How to Add Icons to Your iPad's Home Screen

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Easily add icons for apps and websites to your iPad's Home screen

Written by Rain Kengly

Last Updated: November 16, 2025 Fact Checked

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Adding Widgets

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Adding Shortcuts

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Moving App Icons

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Creating Website Shortcuts

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Downloading Apps

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Video

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Tips

Customizing the desktop, or Home screen of your iPad allows you to move icons where desired so you can quickly and easily access the apps you use the most. To put icons on your iPad desktop, you can move existing icons to your Home screen, add shortcut icons for your favorite websites, or download new apps from the Apple App Store. We’ll also explain how to add custom widgets and app icons.

Adding New Icons on an iPad

Add widgets to customize the look of your Home screen with built-in tools. You can also use Shortcuts to make custom app icons.
Tap and hold an app icon, then drag it to any location on your Home screen.
To add a website icon to your desktop, tap the Sharing icon at the bottom of Safari, then tap Add to Home Screen.
You can download new apps to appear on your Home screen from the App Store.

Method 1

Method 1 of 5:

Adding Widgets

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1
Touch and hold the Home screen. The apps will start to jiggle.
- Widgets are a great way to see information within an app quickly. You can customize the widget's size and placement on your Home screen.^{[1]
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This is at the top of the screen.

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This will open a new page with all available Widgets. Most apps will have a custom Widget, but not every app supports it.
If you want to adjust its size, swipe left or right to view the different size options.
This will add the Widget to your Home Page. The apps should still be jiggling.
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Tap and hold the Widget to move it. If the apps aren't wiggling, tap and hold the Home screen again.
- You can further customize the Widgets. Tap and hold the Home screen until the apps jiggle. Tap Edit at the top, and then tap Customize. You can do the following:
  - Make the icons bigger by tapping one the two squares icon.
  - Tap Dark to use a Dark Mode appearance for your Widgets and apps, or tap Auto to use Light Mode during the day and Dark Mode at night.
  - Tap Clear to make the Widgets and apps translucent, and then choose Light, Dark, or Auto.
  - Tap Tinted to adjust the color and saturation of your Widgets and apps. Then choose Light, Dark, or Auto.

Method 2

Method 2 of 5:

Adding Shortcuts

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1
Open the Shortcuts app. If you don't have this app, make sure to update your iOS to the newest available version.
- Shortcuts can be used to create custom app appearances.
- To add a shortcut you already created to your home screen, skip to step 6.
You can find this in the top-left corner.
If you don't see this option immediately, tap Search Actions, type "open app", and then tap the Open App option.
This is the app you want to customize.
Tap the current shortcut name at the top, and then enter something like "[App] Shortcut".
6
Tap Add to Home Screen. This will open a menu you can use to customize the photo and name of the shortcut icon.
- If you don't see this option, tap ••• and then tap the down-arrow to open the shortcut's details.
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Customize the shortcut. To change the photo of the icon, tap the current icon and select Take Photo, Choose Photo, or Choose File. Then, select the photo you want.
- To change the name of the shortcut, tap the current name. Tap the x to delete the current name, enter a new one, and then tap the Return button.
This will add the shortcut to your home screen.

Method 3

Method 3 of 5:

Moving App Icons

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1
Navigate to the icon or app you want moved to the desktop of your iPad.
- If you want to add an app to your Home Screen from the App Library, scroll to the far right screen. Find the app you want in one of the folders or enter the name into the search bar at the top. You can either tap and hold the app icon, then select Add to Home Screen, or follow the steps below to drag it to your desired location.
4
Release your finger from the screen of your iPad. The icon you moved will now be displayed on the desktop of your iPad.
- You can now move more icons if you'd like.
This saves your changes.^{[2]
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Method 4

Method 4 of 5:

Creating Website Shortcuts

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You can go to any website in Safari.
It's at the top of the screen.
3
Tap Add to Home Screen. An icon for that particular website will now display on the Home screen of your iPad.
- If you want to rename the icon, tap and delete the current name. Then, add a new one.

Method 5

Method 5 of 5:

Downloading Apps

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1
Tap on the App Store icon on your iPad. The Apple App Store will launch and display on-screen.
- If apps you download aren’t appearing on your Home screen, they might be going straight to the App Library instead. To change this, open the Settings app and go to Home Screen & App Library. Under the Newly Downloaded Apps header, select Add to Home Screen.
For example, if you want the Facebook icon on your desktop, search for “Facebook.”
If you already have the app installed, you'll see Open instead. In that case, you can simply move the icon anywhere on your Home screen. Once the app is downloaded, its icon will appear on one of your Home screens.

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Tips

Try rebooting your iPad if the icon for an app you recently downloaded doesn't display on your desktop or Home screen (and you’ve already set newly downloaded apps to appear on your Home screen). Power off your iPad, then press and hold the Power button until the white Apple logo displays on-screen. Your iPad will reboot, and the icon for the app you downloaded will now display on the desktop.

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