Body
Questions
- How do I rearrange apps on my iPad Home Screen?
- How do I move apps to a different page on my iPad?
- How do I hide apps on my iPad without deleting them?
- How do I create a folder on my iPad Home Screen?
- How do I use the App Library on iPad?
- How do I make my iPad show different apps during Study Focus?
- How do I put my school apps on the first page of my iPad?
- How do I remove distracting apps from my iPad Home Screen?
- How do I hide a Home Screen page on my iPad?
- How do I stop videos from playing automatically on my iPad?
Environment
These instructions apply to Bowdoin-issued iPads running the current version of iPadOS. The Mac Home Screen (Desktop and Dock) works differently and is not covered here. For macOS Dock and Desktop organization, see System Settings > Desktop & Dock on your Mac.
Resolution
Your iPad Home Screen is the first thing you see when you unlock. Whatever sits on the first page is what you open without thinking about it. Rearranging that screen intentionally, putting school tools up front and moving distractions further away, changes your default behavior without requiring willpower in the moment.
Move apps between pages
- Touch and hold any app on the Home Screen until all the apps begin to wiggle (this is called jiggle mode).
- Drag the app to the left or right edge of the screen to move it to the previous or next page.
- Drop the app in the position you want on the new page.
- Tap Done in the upper-right corner when finished.
Consider placing your most-used academic apps (Canvas, Outlook, Teams, Notability, Pages) on the first Home Screen page and moving social media and entertainment apps to the second or third page.
Create a folder
- Touch and hold any app until the apps begin to wiggle.
- Drag one app on top of another app. iPadOS creates a folder automatically and suggests a name based on the app category.
- Tap the folder name to rename it (for example, Social or Entertainment).
- Tap outside the folder to close it, then tap Done.
Grouping distracting apps into a single folder adds a small amount of friction. That extra tap to open the folder is enough to make you pause and decide whether you actually intended to open the app.
Remove an app from the Home Screen without deleting it
- Touch and hold the app you want to remove.
- Tap Remove App in the menu that appears.
- Tap Remove from Home Screen. The app moves to the App Library and remains installed on your iPad. It does not lose any data.
To find a removed app later, swipe left past your last Home Screen page to reach the App Library. Apps are sorted into categories automatically. Tap the search bar at the top of the App Library to search by name.
Hide an entire Home Screen page
- Touch and hold an empty area of the Home Screen until the apps begin to wiggle.
- Tap the row of dots near the bottom of the screen. A zoomed-out view of all your pages appears.
- Tap the checkmark circle below the page you want to hide. When the checkmark is removed, the page is hidden.
- Tap Done.
Hidden pages are not deleted. You can unhide them at any time by repeating the steps above and tapping the empty circle to re-enable the checkmark.
Show different Home Screen pages for each Focus
Each Focus mode on iPad can display a different set of Home Screen pages. A Study Focus can show only pages with academic apps, while a Social Focus can show everything.
- Open Settings on the iPad Home Screen.
- Tap Focus, then tap the Focus you want to customize (for example, Study).
- Tap Home Screen.
- Toggle on Custom Pages.
- Select the Home Screen pages that should appear while the Focus is active. Pages you do not select will be hidden.
- Tap Done.
Note: Before setting up per-Focus pages, organize your Home Screen so that academic apps and social apps are on separate pages. This makes it easy to show only the pages you need for each Focus.
Choose where new app downloads appear
- Open Settings.
- Tap Home Screen & App Library.
- Under Newly Downloaded Apps, choose:
- Add to Home Screen - new apps appear on the Home Screen automatically.
- App Library Only - new apps go straight to the App Library and stay off the Home Screen until you decide to add them.
Choosing App Library Only keeps your Home Screen layout intentional. New downloads will not show up on your first page and disrupt the organization you have set up.
Reduce videos that play automatically
Autoplaying video pulls you into passive scrolling before you decide to watch anything. A few settings turn it down:
- Open Settings, tap App Store, then tap Video Autoplay and choose Off (or Wi-Fi Only) to stop video previews from playing on their own in the App Store.
- Open Settings, tap Photos, and turn off Auto-Play Videos and Live Photos to keep the Photos app from playing clips as you scroll.
Autoplay inside streaming and social apps (such as YouTube, Netflix, TikTok, and Instagram) is controlled within each app, not in iPad Settings. Open the app's own settings and look for an autoplay or "play next" option to turn off. That is usually where the biggest pull comes from.
Additional Help
If you need further assistance, you have several options:
- Bowdoin Bot: Chat with Bowdoin Bot directly from any KB page for instant answers.
- Phone: Call the Bowdoin College Service Desk at (207) 725-3030.
- In person: Visit the Tech Hub in Smith Union during business hours.
- Submit a ticket: Request assistance through the Service Catalog.
Additional Resources
AI-assisted content: This article was drafted with the assistance of an AI writing tool and reviewed by Bowdoin IT staff for accuracy.