How to Hide Apps on iPad: 6 Methods That Actually Work

How to Find and Open Hidden Apps

• Swipe left on your Home Screen until you reach the App Library.
• Scroll to the bottom to find the Hidden folder.
• Tap the folder and use Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode to open it.
• Tap the app you want to use. 

How to Unhide an App

• Open the Hidden folder in your App Library.
• Touch and hold the app icon inside.
• Tap Don’t Require Face ID (or Touch ID).
• Authenticate your identity to move the app back to your App Library.

Maybe your iPad is shared with family, used for work, or passed around at events, and some apps should stay out of sight. Maybe your Home Screen is simply a mess. Either way, Apple gives you several ways to hide apps, and they do very different things. Some only tidy the screen. Others lock an app behind Face ID and remove it from search. Pick the wrong one and the app is still one swipe away.

Which Method Should You Use?

Start with your goal, because that decides the method. You want privacy: use Method 1, Lock and Hide. You want a tidier Home Screen: use Methods 2, 3 or 4. You want to control a child’s or employee’s iPad: use Method 5, Screen Time. You want to hide a purchase from a shared history: use Method 6.

Method 1: Lock and Hide an App With Face ID, Touch ID or Passcode

This is the strongest option and needs iPadOS 18 or later.

1. On the Home Screen, touch and hold the app icon until the menu appears.
2. Tap Require Face ID. On iPads with a fingerprint button it says Touch ID, and if neither is set up it says Passcode.
3. Tap Hide and Require Face ID and authenticate.
4. If an information card appears, tap Hide App.

The app disappears from the Home Screen and moves to a Hidden folder at the bottom of the App Library. It is also removed from search results, and its content will not appear in places like notification previews or Siri suggestions.

To open a hidden app: swipe left past all your Home Screen pages to reach the App Library, tap the Hidden folder, authenticate, then tap the app. To see a list of hidden apps: open Settings, tap Apps, then tap Hidden Apps.

To unhide an app: open the Hidden folder in App Library, touch and hold the app, tap Don’t Require Face ID (or Touch ID or Passcode), and authenticate. The app returns near the top of your App Library.

Know the limits:

1. Only apps you download from the App Store can be hidden. Apps that come with iPad cannot.
2. An app you set as your default web browser cannot be hidden.
3. Children under 13 in a Family Sharing group cannot lock or hide apps. Parents can see downloads and usage for teens aged 13 to 17 and restrict access with Screen Time.
4. The setting applies to that iPad only and does not sync through iCloud.

Which iPads support it? Face ID sits on iPad Pro models, while iPad Air, iPad mini and standard iPads use Touch ID. Our iPad Pro versus Air guide explains the difference, and the iPad mini 7 guide covers the smaller model.

Method 2: Remove an App From the Home Screen

This is the simple tidy up route, and it does not hide the app from search.

1. Touch and hold the app icon.
2. Tap Edit Home Screen, then tap the minus button on the app.
3. Choose Remove from Home Screen.

The app stays installed and appears in the App Library and Spotlight search. Anyone who swipes to the App Library can still find it, so treat this as organisation, not privacy. To bring it back, find it in App Library, touch and hold it and choose Add to Home Screen.

Removing is not deleting. If you want the app gone completely, see our guide to deleting apps on iPad.

Method 3: Hide an Entire Home Screen Page

If you keep a set of apps on one page, you can hide the whole page.

1. Touch and hold an empty area of the Home Screen until the icons jiggle.
2. Tap the row of page dots at the bottom of the screen.
3. Untick the page you want to hide, then tap Done.

The apps on that page vanish from the Home Screen swipe path but remain in App Library and search. Reverse the steps to show the page again.

Method 4: Send New Apps to the App Library Only

To stop new downloads from cluttering the Home Screen, open Settings, go to the Home Screen section and, under Newly Downloaded Apps, choose App Library Only. Menu names can vary slightly by iPadOS version. This keeps new apps off your pages by default, which helps when several people install things on a shared tablet.

Method 5: Use Screen Time to Hide Built In Apps

Built in apps such as Safari or Camera cannot use Lock and Hide, but Screen Time can remove them from view.

1. Open Settings, then Screen Time.
2. Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions and turn it on.
3. Tap Allowed Apps and switch off the apps you want to hide.

