Master Your iPhone: Secrets to Hiding Apps Like a Pro

Get organized (or just keep info private) by hiding a single app, an entire page of apps, or even hide an app from search

By
Jeremy Laukkonen
Jeremy Laukkonen
Jeremy Laukkonen
Writer
  • Shoreline Community College

Jeremy Laukkonen is a former writer for Lifewire. When not researching and testing computers, game consoles or smartphones, he stays up-to-date on the myriad complex systems that power battery electric vehicles .

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Updated on October 8, 2024

What to Know

  • Hide an individual app: Long-press the app > Remove App > Remove from Home Screen.
  • Hide an app from search: Settings > Siri & Search, select the app to hide, and tap the Show App in Search toggle.
  • You can hide a page of apps with a long-press on the dots at the bottom of the home screen.

This article explains how to hide apps on an iPhone, including how to hide a single iPhone app and how to hide an entire screen of apps with instructions that work for both iOS and iPadOS.

How to Hide a Single App on iPhone

Whether you want to hide a single app from prying eyes or you’re just looking to organize your iPhone home screen layout and reduce clutter, hiding single apps is quick and easy.

Here’s how to hide a single app on your iPhone:

  1. Navigate to the screen with the app you want to hide, and long-press the app.

  2. Tap Remove App.

  3. Tap Remove from Home Screen.

    Highlighted steps explaining how to hide (or remove) an app from the home screen on an iPhone.

  4. The app will disappear from your home screen.

    The app will still appear in search and your App Library.

How to Hide an Entire Page of Apps on iPhone

If your app situation has grown out of control, and you want to tidy things up quickly, you can hide an entire page of apps at once. The page will still exist but won’t appear when you swipe the home screen. If you decide you want the page back in the future, you can bring it back anytime.

Here’s how to hide an entire page of apps on your iPhone:

  1. Long press the dots at the bottom of the home screen.

    If you have a search box at the bottom of your screen, press and hold that instead.

  2. Tap the check mark under the page you want to remove.

    The home screen dots highlighted as well as the "show home page" checkboxes highlighted on an iPhone.

    You can remove any number of pages.

  3. Tap any blank area of the screen.

  4. Tap any blank area of the screen again.

    An iPhone's "hide app" screen and then an iPhone's screen in jiggle mode on an iPhone.

How to Hide an App From Search on iPhone

Hiding an app on your iPhone prevents it from showing up on the home screen, but it will still be discoverable through search. If you want to avoid that, you can also hide an app from search on your iPhone:

  1. Open Settings, and tap Siri & Search.

  2. Scroll down to locate the app you want to hide, and tap it.

    Three screens of an iPhone showing Siri & Search highlighted, an arrow to indicating a swipe up is needed, and the AAA app highlighted on an iPhone.

  3. Tap Show App in Search.

  4. When the toggle appears gray, that means the app is hidden from search.

    The Shop App in Search and its toggle in the off position on an iPhone.

Can You Unhide Apps on iPhone?

The nice thing about hiding apps on the iPhone is that it doesn’t remove the app from your phone. The same is true when you hide an entire page of apps. If you decide that you want the app back or that you want a hidden page back, you can unhide an app on your iPhone at any time.

  • To unhide a single app: Locate the hidden app in the App drawer and drag it to your home screen.
  • To unhide a page of apps: Long press any empty area of your home screen, tap the dots at the bottom, and tap the empty bubble under the hidden page.
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