How to rearrange iPhone apps from your Mac (without iTunes)

People have asked this on Apple Support Communities since iTunes 12.7 removed the Apps tab. The most-voted thread has 2,578 “me too” votes, and a 2023 thread asking for a desktop way has 482.

Option 1: iPhone Mirroring (built in, free)

iPhone Mirroring shows your iPhone screen in a window on your Mac and lets you use it with the trackpad and keyboard. You can enter jiggle mode and drag icons with the pointer.

It is the same home screen editor as on the phone, just bigger: you still see one page at a time, and moving an app still pushes the others along. It needs a recent Mac and iPhone signed in to the same Apple Account, and it is not offered in every region.

Option 2: Apple Configurator (free, for managed devices)

Apple Configurator is Apple's tool for setting up iPhones and iPads in schools and companies. With the device connected, you can open Modify > Home Screen Layout and drag apps between pages.

On devices that are not supervised, people report that changes do not stick. Others report that applying a layout removes widgets and moves apps that were only in the App Library back onto the home screen. Read our guide on Configurator not saving changes before you rely on it.

Option 3: TidyGrid

1. Connect your iPhone to your Mac with a cable, unlock it and tap Trust if asked.
2. Open TidyGrid. It reads the home screen as it is now: the Dock, every page, folders and widgets, with real icons.
3. Drag apps between pages, select several and move them together, make folders, or use Arrange to put apps in order by color or A to Z.
4. Press Apply to iPhone. TidyGrid saves a backup of the current layout, writes the new one, reads it back and checks that the phone matches.

Who this works for

• TidyGrid needs a Mac with Apple silicon and a cable to the iPhone or iPad.
• 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.

What it cannot do

• None of these options work from a Windows PC. TidyGrid is a Mac app.
• TidyGrid moves the apps, folders and widgets you already have. It cannot install apps, add new widgets or change a widget's settings.
• TidyGrid works over a cable, not over Wi-Fi.
• iPhone Mirroring does not add any way to move many apps at once.

Questions