps within. Tap an app icon to launch it.

Repeating these steps allows you to create multiple handy app folders to neatly organize your iPhone 13 Pro Max home screen. Keep your most used apps easily accessible by grouping them into relevant folders for efficiency.

Fact Statistic 
Number of apps available on App StoreOver 2 million (as of January 2023)
Number of apps the average iPhone user hasAround 95
Percentage of iPhone users who reorganize their home screen37%
Max number of apps allowed in a folder16 
Average number of folders iPhone users have 4-6
Percentage of users who use App Library feature62% (iOS 14 users)
Facts About Organizing Apps on an iPhone

Organizing Apps with Widgets on iPhone

iPhone home screen showcasing apps, grouped by category such as social work and entertainment

With iOS 14, Apple introduced widgets to the iPhone home screen. While they primarily display information, they can also assist in app organization. For example, you can use the Smart Stack widget to consolidate similar apps and rotate through them easily.

Consolidate Apps with Smart Stack

The Smart Stack widget lets you combine several widget versions that rotate, like grouping music apps to switch between them.

Match Widgets to Apps

Place relevant widgets next to related apps for quick access. Put the Calendar widget next to your calendar app.

Create a Widget Folder

Use a folder to hold multiple widgets, like News, Stocks and Weather widgets together for convenience.

Utilize Widget Stacks

Stacks allow you to swipe through different widgets like a Smart Stack to save space.

Embed Widgets into App Folders

You can include widgets inside application folders to provide related information at a glance.

iPhone with a beautifully organized app layout displaying arranged app icons by color and function

Organize with Small Widgets

Small widgets take up the space of a single app icon so you can precisely intersperse them on your home screen.

Elevate Important Apps

Use a widget as a “column” to place vital apps above others so they stand out visually on your home screen.

Keep Home Screen Uncluttered

Consolidate less important widgets off your home screen into the Widget Library to reduce clutter.

Categories to Consider When Grouping Apps in Folders

iPhone displays an organized home screen there are floating bubbles each containing an icon

When creating folders on your iPhone, consider categorizing apps based on their function. For instance, group all social media apps in one folder, finance-related apps in another, and entertainment apps in yet another.

Organizing your iPhone apps into folders based on app categories makes it easy to find related apps quickly. Here are some common app categories to consider when creating folders:

Social Media Folder

Group together all your social apps like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, WhatsApp, LinkedIn, and Snapchat. This keeps them together while reducing home screen clutter.

Photos & Camera Folder

Consolidate your camera, photos, and editing apps like Camera, Photos, Snapseed, and Photoshop into one convenient photos folder.

Entertainment Folder

Keep all your fun apps such as streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, games, podcasts, and ebook apps together for easy access.

Productivity Folder

Stay organized by putting work-related apps like email, calendar, notes, file managers, and productivity boosters into one folder.

Shopping Folder

Keep your retail therapy at your fingertips by grouping your favorite shopping, food delivery, and payment apps like Amazon, Ebay, Uber Eats, and Venmo.

Health & Fitness Folder

Store your health apps together like fitness trackers, meditation guides, food trackers, and workout programs for added motivation.

iPhone in the center of a wooden desk. Around the iPhone, there are sketches and notes that categorize different apps

Grouping your apps into intuitive categories like these makes them faster to access. You can name your folders appropriately as well so it’s simple to find the apps you need. A little organization goes a long way!

How to Move Multiple Apps Simultaneously?

Starting with iOS 14, iPhone users can now move multiple apps at once. Begin by tapping and holding an app until it jiggles. Without lifting your finger, use another hand to tap on other apps you want to move. They will group together, and you can then drag them all to a new page or folder.

hand holding an iPhone with clear instructions overlaying the screen

The ability to move multiple apps at once makes organizing your iPhone home screen pages much easier. Here are step-by-step instructions:

  1. Enter “jiggle mode” by pressing and holding your finger on any app until the icons start jiggling.
  2. Without lifting your finger, use another finger on your other hand to tap and select additional apps you want to move together.
  3. Tap as many apps as you want – they will lift up and group together. Their icons will condense into a stack to indicate they are selected.
  4. With your original finger still holding the first app, drag the stack of apps to a new location. This can be a different home screen page, folder, or the App Library.
step by step guide on how to use the App Library
  1. Once the stack is dragged to the new spot, lift your fingers to drop the apps into place together.
  2. Press the Home button or tap an empty area to exit jiggle mode.

The selected apps will now be moved as a group to their new destination in just a few taps. No need to move them one by one!

This time-saving technique makes managing your iPhone home screen pages much faster. Just enter jiggle mode, multi-select the apps, and drag them around efficiently. iOS 14 brought some great quality-of-life upgrades for iPhone users.

Top 8 Tips for Organizing Your iPhone Apps

Here are some useful tips for how to group apps on your iPhone:

iPhone home screen with categorized folders and a minimalistic wallpaper

Create Folders for Similar Apps: Group apps by category like Social Media, Photography, Music, Finance, etc. to easily access related apps.

Use Descriptive Folder Names: Name your app folders appropriately like “Social Apps” or “Travel Apps” for quick identification.

Keep Frequently Used Folders on the First Page: Put folders you access regularly on the first home screen page for fast one-tap access.

Relegate Rarely Used Apps to the App Library: Hide apps you rarely use in the App Library to reduce home screen clutter.

Add Relevant Widgets: Match widgets like Calendar and Maps next to complimentary apps for at-a-glance info.

Customize Your Home Screen Layout: Tailor your ideal layout with apps, widgets and pages ordered by personal preference.

Remove Unused Apps: Delete old or unneeded apps to streamline your home screen. They still remain in the App Library.

Set the Same Layout on All Devices: Copy your customized home screen to provide consistency across all your iOS devices.

smartphone displaying a neatly organized App Library showcasing various app categories such as Utilities Social and Entertainment

FAQs

 How many apps can you put in a folder?

You can add up to 16 apps in a single folder. If you need to consolidate more, create additional folders.

Do folders save home screen space?

Yes, folders allow you to group up to 16 apps in the space of a single app icon. This significantly reduces home screen clutter.

Can you organize the App Library?

No, you cannot customize the organizational structure of the App Library. Apps are alphabetically sorted and grouped into categories determined automatically by the iOS.

What happens when you delete an app?

Deleting an app from your home screen removes the icon, but the app still remains installed and accessible in the App Library. To fully delete an app, hold the icon until it jiggles, then tap the x and confirm deletion.

How do you move multiple apps at once?

Enter jiggle mode, then use two fingers to press and hold several apps at once. Drag them together to the new location to move multiple apps simultaneously.

Conclusion:

Keeping your iPhone apps neatly organized through folders, the App Library, and a thoughtfully designed home screen layout provides benefits like faster access, reduced clutter, and greater efficiency. Taking the time to group related apps, remove unused ones, and customize your pages creates an optimal user experience tailored to your needs.

With so many app options on your iPhone, it pays to how to group apps on your iphone. Utilize the available organizational tools to maximize productivity and enjoyment of your device. Happy organizing!