How to arrange iPhone apps from a Windows PC

An Apple Support Communities thread asking how to arrange iPhone apps from iTunes on a Windows PC has 271 “me too” votes, and we found three more threads asking the same thing, including one asking for any Windows app that can do it. In a Reddit discussion of a Mac home screen tool, a commenter asked for a Windows version too, and no one answered.

What Apple offers on Windows today

iTunes for Windows used to have the same Apps tab as the Mac version. iTunes 12.7 removed it on both platforms in 2017.

Apple now offers the Apple Devices app on Windows for iPhone and iPad tasks: updating the software, making and restoring backups, and syncing media. Like Finder on the Mac, it has no view of the home screen and cannot move icons.

The other Apple tools people suggest for this are Mac only. iPhone Mirroring needs a Mac running macOS Sequoia or later, and Apple Configurator is a Mac app. Neither has a Windows version.

Doing it on the phone, faster

If a Mac is not an option, the iPhone's own editor is the tool you have. It is slow mostly because people move apps one at a time. Moving them in a group helps a lot:

Touch and hold an empty part of the home screen until the apps jiggle.
Start dragging one app with one finger and keep holding it.
With another finger, tap the other apps you want to move. They stack under the first one.
Swipe to the page you want with your free finger and let go of the stack.
To clear out a whole page, remove its apps to the App Library, then add them back in the order you want.

If you can use a Mac, even for an hour

TidyGrid is a Mac app, and it will not run on Windows. Arranging the home screen from a computer means reading and writing the layout through the phone's cable connection, and TidyGrid does that only on macOS.

If a friend or family member has a Mac with Apple silicon, you can do a one-off reorganization there: connect the phone with a cable, tap Trust, arrange every page side by side and press Apply. The layout and icons stay on that Mac, not on the phone or anywhere online, and nothing is installed on the iPhone. Arranging and previewing are free; only Apply needs a license.

Who this works for

TidyGrid needs a Mac with Apple silicon and a cable between the device and the Mac. It does not run on Windows.
Reading a layout is tested on iPadOS 15, iOS 16, iOS 17 and iOS 27.
Applying a layout is tested on iPadOS 15.3.1 and iOS 27.2. iOS 16, iOS 17, iOS 18 and iOS 26 are still in testing, and on those TidyGrid opens the layout read-only and says why.

What it cannot do

No Apple app on Windows can show or change the iPhone home screen.
TidyGrid has no Windows version and does not run on Intel Macs.
TidyGrid does not run in a web browser, and there is no way to arrange the home screen through iCloud.com.
TidyGrid works over a cable, not over Wi-Fi, so it cannot reach the phone from another computer on your network.

Questions

Can I install an old iTunes on Windows to get the Apps tab back?

Old installers circulate, but an iTunes from 2017 was never updated for current iOS versions, so it cannot read or change a current iPhone's home screen.

Can I arrange my apps on iCloud.com?

No. iCloud.com has no view of the home screen. The layout is part of your iPhone backup, but you cannot open or edit it there.

Is there a Windows version of TidyGrid?

No. TidyGrid is a Mac app and needs a Mac with Apple silicon.

Does a TidyGrid license work on someone else's Mac?

A license covers 3 Macs, so you can use it on a borrowed Mac. Downloading, arranging and previewing are free on any Mac; the $9.99 one-time license is needed only to apply.