You know that feeling when you're looking for your banking app and you end up scrolling through six pages of random games and old travel apps you haven't touched since 2022? Yeah, it’s a mess. Most of us just let the icons pile up until the Home Screen looks like a digital junk drawer. But honestly, learning how to put apps in folders on iphone is one of those tiny life upgrades that actually saves you a few minutes of frustration every single day.
Apple hasn't changed the core mechanic much over the years, but with recent updates like iOS 18 and the latest iOS 26 "Liquid Glass" interface, there are some weird quirks and hidden shortcuts most people miss. It’s not just about dragging things around anymore; it’s about managing a stack of icons without losing your mind.
The Basic Drag-and-Hover Move
If you're just starting out, the process is pretty tactile. You basically have to force the phone into "Jiggle Mode."
- Find your first app. Press and hold your finger on any app icon on the Home Screen. Don't let go when the little menu pops up—keep holding until all the icons start shaking like they're nervous.
- The Overlap. Grab one app and drag it directly on top of another app you want in the same group.
- The "Sweet Spot." This is where people trip up. If you drag the app too fast or don't hover long enough, the bottom app will just scurry away to the next slot. You have to hold it there for a split second until a gray box appears behind both icons.
- Release. Lift your finger. Boom. Folder created.
Apple usually gives the folder a generic name like "Productivity" or "Utilities" based on the app categories. Most of the time, the AI guess is... okay. But you'll probably want to change it. Just tap the name field while you're still in that edit mode and type whatever you want. I usually use emojis for names because it looks cleaner.
Pro Tip: Moving Apps in Bulk (The "Stacking" Trick)
If you have 40 apps to organize, doing them one by one is a nightmare. There is a "hidden" gesture that feels like a cheat code, but hardly anyone uses it.
First, enter jiggle mode. Start dragging one app just a little bit away from its original spot—keep your finger held down on it. Now, with a different finger (yeah, you need two hands for this), tap all the other apps you want to put in that same folder.
You’ll see them fly over and stack up under your first finger. The little blue number on the corner of the stack tells you how many you’ve grabbed. Once you've got your pile, just hover that whole stack over your destination folder or another app. They’ll all drop in at once. It’s incredibly satisfying.
Why Your Folders Keep Disappearing
Sometimes you’ll go to find a folder and it's just... gone. Usually, this happens because you dragged the last app out of it. An iPhone folder can't exist without at least one app inside. If you move everything out, iOS deletes the folder container instantly.
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Also, check your App Library. Since iOS 14, Apple started moving new downloads to the App Library instead of the Home Screen by default. If you can't find an app to put in a folder, swipe all the way to the right. You can drag apps out of the App Library and onto your Home Screen to begin sorting them.
Note: You can't actually edit the folders inside the App Library itself. Those are "Smart Folders" curated by Apple's algorithms. If you want a custom "Work" folder, you have to build it on your actual Home Screen pages.
Managing the New "Liquid Glass" Icons in 2026
With the rollout of the latest iOS versions, we’ve seen the introduction of the "Liquid Glass" design language. While the "how-to" remains similar, the visuals have shifted. Icons now have depth and translucency.
One thing that’s changed is how folders handle tinted icons. If you’ve used the new customization tools to turn all your icons a specific color—say, a muted sage green to match your Titanium iPhone—the folder background will now intelligently adapt its transparency to match.
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If you find that your folders look "muddy" after a software update, long-press the background, hit Edit, then Customize. You can toggle between "Small" and "Large" icons. Be warned: if you choose "Large" icons, the app names disappear, including your folder names. It looks super minimalist, but you’ll have to remember what’s in each folder by the icons alone.
Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them
- The "Runner" App: You try to drop an app into a folder, but the folder keeps sliding away. Fix: Don't aim for the center; aim for the slightly upper-middle part of the icon.
- Too Many Pages: Folders can have multiple pages. If you think you lost an app, swipe inside the folder. It might be hiding on page two or three.
- Accidental Deletions: If you tap the little "minus" sign instead of dragging, don't panic. Just select "Remove from Home Screen." The app isn't deleted; it's just moved to the App Library.
Practical Next Steps for a Clean Phone
Now that you know the mechanics, don't just create one giant folder called "Stuff." That's just a junk drawer with a lid on it.
Start by grouping your Dock apps. Did you know you can put a folder in your bottom Dock? This is huge. If you put your four most-used folders in the Dock, you technically have access to 36+ apps from every single Home Screen page.
Try this setup:
- Social Folder: (IG, TikTok, BeReal, Threads)
- Finance Folder: (Banking, Venmo, Crypto, Wallet)
- Media Folder: (Photos, Camera, YouTube, Netflix)
- Work Folder: (Slack, Outlook, Calendar, Notes)
Once you’ve got these built, you can use the "Search" button at the bottom of your screen to jump between them even faster. Your future self will thank you when you aren't hunting for the Uber app while standing in the rain.
Actionable Step: Go to your Home Screen right now. Pick the five apps you haven't opened in a month, drag them into a folder named "Archive," and move that folder to your very last screen. It’ll clear up mental space instantly.