Redeem now - You can hide apps on your iPhone so they don't appear on your home screen or in search results.
- To find an app that you've hidden, ask Siri, use the Search function, or open the App Library.
- Hiding an iPhone app won't delete any of its data, and you can unhide it at any time.
You can fit a lot of apps on your iPhone's home screen. While this is great for quickly accessing any app you might need, it can also clutter up your screen with icons.
Luckily, Apple gives you a variety of ways to manage your home screen. Not only can you move apps and put them into folders, but you can also hide them from the home screen completely.
Doing this won't erase any of your saved data, and you can still quickly open the apps by heading to the App Library screen. If you want even more privacy, you can hide apps from search.
Here are a few ways to hide apps on your iPhone.
Quick tip: If you're looking to delete apps from your iPhone to save storage space, check out our step-by-step guide.
How to hide apps from your iPhone's home screen
There are two ways to remove apps from the home screen without uninstalling them. You can hide the apps one by one, or hide a whole page of apps in one go.
Any app you hide will be sent to the App Library; an organized list of every app on your iPhone that you can find by swiping all the way to the very last page of your home screen. When you actually want to use a hidden app, open it from there.
To hide a single iPhone app
1. Find the app you want to hide and hold your finger down on it.
2. When the menu of options appears, tap Remove App.
3. Select the Remove from Home Screen option.
Quick tip: If you want to unhide an app, find it in the App Library and hold your finger on it, then select Add to Home Screen.
To hide an entire page of apps
1. Press and hold your finger on the dots at the bottom of your home screen — the ones that show what page you're on.
2. Keep holding it until your iPhone zooms out to show every page at once. If all the apps start shaking but it doesn't zoom out, just lift your finger and tap the dots again.
3. Find the page of apps that you want to hide and tap the checkmark underneath it so the check disappears.
4. Tap Done in the top-right corner.
Quick tip: Just like hiding a single app, all of the apps on the hidden page will still show up in the App Library.
Open this menu again and check the circle under the page to make it reappear.
How to hide apps so they don't show up in search
Along with the App Library, you can find hidden apps by dragging your finger down on the home screen, and then searching for them. While this is useful for finding hidden apps, it might be another privacy concern.
Luckily, you can remove apps from showing up in the search results too.
1. Open the Settings app and scroll down to tap Siri & Search.
2. In the menu that opens, scroll down and select the app that you want to hide from search.
3. Tap the Show App in Search toggle so it turns gray.
How to find hidden apps on iPhone
1. Swipe down on your home screen to open your iPhone's Search feature. Type in the name of the app, then tap on the app's icon to open it.
2. Press and hold the side button to activate Siri. Ask Siri to open the app.
3. Swipe left on your home screen until you reach the App Library. Tap on the app icon if you see it, or use the Search bar.
Quick tip: Apps are organized by category in the App Library, to make them easier to find.
William Antonelli Tech Reporter for Insider Reviews William Antonelli (he/she/they) is a writer, editor, and organizer based in New York City. As a founding member of the Reference team, he helped grow Tech Reference (now part of Insider Reviews) from humble beginnings into a juggernaut that attracts over 20 million visits a month. Outside of Insider, his writing has appeared in publications like Polygon, The Outline, Kotaku, and more. He's also a go-to source for tech analysis on channels like Newsy, Cheddar, and NewsNation. You can find him on Twitter @DubsRewatcher, or reach him by email at wantonelli@businessinsider.com. Read more Read less Abigail Abesamis Demarest Abigail Abesamis Demarest is a contributing writer for Insider based in New York. She loves a good glazed donut and nerdy deep dives into the science of food and how it's made. Read more Read lessncG1vNJzZmivp6x7o8HSoqWeq6Oeu7S1w56pZ5ufonyowcidnKxnpJqwqXvHqK5mrJ9itaqwxGaYqaijYryvecipn6imlQ%3D%3D