Those apps vanish from the Home Screen and search until you switch them back on. Set a Screen Time passcode so nobody else can reverse it. This is the right choice for a child’s iPad or a tablet handed to staff.

Method 6: Hide Purchased Apps in the App Store

If you share an Apple Account or use Family Sharing, you can hide a purchase from your purchase history.

1. Open the App Store and tap your profile picture.
2. Tap Purchased.
3. Swipe left on the app and tap Hide.

This only hides the entry in your purchase list. It does not hide the installed app on your iPad, so combine it with Method 1 if you also want the app off the Home Screen.

What to Do If Hide App Is Missing

If “Hide and Require Face ID” does not appear, check these causes in order.

1. Old software. Open Settings, General, Software Update and install the latest iPadOS.
2. A built in app. Apps that ship with the iPad cannot be hidden. Use Screen Time instead.
3. Default app. An app chosen as your default browser cannot be hidden.
4. Family Sharing limits. Accounts for children under 13 cannot lock or hide apps.
5. Authentication not set up. Make sure Face ID, Touch ID or a passcode is enabled.

Keep Notifications Private Too

A hidden app should not leak through alerts. In Settings, open Notifications, select the app and turn off Lock Screen alerts, sounds, badges or previews. Locked and hidden apps already withhold content from previews, but checking the settings takes seconds, and the same idea applies to browsing data. If you share a device, also clear iPad search history and delete cookies on iPad regularly.

Handy while you are tidying: learn copy and paste iPad shortcuts, and if you plan to share your location with family, see how to switch location to iPad.

Hiding Apps on Shared, Business and Rented iPads

For personal iPads, Lock and Hide is enough. For fleets of devices, it is not. Businesses managing many tablets should use device management to control which apps appear, and our explainer on MDM for rented devices shows how that works. Read about corporate iPad security risks before deploying shared devices, and use our guides to set up multiple iPads and build a self check in kiosk when the iPad should run one app only.

If you are handing an iPad back or passing it on, do not rely on hiding. Learn how to reset iPad so nothing personal stays on the device.

Choose the Method That Matches the Goal

The mistake most people make is using a tidying tool for a privacy job. Remove from Home Screen keeps things neat, Lock and Hide keeps things private, Screen Time keeps things controlled, and none of them replaces a strong passcode. Pick the one that fits, test it by asking someone to try to find the app, and you will know within a minute whether it worked.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you hide apps on an iPad?

Yes. On iPadOS 18 or later, you can hide supported downloaded apps by holding the app icon, selecting Require Face ID, then choosing Hide and Require Face ID. The app moves to the Hidden folder in the App Library and is removed from search results.

Where do hidden apps go on an iPad?

Hidden apps are moved to a locked Hidden folder at the bottom of the App Library. To open one, swipe left through your Home Screen pages, tap Hidden, then unlock it with Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode.

What is the difference between hiding and removing an app on iPad?

Removing an app from the Home Screen only clears space and keeps the app visible in App Library and search. Hiding an app with Face ID or Touch ID adds privacy by moving it to a protected Hidden folder.

Why can’t I hide an app on my iPad?

The Hide App option may be missing if your iPad is running an older version of iPadOS, the app is built into iPadOS, the app is set as your default browser, or your account has Family Sharing restrictions. Updating iPadOS and checking your account settings can help.

Can I hide apps on a shared or rented iPad?

For a single shared iPad, hiding apps can help keep personal or sensitive apps out of view. However, for business, training or event iPads, app management is usually better handled through device management tools such as MDM, which can control installed apps across multiple devices.

How do I prepare rented iPads for an event?

Before handing iPads to staff or attendees, install only the required apps, remove personal accounts, test the setup and decide whether apps should be restricted or hidden. For larger events, using managed iPads can make setup and control much easier.

Can hidden apps still send notifications on iPad?

A hidden app does not show normally on the Home Screen or search, but notification settings should still be checked separately. Go to Settings > Notifications and adjust alerts, previews and badges if you want to keep information private.

Does hiding an app delete it from an iPad?

No. Hiding only changes where the app appears and adds protection. The app remains installed with its data, and you can unhide it at any time from the Hidden folder in the App Library.

Should I hide apps before returning a rented iPad?

No. Hiding apps is not enough when returning a rental device. Always sign out of your accounts, remove personal data and follow the correct reset process before handing the iPad back.