How to Create a Folder on the iPad

The great thing about the iPad is how many awesome apps you can download for it. But this comes with a price: a lot of apps on your iPad! Create a folder for your apps to keep everything tidy.

How to Create a Folder on the iPad

1. Pick up the app with your finger. If you aren't familiar with moving apps around the iPad screen, you can "pick up" an app by holding your finger on it for a few seconds. The app icon will expand slightly, and wherever you move your finger, the app will follow so long as you keep your finger down on the screen. If you want to move from one screen of apps to another screen, simply move your finger to the very edge of the iPad's display and wait for the screen to change.  

2. Drop the app on another app icon. Create a folder by dragging an app onto another app you want in the same folder. After you pick up the app, you create a folder by dragging it on top of another app you want in the same folder. When you hover on top of the destination app, the app will blink a couple of times and then expand into a folder view. Simply drop the app within that new folder screen to create the folder. 

3. Name the folder. The iPad will give the folder a default name like Games, Business or Entertainment when you create it. But if you want a custom name for the folder, it is easy enough to edit. First, you'll need to be out of the folder view. Exit a folder by clicking the Home button. On the Home screen, hold your finger on the folder until all of the apps on the screen are jiggling. Next, lift your finger and then tap the folder to expand it. The folder name at the top of the screen can be edited by tapping on it, which will bring up the on-screen keyboard. After you've edited the name, click the Home button to exit edit mode. 

How to Add Apps to a Folder on the iPad

Add new apps to the folder using the same method. Just pick up the app and move it on top of the folder. The folder will expand just as it did when you first created it, allowing you to drop the app anywhere inside the folder.

How to Remove an App From the Folder or Delete the Folder

Remove an app from a folder by doing the reverse of what you did to create the folder. You can even remove an app from one folder and drop it in another or even create a new folder from it.

1. Pick up the app. You can pick up and move apps around within a folder just as if the apps were on the Home screen.  

2. Drag the app out of the folder. In folder view, there is a rounded box in the middle of the screen that represents the folder. If you drag the app icon out of this box, the folder will disappear and you will be back on the Home screen where you can drop the app icon anywhere you would like. This includes dropping it into another folder or hovering over another app to create a new folder.

The folder is removed from the iPad when the last app is removed from it. To delete a folder, drag all of the apps out of it and place them on the Home screen or in other folders.

Organizing iPad Folders

The great thing about folders is that, in many ways, they act just like app icons. Drag them from one screen to the next or even drag them to the dock. One cool way of organizing your iPad is to divide your apps into different categories each with its own folder, and then move each of these folders to your dock. This allows you to have a single Home screen that has access to all of your apps.

Or create one folder, name it Favorites and then put your most-used apps in it. You can then place this folder either on the initial Home screen or on your iPad's dock.