How to Find Hidden Apps on iPhone

Can’t find an app on your iPhone or iPad? Odds are it isn’t deleted just hidden somewhere. With iOS 26, there are now more ways than ever for an app to slip off your Home Screen.

No need to panic. There’s a difference between apps hidden on purpose for privacy (that trick showed up in iOS 18), apps that were yanked off the Home Screen, and apps blocked by settings like Screen Time. Each case has its own fix, and none of them mean the app is gone forever.

This guide lays out a clear path to track down any missing app. Step by step, it covers every hiding spot, from the secure Hidden folder to those random folders where apps sometimes get dragged without you realizing.

How to Find and Unhide Apps from the Secure “Hidden” Folder (iOS 18 and Later)

Think your app’s really taking a break? Apple’s wild privacy move lets you hide apps like a magic trick, storing them in this mythical Hidden folder. It’s like the Bermuda Triangle of your app world.

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Here’s how to check if your missing app is intentionally hidden:

1. On your Home Screen, swipe left until you reach the App Library
2. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the list of categories
3. Tap on the locked “Hidden” folder
4. Authenticate with Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode
5. You will now see a list of all apps you’ve intentionally hidden

To Unhide an App:

1. Long-press the app icon in the Hidden folder
2. Tap “Add to Home Screen” from the menu that appears

The app will immediately return to your Home Screen and appear in the App Library’s main categories again.

Classic Methods: Finding Apps Hidden on the Home Screen or in the App Library

If your app isn’t sitting in the Hidden folder, it’s probably just been bumped off your Home Screen or moved somewhere else. These are the spots to always check.

Find Hidden Apps Using the App Library

The App Library sorts every app you’ve got into little categories on its own, so it’s usually the smartest place to begin looking.

1. Swipe left on your Home Screen until you reach the App Library
2. Use the search bar at the top to type the app’s name, or
3. Look through the automatically generated category folders (Social, Productivity, Games, etc.)
4. Once you find the app, long-press its icon
5. Tap “Add to Home Screen” or simply drag it out onto a Home Screen page

Unhiding Entire Home Screen Pages

Whole pages of apps can vanish if they’re hidden, which makes it feel like everything’s gone at once. It usually happens by mistake while cleaning up the Home Screen.

1. Long-press an empty area on your Home Screen until the apps jiggle
2. Tap the page dots indicator at the bottom of the screen
3. You will see a view of all your Home Screen pages
4. Pages that are hidden will have an empty circle beneath them
5. Tap the empty circle to put a checkmark in it, making the page visible again
6. Tap “Done”

Using Spotlight Search to Find hidden apps

Spotlight is the quickest way to dig up an app on your iPhone, no matter how far it’s been buried. It can surface apps lost in folders, tucked onto hidden Home Screen pages, or sitting quietly in the App Library. Here’s the move:

1. Swipe down on the middle of your Home Screen to bring up Spotlight.
2. Start typing the app’s name in the search bar.
3. When it pops up in the results, just tap and it’ll launch straight away.
   

Searching Manually in Folders

Apps sometimes sneak into a crowded folder by accident, especially the ones that stretch across two or three pages. It’s way too easy to overlook them in there.

The Problem: A quick drag-and-drop can toss an app onto page 2 or 3 of a folder, where it sits buried instead of showing up front.

The Solution:

1. Manually tap to open each folder on your Home Screen
2. Once inside a folder, swipe left and right to make sure you’ve checked all the pages within that folder
3. Look carefully some folders can have 3-4 pages of apps

Checking for System-Level Restrictions

Sometimes apps don’t just wander off your Home Screen — they’re actually hidden by Screen Time limits or parental controls. When that happens, the apps vanish like they were never installed.

How to Check Screen Time Restrictions

Screen Time has the power to block apps so thoroughly they won’t even appear in search. It feels less like they’re hidden and more like they’ve been erased.

1. Open Settings and select Screen Time.
2. Scroll down and tap on Content & Privacy Restrictions.
   
3. Now, tap on Allowed Apps & Features.
4. If the app you’re looking for is restricted, toggle on the button next to it to make it visible again.
   

Verifying if the App is Still Installed via App Store

The App Store can quickly reveal whether an app is just hidden somewhere or if it’s been removed from the device entirely.

1. Open the App Store on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Tap on the Search button in the bottom row.
3. Type the name of the app you’re looking for in the search bar.
4. When the app appears in the search results, tap the Open button next to it to launch it.
   

Last Resorts and Final Checks

When every other trick fails and the app still refuses to show up, there are two final moves that usually do the job.

Using Siri to Find an App

Siri can track down any app you’ve got installed, even the ones buried so deep in folders you’d never spot them on your own.

1. Press and hold the Side button (or Home button on older models) to invoke Siri. Alternatively, you can just say “Hey Siri.”
2. With Siri listening, say “Open [app name].”
3. If not, Siri will offer to search the App Store for it

This trick works well since it skips all the hiding quirks and just opens the app straight away.

Resetting the Home Screen Layout

When to Use: Best for the moments when everything feels lost and you just need every single app to show up again.

Warning: Doing this wipes out all your custom folders and puts the Home Screen back to factory order. The upside? Every installed app reappears, listed alphabetically after the stock ones.

The Steps:

1. Open Settings > General > Transfer or Reset [Device] > Reset
   
2. Tap Reset Home Screen Layout
3. Confirm when asked
   

Once it’s done, every installed app shows up on the Home Screen again, sorted alphabetically after the default apps.

Signing Off…

Hunting down hidden apps on an iPhone or iPad doesn’t have to turn into a headache. With iOS 26 juggling folders, App Library, and Screen Time limits, apps can feel missing when they’re really just tucked away somewhere. Whether they’ve been shuffled into the Hidden folder, buried in the App Library, or locked down by restrictions, these tricks will bring them back into view.

Lastly, when nothing helps, be sure to check for any third-party apps for hiding or locking apps on your iPhone, as they can sometimes have your hidden apps.

And hey, save this guide for later because let’s be real, everyone misplaces an app eventually.

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