How to Make Folders on iPhone: A Step-By-Step Guide

With 2.2 million apps in the App Store, iPhone users really are spoiled for choice these days. Mobile apps now play an indispensable role in our lives, especially since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. We can use them to communicate with our family and friends, access movies and music streaming platforms, make purchases, and manage our business tasks. In short, apps dictate how we live today, so it’s essential to keep them organized and easily accessible. 

You don’t have to organize your apps into folders, but if you catch yourself scrolling through multiple screens just to find the app you’re looking for, it might be time to think about tidying up. That’s why we’ve created this guide explaining how to make folders on your iPhone, which we’re sure will motivate you to clean your home screen. 

Many people live by the mantra “tidy home, tidy mind.” We think that philosophy could do with a 21st-century upgrade, which is why our advice is: “tidy iPhone, tidy mind.” Whether you like to try new apps occasionally or you have a classic list of apps you use every day, making folders on your phone will help you reduce the chaos on your home screen and organize your apps in a way that works for you. 

How to Make a Folder on iPhone: One Step at a Time

If you’re endlessly scrolling through your home screens to find the app you want to use, it’s time to up your iPhone game and organize your apps. Sorting apps into separate folders will reduce the time you spend searching for apps, as well as diminishing the chaos of your home screen and improving your iPhone’s performance.

iPhones are praised for their intuitive interfaces and easy navigation through apps, which is one of the reasons why there are nearly a billion active iPhone users around the world. Logically, creating new folders on the iPhone screen is a breeze. Here’s all you need to know about creating new folders on an iPhone and organizing your iPhone apps: 

1. To make a folder on your iPhone, unlock your home screen first. Choose the first app you want to move to a folder, tap on it and hold your finger on the app. All apps on your screen will start jiggling. You’ll see a small “X” in the upper-left corner of all apps. Your app is now ready to be moved. You can use the same procedure to reorganize apps on your screen or delete those that you don’t use anymore. If you decide to buy a used phone, you’ll probably have to delete a bunch of apps before you use it.
2. The next thing to do is to press on the app again and drag it over to a second app that you want to store in the same folder. When the first app covers the icon of the second one, you’ll create a folder on the iPhone immediately. Once you move your finger from the app you’re holding, both apps will be moved to the new folder together. 
3. After the new folder is created, your phone will automatically create a name for the folder. The iPhone is clever enough to recognize the contents of the folder and pick a name that suits those apps. For example, many iPhone users love to download games, so if you decide to combine all your game apps by moving them into one folder, the iPhone will automatically name it “Games.”

How to Create a Folder on iPhone: Editing Folder Names 

The iPhone automatically names your folder based on the type of apps you combine into the folder. As we’ve mentioned, a folder with games will be named “Games,” a folder with your social media apps will  be named “Social,” and so on. But if you don’t like the automatic name, you can change it quickly and easily. There are two ways to do so, depending on whether you have already created the folder already or not. 

Edit the name while creating the folder: 

After you create a folder on your iPhone, the phone will suggest the name for it. The name will be displayed once the apps are moved to the folder. Right after the suggested name, you’ll see an “X” sign. Click on it to delete the suggested name and write a new name. 

Edit the name after you create a folder: 

If you’ve already created the folder but decide you don’t like the name anymore, you can delete it quickly and type in a new name; you simply need to tap and hold the folder icon. When it starts shaking, tap it again to open the folder. You’ll now be able to edit the name of the folder.

How to Manage Apps in iPhone Folders 

Aside from learning how to create a folder on your iPhone, it’s also important to know how to manage them easily. Each folder can be renamed as the number of the apps you use grows and changes. 

For example, if you’re a game lover, you might eventually download so many games that if you keep them in one folder, it will be difficult to scroll through them. To avoid this, you can create separate folders, rename the old ones, and categorize the games as you like. For instance, you can have a “Sports” folder, a “Puzzles” folder, and a “Strategies” folder. These different game types should be organized neatly so you can just sit back in your gaming chair and access the game you want instantly. 

If you already know how to create a folder on your iPhone, managing it is even easier; you need to press and hold the folder until it starts moving. The apps will start moving too, so you just need to tap on the app you want to move and drag it onto the home screen. Then you can do whatever you want with the app - you can remove it permanently or transfer it to another folder.

How to Create Folders on iPhone 7 and Newer Versions

Creating folders on iPhone 7 or any other later version is similar to any older version of the iPhone. After you complete the steps outlined above, the new folder will appear together with its suggested name. It will be displayed all across the screen. Earlier versions of the iPhone screens, like iPhone 6 home screen, show the apps you want to move into one folder and the folder’s name in the strip on the screen. 

As you can see, if you want to create a new folder on your iPhone, you should follow the same steps we’ve already described, regardless of which version you’re using. The only difference is the visuals of the iPhone 7 home screen and newer versions. 

How to Delete Folders on Your iPhone

Deleting folders from your iPhone is easy and it takes only a few seconds. If you know how to remove an app from your phone, removing a folder is practically the same. Before you delete the folder, you need to move each app from the folder onto the home screen. Once the last app is dragged out of the folder, it will disappear automatically.