Tech Reference

How to hide apps on your iPhone without deleting them

A person holding an iPhone.
You can hide any iPhone app. DenPhotos/Shutterstock
Updated
Read in app

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.

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.

Remove App pop-up with Remove from Home Screen highlighted with a box and arrow.
Once hidden, the app icon disappears from your home screen but you can still see it in the App Library.  Abigail Abesamis Demarest/Insider

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.

iPhone pages with empty circle under one page highlighted with a box and arrow.
When unchecked, you won’t see that page when swiping anymore.  Abigail Abesamis Demarest/Insider

4. Tap Done in the top-right corner.

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.

Spotify Siri & Search menu with Show App in Search toggle highlighted with a box and arrow.
When turned off, the app will no longer show up in search results.  Abigail Abesamis Demarest/Insider

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.

Search page with Spotify app icon and related searches.
Apps hidden from Siri and Search will not appear here.  Abigail Abesamis Demarest/Insider

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.

Read next

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. 
ExperienceWilliam joined Business Insider in 2019 to help found Tech Reference, a vertical dedicated to answering the internet’s most common questions about the gadgets they buy. In that role, he helped grow the vertical into a powerhouse that attracted over 20 million pageviews a month. He also wrote and edited one of Business Insider’s most successful stories: How to take a screenshot on Windows.William later became one of Business Insider's lead consumer tech reporters, writing roundups and reviews about gadgets ranging from smartphones to gaming PCs. He also established key industry contacts at brands like Apple, Google, Nintendo, and more. He’s also cited on the Wikipedia page for Among Us, an honor above all others.William’s work for Business Insider has included reviewing the best gaming laptops, publishing previews of new Nintendo games and consoles, and comparing Apple’s latest releases so readers know what’s worth their money. Across all assignments, he’s been praised for his depth of knowledge and research skills.In addition to his work at Business Insider, William’s writing has appeared in outlets like The Guardian, Polygon, Thomson Reuters’ Context, and more. He's also a regular guest on TV stations like CBS and NBC, where he provides expert analysis on AI, consumer tech, and Silicon Valley moguls.Why you can trust WilliamWilliam believes the goal of journalism should be to tell the truth, not sell products. In his reviews, William never hesitates to call out a product’s flaws, but he also has no issue complimenting features that genuinely add value.When reviewing a product, William doesn’t test it in a vacuum. He tries to incorporate each product into his daily routine to get a better sense of how it’ll work for the everyday user. And when writing, he focuses on reader comprehension. He’s talented at explaining complicated concepts in ways that all readers can understand, without losing depth or nuance — or his distinctively engaging voice.Expertise
  • Artificial Intelligence (AI)
  • Consumer Technology (Laptops, PCs, video games and gaming consoles, smartphones, more)
  • Social Media (TikTok, X, Meta, more)
  • Internet Culture (Memes, influencers, viral trends)
  • Disinformation
EducationWilliam graduated from the State University of New York at Geneseo in 2018. There, he studied English, communications, and adolescent education, alongside reporting news for the university’s radio and TV stations.Outside workWhen he’s not reporting, you can usually find William biking through Central Park, playing video games, or at home listening to music and writing fanfiction. He’s also a co-manager of the New York Mandolin Ensemble, one of NYC’s premier string orchestras.You can contact him at w.antonelli322@gmail.com, visit his official website at williamantonelli.com, or follow him on Twitter @DubsRewatcher and BlueSky @wantonelli.bsky.social.