How to Use the App Library to Organize All the Apps on Your iPhone or iPad (2024)

Keeping track of all the apps on your iPhone or iPad can be a challenge, but the App Library makes it easier. This feature organizes all your installed apps into folders based on specific categories. You can remove a rarely-used app from the Home screen and keep it tucked away in the App Library when its needed. Opening the library requires a simple swipe to browse all your apps or search for something specific.

Apple launched the App Library with iOS 14 and iPadOS 15, so as long as you’re running those versions or higher, you’re good to go. With iOS 18 and iPadOS 18, currently in public beta, you can also hide supported apps and then access them through a special folder stored in the library.

Overall, the App Library is a helpful tool for managing and finding your apps. It's especially useful if you haven’t already manually organized your apps into different folders. Here’s how this works.

How to Access the App Library

To access the App Library, open to the Home screen on your iPhone or iPad and swipe to the left until you see the screen with apps organized into folders. Here, you’ll see folders called Suggestions, Recently Added, Social, Entertainment, Shopping, Music, Games, and more, depending on which apps you have on your device.

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Notice that some of the apps in a folder have large icons, while others sport smaller icons grouped in fours. To open an app that has a large icon, all you have to do is tap it. For the smaller app icons, tap the group of four icons to bring up a screen that shows all the apps in that category. From there, simply tap an icon to open the corresponding app.

You can move apps from the App Library to the Home screen or delete them entirely. However, you can’t move apps in the library from one folder to another. If you feel an app has been categorized in the wrong folder, there’s nothing you can do except maybe complain to Apple.

How to Search for Apps in the App Library

If you’re having trouble finding a specific app in the library, try searching for it by name. Start typing the name of the app you want in the App Library search field at the top to see the corresponding apps. Tap the app's icon among the results to launch it.

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Otherwise, swipe down on the App Library screen to view an alphabetical list of all the apps installed on the device. To find a specific app faster, tap a letter on the right-hand side to see all apps starting with that letter.

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How to Add Apps to the Home Screen

You can add an app from the App Library to your Home screen if it’s not already there. Long-press on the icon to open the command menu and then tap Add to Home Screen. The app’s icon appears on the next free spot on your Home screen, but also remains in the App Library.

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Another method of moving apps from the App Library to the Home screen is to hold down on the app until all the icons start jiggling. Drag the app to the left until the Home screen appears, allowing you to place the icon into the correct position.

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You can also press down on an icon from the Home screen and select the Edit Home Screen command from the menu. Wait until all the apps are jiggling and then go to the App Library to move the icon for a specific app to the Home screen.

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How to Remove Apps From the Home Screen

To remove an app from the home screen and store it only in your App Library, press down on the icon and tap Remove App from the pop-up menu. You’re asked if you want to delete the app or move it to the App Library. Tap Remove from Home Screen.

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You can also remove multiple apps. Long press an app and select Edit Home Screen. Once the apps start jiggling, tap the minus symbol on any icons you want to remove, or drag them over to the App Library so that they disappear from the Home screen.

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To delete any app in the App Library, press down on its icon. Select Delete App from the menu. Note that this doesn’t just remove the app from the App Library; it uninstalls the app entirely, so be careful with this option.

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Set Where Apps Are Downloaded

If you want to control where new apps are installed, head to Settings > Home Screen & App Library. Under the Newly Downloaded Apps section, you can choose where you want apps to appear after download:

• Choose Add to Home Screen to add new apps to both the Home Screen and the App Library.

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• Choose App Library Only to add new apps to the App Library but not your Home Screen.

Under the Notification Badges section, you can enable Show in App Library to change the notifications you see while in the App Library.

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Hide an App From the App Library

With iOS 18 or iPadOS 18, you can hide an app to protect it from prying eyes and then open it through a special folder in the App Library. To try this, make sure you’re running the latest beta version of iOS 18 or iPadOS 18.

To first hide an app from your home screen, press down on its icon. If the app can be locked, tap Require Face ID from the popup menu. If the app can be hidden, you'll then see a message with two choices: Require Face ID and Hide and Require Face ID. Tap Hide and Require Face ID, then Hide App to confirm. The icon is then removed from the Home screen.

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To find the hidden app, swipe to the App Library, then move to the bottom until you see a folder named Hidden. Tap that folder and you'll be authenticated with Face ID or Touch ID. Tap the app you want to access. You'll again be authenticated, and the app opens.

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Unhide an App

To unhide an app, tap the hidden folder in the App Library to reveal it. Press down on the app's icon and select Add to Home Screen. Confirm your action by tapping Unhide App. The app is moved back to the Home screen where it's now visible and unlocked.

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