How to Organize Your Phone Apps into Folders

If your phone's home screen is covered with dozens of app icons and you have to hunt through them every time you want to open something, folders can make a big difference. A folder is a small container on your home screen that holds multiple apps. You tap the folder to open it, then tap the app you want.

Instead of a screen full of individual icons, you might have five or six folders: "Banking," "Health," "Family," "Shopping," "Games," and "News." Each folder holds several related apps. Your home screen becomes much less cluttered, and finding an app takes seconds rather than a long search.

Creating folders works similarly on both iPhone and Android. You press and hold an app icon, then drag it on top of another app. The phone creates a folder automatically.

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Before you start: think about your categories

The most useful folders are organized by what you use them for rather than by type. Some suggestions that work well for many people:

• **Banking & Money:** Bank apps, Zelle, Venmo, PayPal, your brokerage app
• **Health:** MyChart, pharmacy app, Medicare or insurance apps, health tracking apps
• **Family:** FaceTime, WhatsApp, Zoom, Skype — apps you use to contact family
• **Shopping:** Amazon, Walmart, Target, any store apps
• **News & Weather:** Your news app, weather app, local newspaper
• **Government:** Social Security, Medicare.gov, IRS2Go, USPS
• **Entertainment:** Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, Spotify, your library app
• **Settings & Utilities:** Phone settings, Wi-Fi settings, calculator, clock

You do not need to organize every app — start with the ones you use most often and leave anything you rarely open on a back page of your home screen or in your phone's app drawer (Android only).

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How to create folders on iPhone

iPhone uses what is sometimes called "jiggle mode" — when apps are in edit mode, they wiggle gently to let you know you can move or delete them.

Step 1: Enter edit mode

Press and hold your finger on any empty space on the home screen for about one second. All the app icons will start to jiggle and an "Edit" button will appear in the top-left corner. You are now in edit mode. (On some older iPhones, you may need to press and hold on an app icon instead of empty space — use a light, steady press, not a firm press.)

Alternatively, on newer iPhones, you can tap Edit in the top-left corner after long-pressing.

Step 2: Drag one app onto another to create a folder

Press and hold an app you want to put in a folder. It will lift up slightly and stick to your finger. While holding it, drag it slowly on top of another app that you want in the same folder. Hold it there for a moment — do not release too quickly.

A folder will appear automatically, containing both apps. iPhone will suggest a name for the folder based on the type of apps (for example, "Finance" or "Social Networking"). You can accept this name or type your own.

Step 3: Name the folder

A text field with the suggested folder name will appear at the top of the folder view. To change it: tap on the text field, use the backspace key to delete the suggested name, and type your own name — for example, "Banking" or "Health." Tap Done on the keyboard.

Tap outside the folder (anywhere on the home screen) to close it. The folder now appears as a single icon on your home screen with small app icons visible inside it.

Step 4: Add more apps to the folder

While still in jiggle/edit mode, drag additional apps onto the folder icon to add them. Or, to add an app to a folder when you are not in edit mode: press and hold any empty space to enter edit mode, then drag the app you want into the folder.

Step 5: Exit edit mode

Tap **Done** in the top-right corner of the screen (or press the Home button on older iPhones). The icons stop jiggling. Your folders are saved.

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How to create folders on Android

The process on Android is very similar. The exact steps depend slightly on your phone's brand — Samsung, Google Pixel, Motorola, and others each have a slightly different look — but the core action is the same on all of them.

Step 1: Long-press one app icon

Press and hold your finger on any app icon on your home screen for about one second. On most Android phones, the icon will "lift" and a menu may briefly appear — ignore any menu and keep holding the icon so you can drag it. (If a menu appears and the icon does not become draggable, try a very light, gentle press rather than a firm press.)

Step 2: Drag it onto another app

While holding the first app, drag it slowly on top of a second app that you want in the same folder. When you hold it directly over the second app, both apps will combine into a folder.

On Samsung phones, you may see a circle or a "Create folder" label appear before you release — release your finger when you see this prompt.

Step 3: Name the folder

A text field will appear with a suggested name or the label "Folder." Tap the text field, delete the current name, and type your own name (for example, "Shopping" or "Family"). Tap Done on the keyboard.

Step 4: Add more apps

Drag additional apps into the folder the same way. On Samsung phones specifically, you can also open the folder, tap the "+" icon inside it, and select apps from a list to add them.

Step 5: Close the folder and return to your home screen

Tap anywhere outside the folder to close it. The folder appears on your home screen as an icon with small app icons visible inside it. Tap the folder icon to open it and tap any app inside to launch it.

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How to remove an app from a folder

To take an app out of a folder and put it back on the home screen:

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How to delete a folder

You cannot delete a folder directly. You delete it by removing all the apps from it. Once a folder is empty, it disappears automatically.

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Tips for organizing effectively

• **Group by purpose, not by type.** "Banking" is more useful than "Finance Apps" because it tells you exactly what is inside. "Family Calls" is more useful than "Communication."
• **Put your most-used folders on the first home screen page** and less-used apps on a second page.
• **Keep your home screen simple.** Three to six folders on the main screen is plenty. Your phone has a search function (swipe down from the middle of the home screen on iPhone, or swipe up on Android) that can find any app by name.
• **Name folders in plain language.** "Doctor & Health" is clearer than "Medical."